When it comes to plays and concerts held at the Shadow Mountain Theater, Theater Tech oversees all the lights, setup, and more. The students and theater director are working diligently behind the scenes ensuring everything goes smoothly for each performance.

Since her teenage years, Katina Hartley, the Shadow Ridge Theater Director, has had a passion for theater tech. 

“I was studying classical ballet as a dancer at the Salem School of Performing Arts, an after-school program. One day, when I was doing barre work, the theater Technical Director walked in and asked for me. A friend of mine told her that I was good at matching colors due to taking art in school,” Mrs. Hartley stated. “The director asked if I could mix some paint for her, and she liked my final result. This then led to her asking if I could paint wood grain, and though I said I would try, she pointed me to the 4’ x 8’ flat. Luckily, she was happy with the end product and asked me to do even more for the other ten flats laid out on the floor. From that day on, I never left the tech room.”

However, though painting is a big factor for the theater tech crew, there are at least seven other key factors that make up the crew for each play. 

“The Technical Director oversees all aspects of the production, while designers craft the visual elements of the show. Lightboard operators manage the lighting, and the soundboard technician controls pre-recorded sounds and music,” Mrs. Hartley explained. “The microphone technicians handle the mic placement on actors and adjust microphone levels during performances. Stagehands are responsible for setting up the stage and moving props on and off the show. Finally, the fly rail operator manages the curtain and any equipment or set pieces that move up and down the stage.” 

There are many rehearsals throughout the couple of weeks they have before the play, ensuring everything goes smoothly. Plays have two weeks of back-to-back rehearsals while the musicals have an extra week to ensure everything is perfect for the showings. During the shows, behind the scenes, stage tech is still hard at work. 

“During live performances, technicians communicate over headsets to make sure everything is running smoothly and to communicate if problems arise during the show,” stage technician senior, Lucas Halvorson stated. 

To become a stage tech, stage technicians have to pass a test on tools and safety.

“Safety equipment is extremely important along with knowing how to use larger tools. We take safety tests at the beginning of the year to prove that we know how to use the tools safely and properly,” Halvorson added. “Along with this, we wear eye protection, gloves, and other necessary things to make sure we don’t get hurt during the process, ensuring that we are all protected.

Halvorson and Hartley have both had experience working on many shows but they both have one play in particular that holds a special place in their hearts. Halvorson’s was the spring play of last school year, Enchanted Bookshop. However, Hartley’s favorite was a play she has worked on many times when she was working in a professional theater, Into the Woods. 

“I’ll never turn down an opportunity to do Into the Woods,” Hartley stated. “As a designer, it’s one of my favorites.”