“Lights up on stage” she hears her own voice repeated to her through crackly sounding headset. She has a million and one things to do running the show but that doesn’t stop her from double and even triple checking everything. “Lights down” she gestures to her fellow techies, who then, have the set out across the stage at a brisk-but-not-to-quick pace to gather any scene equipment left over.

“I’m the stage manager, which means I am in charge of all scene chances in charge backstage props,” junior Elizabeth Winters says. “I think the most difficult things about it are making sure that queues aren’t missed and making sure everything runs smoothly.”

Plays put on the the IB and open cast theater are recognized by most in the Fenton area, but talk of the backstage crew heard of in the halls of Fenton High is scarce.

“A common misconception is that they don’t get a lot of recognition even though they keep the show running,” Winters said. “We do a lot more than some people think.”

The backstage crew is at school from seven to nine on the wells of the play. They are also there the entire time the actors are so they can see how the actors work; at the same time, they practice the set up for in between scenes and during black-out, which is when the lights go out in between sets in a play.

“This was my first year as a part of the tech crew,” sophomore John Trecha said. “I had lot of fun and I hope to do it again.”

While the actors and actresses of the productions are the largest part of the play, the stage managers, crew, and lighting and sounds students have many important jobs.