As a lifelong techie, I have had the opportunity to be in close proximity to actors and actresses for years. These people have become some of my closest friends, and the stars of my own stories. They were with me through crazy tech weeks, emotional moments at cast parties, and the thrill of opening nights. Together, we lived through the ups and downs of a show, measuring our years not by grade level, but by which shows we put on.
Realizing early on that performing really wasn't my favorite thing, I found my place behind the scenes. Over the years, I worked with costumes, props, lights, set building, and stage management. However, my favorite part by far was watching the actors grow and perform. Over the course of the few months, I watched them grow not just into the role, but into themselves. It's a beautiful thing watching someone accomplish something they never imagined they could.
When I was in eighth grade, my school was putting on "Annie" the musical. I was backstage when the lead girl came off stage for her quickchange. She was nearly in tears because something minor had gone wrong. In those three seconds, as another techie pinned her hair up into a wig, I gave her her water and assured her that she was amazing, and that she was going to go back out there and give it her all, just as we knew she could. The rest of the show was amazing. She killed it up there on the stage. Experiencing that was so magical. I watched as she pulled herself together, went out, and showed the audience how talented she was.
Emotional support is one of the unexpected tasks of the techies. We expect to provide physical support, to fetch props, to make costumes, and to move set pieces. While we are doing that, we end up also supporting the actors on an emotional level. We are rooting for them. As we watch them become the character, watch them master the lines and the blocking, and watch them give it their all, we can't help but cheer them on. To some extent, the techies are the cheerleaders of theater.
In my junior year, the drama club was putting on "Legally Blonde" the musical, and all the leading men were being played by first-time actors. It was incredible watching them start from square one, slowly but surely learning their roles. One of the actors had a song that wasn't exactly in his vocal range. The last note especially had proven quite challenging in rehearsals. But he didn't give up, he kept working at it. During the performance, we were all holding our breath through the song, waiting to see if he would pull it off. When he did, everyone on headset erupted into cheering and clapping, so proud of him.
Someone once accused me of resenting actors because they could do what I couldn't. She believed that all techies wanted to be actors, but weren't good enough. This couldn't possibly be further from the truth. Although it is true that I can't act to save my life, and my singing is so bad I sound worse than a dying duck, I can't imagine wanting to get on stage. Backstage is exactly where I want to be, it's where I belong doing what I love so that the actors can do what they love. I'm grateful for the actors because without them, there would be no show, but that doesn't mean I would ever want to switch places with them.
The bond between actors and techies is a strong one. They both rely on each other, and together they make something amazing. Anyone who has been a part of a show can tell you what a crazy experience it is. It's nearly impossible to put into words the level of friendship that is created in the cast and crew of a show. Regardless of how a show does, or what mistakes are made, everyone is in it together.
I wouldn't trade my theater friendships or experiences for the world. They have given me so many of my favorite memories, and I'm still cheering them all on.
