From the
SHADOWS
Behindthecurtains,stage techniciansruntheshow
Junior and Stage Manager Katel Fong views her script as she performs a com check, making sure the other stage technicians are able to hear her directions.
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t is 7:30 p.m. on a Friday. As the last stragglers arrive, a chime Stage Tech is an eighth period class, meaning the class takes place echoes through the theater, encouraging the audience mem- after school has ended. Despite this deviation from the other electives bers to take their seats. The lights go dark. An eerie silence Paly offers, Stage Tech fulfills CTE credit. fills the room as an actor tiptoes onto stage. “When you look at the CTE standards, Stage Tech has performing Suddenly, a crisp beam of light arts because you have to be able to slices through the theater and ilinterpret scripts and narrative,” Paly’s luminates the actor. Behind the theater teacher, Sara Thermond, source of light sits a mysterious said. “It has visual arts, because so figure cloaked in all black, fomany of the design areas are visual. cused intently on keeping up with And it has what CTE calls production the actor moving across the stage management, which is the organizato ensure that they remain illumition of people to make a live event nated at all times. happen. So it covers a lot of different This cloaked figure is joined interests.” by more as they adjust lighting Since Stage Tech is able to sustain and sound and move backdrops many people’s interests, it continues across the stage, to attract new students to the elective. wowing During these classes, students gain a the auprofessional-level knowledge of workSaraThermond,StageTechInstructor dience. ing behind the scenes in theater. With“It’s a lot of experience,” freshin each of Palo Alto High School’s man Rocco Ferrante said. “I feel like it is a lot more valuable, rather dazzling theater productions, there than just doing [in-class] worksheets [for other classes]. You’re getting is a talented group of students hid- the experience of doing the job, and getting help from people that ing behind the scenes. have done the job.”
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Therewasalotofdesigning thathappenswhenyoudre doinga full on production on a stage..thatyoucandt reallyndtheequivalentof [whendoingaproductionover zoom].g
Text, photos and design by WENDY LI, CAITLYN ODA and MATHEW SIGNORELLO-KATZ • Art by CARRIE LOHSE
38 • cmagazine.org
