This year’s play, Clue, has many overlooking the most important backbone of the entire show. Only to be acknowledged at the very end of applause and often forgotten is the stage crew. With many new faces in the group of hardworking teens, many obstacles are bound to come their way.

The newcomers in the stage crew are not just freshmen; sophomores such as Stella Penner have joined as well.

“This is my first year doing this,” Stella said. “I auditioned for the play but did not make it. However, I still wanted to be involved [by] being with people my age and getting to learn much more about what goes behind the play. There is so much I haven’t seen, and [being on crew] is really eye-opening.”

Without the committed seniors who left last year, many underclassmen have stepped up to help make ends meet for the whole crew. That being said, no one said it was going to be easy. The crew works tirelessly to finish set pieces and string together flawless transitions.

Senior Dayna Straub is one of those seniors who has stepped up this year to be a leader, so she especially knows the struggles that they can encounter.

“There is also a lot of figuring out how pieces move efficiently and how to work as a team,” Dayna said. “We need to know so that we are not injuring or running over the cast. [We need to know] how [we] are going to move efficiently enough that we can get through it fast but not hurt anyone at the same time.”

The stage crew comes in about a week before the true show makes its debut. Painting and creating happen while the main cast is practicing, which leads to a multitude of chaos on its own. Many students run back and forth, planning meticulous moves and catching the tiniest of details down to the trim of the room set. 

Through this, many teens have to rely on each other, working hard to communicate so that each motion and prop finds itself in its exact spot. Those with the intention of keeping things on the rails often find themselves helping with most of the work during the dubiously dubbed ‘he*l week.’

“I think leadership just becomes apparent once you’ve got the people who are there handing advice and trying to keep things moving,” Dayna said. “Oftentimes, it does fall on the seniors [so] that they are ready to help and things are going the way they should go.”

The cast also reaps the benefits of the hard-working stage crew. Sophomore Alex Fletcher, part of the main actors in the play, can remark on how inspiring their abilities can prove to be. Like a fantasy, they can remark on how the play became what it was meant to be. 

“Without the stage crew, [the play] didn’t feel real.” Alex said, “[The cast] had to move all the furniture for each new scene. The table especially was an ‘I hate this table’ kind of thing too. But now, we have all the lights and costumes and everything feels very real now.”

The stage crew is just as important as the cast as proven by many individuals who countlessly offer energy and strength to each other as they strive to make Clue the best that it can be. 

As the ones behind the curtains, the crew is always there to cheer on the actors, waiting in the wings to give strengthening words of encouragement. Both sides of the play exist to back others up, and that can’t be more evident than when the stage lights are shining like stars above all the students. 

“The stage crew is usually very hype,” Alex said. “[Stage crew] backs us up, and without them, it would just be random acting. Also, whenever I come backstage, they’re all waiting and cheering us on.”

Stella can also account for this as the teamwork pays off and creates a show that leaves people with memories that stay with them through the cold November nights. 

“I think it is very important now,” Stella said. “You can’t have a play without the crew. The different scenarios and scenes, moving from one place to another, and everything happening in the back [is] a lot, but I think it is very important.”

As the play draws to a close, the fruits of all the people who put in their effort and work into the play get to enjoy each big night with smiles and laughs.

And, as they do so, the dawn of the musical looms in the relative future, waiting to put these gifted and miraculously skilled students to the test again. Now is the time to remember what stoked the fire for passion in the first place and await the next challenge ahead. 

“The biggest thing one needs to make sure they do is take initiative,” Dayna said “You are trying to do your very best, and even if it’s sometimes a little wrong, at least you’re trying to do something.”