The Kinnelon High School stage crew is annually credited for the fantastic spring musical at KHS, but behind the scenes, they manage to accomplish so much more than one production.  This year, with the help of the KHS stage crew, 7th grader Caroline Nieto of Pearl R. Miller middle school took to the stage to perform in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella.  The musical required lots of scenery, costume changes, and music, none of which would have been possible without help from students at KHS.  The Colt Chronicle caught up with the youngest member of stage crew, Lauren Lee, to discuss the surprises and difficulties of putting on a middle school production.  

Lee, being the only freshman in stage crew, is the closest in age to the actors within the PRM play.  Before high school, she was a part of the middle school stage crew, which has given her an interesting perspective on both the middle and high school musicals.  

“Students at KHS are so much easier to work with.  I didn’t work too much with the high schoolers personally, but there was a significant difference. I don’t mean this in a demeaning manner of course, but the high schoolers were naturally more experienced and things could run much smoother and quicker with them,” Lee said when asked about the levels of difficulty working with KHS and PRM productions.  Though she enjoyed both musical experiences immensely, she says that she personally prefers the high school musical over middle school productions. “I’ve only done it one year so far, but I already prefer the professionalisms that aren’t really developed at a middle school age. I liked how there was a lot of involvement, and while it was tiring, I prefer the longer shows rather than the short middle school productions that don’t even need an intermission,” Lee stated.  

One common issue during productions are last-minute malfunctions, which usually fall into the hands of the stage crew.  While high schoolers tend to be more prepared for problems, younger actors are not always as ready. “The biggest issue we had (with the PRM play) was one scene where the projector had to come down and the curtains had to be pulled back quicker than they really could be. The first night went terribly during that scene; the curtain broke one of the set pieces, the autoplay on YouTube continued after the video finished, and it was all mostly because we had never rehearsed that part. The second night definitely went smoother because we had downloaded the video and had timings in place,” Lee commented on the hardships the crew went through.  

From moving props around the stage to controlling the lights and sound in the booth, stage crew has its fair share of difficulties, but for Lauren Lee, the experience is worth the trouble.  In her own words, “Crew is a great group, and basically everyone within it are friends. Even though there’s a lot of work and long hours, it’s great to spend time doing something you like with people you enjoy being around.”