If you watched the Shorecrest Fall Musical, you must’ve seen the splendor and wonder shown on stage through the storytelling of The Lightning Thief. The small, tight-knit cast was able to spectacularly pull off wonderful acting and move through unexpected events and troubles, somehow managing to make it look effortless.

But the extraordinary and talented actors were not the only students who assisted in making the production what it was, a show that garnered an abundance of praise across the entire community. You may have noticed signs at the theater entrance warning about strobe lights, and you may have seen some of the impressive costumes and characters during the event, or you may have been in awe at the transitions of the environment around these actors.

All these extra elements that truly made this production what it was can all be credited not only to the actors, but to the hardworking crew that worked behind the scenes backstage, up in the lightbox, and those who were all running alongside actors to assist and help them with costumes and especially the little details.

One member of the crew worked as a costumer during the run of the show and the preparation leading up to it. They said it was a challenging yet fulfilling experience to try to differentiate and personalize costumes while still creating the appearance of uniformity within the Camp Half-Blood students, but a very enjoyable challenge nonetheless.

And that was only one member of an expansive crew, all of whom faced their own challenging tasks while helping the actors make this production so excellent. Some were up in the lightbox, positioning and moving their lights just so over the stage, or were making the set and bringing in and out parts of it even during the show; do you remember the scene within the bus?

Overall, a common aspect of the production that was a favorite among both actors and crew was not a specific scene, but rather the community that was built. Being able to get to know everyone was an extremely valuable and enjoyable experience, according to many, although an early scene featuring the Minotaur is also well-loved. Something not as enjoyable, however, is having to adapt to the problems raised by sickness, with both crew and cast members being unable to arrive on some production dates, and many substitutes needing to be used to step in for a wide variety of roles.

Remember all this for the next time you are in awe at a play: who was there to help the cast pull it off? The crew. One member of the most recent team for The Lightning Thief mentioned that while “being on crew is not a glamorous job, it is a necessary and fulfilling job. You get appreciated by your peers as crew members, and that’s pretty cool. Everyone has a really good bond, and while there’s a vast difference between cast and crew appreciation, it’s not something necessary and most of the crew are alright and happy with it.”

While these hardworking crew members work backstage and are content with their jobs and visibility, it’s important to acknowledge and see their work which had so much effort put into it, just as the roles the cast played.

Everyone who was a part of this production truly brought it to light. There’s hope that every member of the cast and crew was delighted with the splendor they were able to put on, and that all are excited for the Shorecrest Spring Play, just like the audiences will be.