It’s easy to watch a CHS production and think about all the hard work the cast has put into the show. Each show is numerous weeks of long and late-night rehearsals. What the audience doesn’t often see is the work that was put into the set itself, as well as what happens behind the curtain at each show. Today, I’d like to put a few students from the tech crew – dubbed “techies” – in the spotlight.
Over the past few years, we’ve seen many directors in the tech role. For many years, CHS Theatre had Mr. McDonald – or Mac, as most called him. He left after the 2022-23 school year leaving huge shoes to fill, literally. The next year, Reagan Gausmann (a CHS theatre alumna!) stepped into the role, but it was short-lived as she found another role outside of Columbus. Last year, we welcomed our current tech director, Carter Anderson, into the role.
I spoke with him about what he enjoys about his tech director role. He said, “I really love hanging out with students of all different backgrounds and experiences, and we just have a good, fun time! I like getting to hang out; even though we’re working, it doesn’t feel like work because we’re having fun, jamming, and just putting the show together. And it’s nice doing arts and crafts!” I also asked him what he thinks about the set for this show. “I’m really excited about the set! I think it’s going to be fun. In theory, it’s simple, but I think when the set comes together, it will really transform into that hand-drawn, cartoon world.”
On top of being the tech director, he is also the accompanist (that’s the person who plays the piano) for this year’s musical. Outside of CHS theatre, he also teaches in the district as a music teacher at both Emerson and West Park.
We also have some very hardworking students who really build the show from the ground up.
Senior Jay Marino has been here since her freshman year. She says she originally joined tech simply because she was accompanying a friend who didn’t want to go to the informational meeting alone; it’s ironic that Jay is the only one out of the two who is still in tech. She remarks that her most treasured memories are from Lost in Yonkers, the 2023 Winter Play. This year, she takes on the traditional Stage Manager role, being the backstage “know-it-all” with the information for actors and other techies.
Senior Jalysa Parker has also been here since her freshman year. She originally joined during her 6th-grade year at CMS because she wanted to be involved in theatre while staying behind the scenes. She most enjoys watching their hours of hard work turn into something beautiful.
Senior Emiliano Pedraza-Castillo joined last year just to try something new but immediately found a passion. A couple of his favorite parts of tech are the actual construction element and getting to strike the show (tear down) after the shows are complete.
Sophomore Connor Higgins joined tech last year. He enjoys being a part of the small community that tech is. He notes everybody works well together – a key quality of a good tech crew. This year, he’s looking forward to working the light board, meaning he controls the lighting for the show. He remarks, “It’s nice being able to watch the musical and press some buttons.”
Sophomore Kathryn Tamez just joined tech this year, although she was a part of the cast of last year’s play, Midsummer/Jersey. She didn’t want to act in the musical but knew she wanted to stay involved with theatre somehow. She’s looking forward to learning about everything tech!
Come see the hard work CHS theatre has done! You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown takes the stage on Nov. 7 and 8.
See you there!!
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