Written by: Esme

Edited by: Noah

Graphic by: Lia

Every year, high schoolers spend over two months learning, polishing, and performing a play or musical. For the 2025 production, the Drama Department performed Footloose, a musical centered on Ren McCormack, a high school student who moves to a small midwestern town and discovers that dancing is illegal.

Undoubtedly, the cast onstage did a wonderful job of bringing this musical to life; from complex choreography to beautiful but difficult harmonies, Footloose required a lot from its cast. But what audiences don’t get to see and appreciate is all the work that occurs behind the curtain, turning the show from a script into reality. 

The crew is made up of several departments: sound and lighting, costumes and make-up, promotions, tech, props and set, and backstage. Every person who works behind the scenes is key to ensuring a wonderful viewing experience for the audience, and it is important to acknowledge everything that goes into making each run a reality. 

In the tech booth, ISM’s technician, Caleb, left mid-production after countless years of managing the lights and sound booth in the back of the FAT. He often played a crucial role in every play he was part of, coordinating events backstage, managing the slides and sound during assemblies, and even mentoring students in middle and high school who showed an interest in tech theater. “I feel like you can have a coherent play, but without lights or spotlights setting the mood, it just falls apart,” said Tanya, a freshman ensemble member and the understudy for Footloose character Vi Moore. 

With Caleb gone, Footloose became even more reliant on its student crew to keep it functioning. Arno was one of the freshmen who worked in the back booth, handling the lights and sounds. He began his tech journey working in sound during the MS Production of Narnia in grade seven. He became the stage manager of Legally Blonde the year after, and is now the assistant stage manager. “It’s difficult. It took me and the rest of the crew quite a while to get used to it, but now we’re back on track. We will always miss him,” Arno stated. “I think that it is definitely a large change that no one was ready for, but I’m glad he’s continuing to do what he does best.”

Though it was difficult at first, the tech crew rose to the challenge. They were able to trial-and-error through multiple runs, often coming in during study halls or tutorials to perfect certain lighting or sound cues. “The fact that even though Caleb is gone, the students and the tech crew still managed to produce the same quality of work is so cool,” remarked Tanya. 

Additionally, Footloose had 10 students on the backstage crew, who were in charge of set changes and organizing actors in the wings. Set changes in this year’s musical were especially demanding as there was a wide range of locations the story traverses through. These set changes brought on another big challenge with the movable staircases. They were utilized to further vary the sets, make spaces for the actors to move around, and create a visually appealing backdrop for the audience. 

“It was difficult to move but also achievable,” remarked Max, one of the members of the backstage crew. “The stairs had to be stable enough to walk and dance on, while also being able to move across the stage quickly and efficiently. The problem was they were pretty big and the weight wasn’t evenly spread, so it was hard to control, especially with fewer people.” Though it was challenging at first, the backstage crew quickly overcame their difficulties. Their speed, conciseness, and quick thinking in the face of issues ensured the story’s flow never faltered. 

Of course, before the backstage crew could begin moving the set pieces, they first had to be created. A dedicated group of 14 students designed, painted, and built the items that brought Beaumont to life. The set and props teams came in after school and on Saturdays to create all of the items and pieces that the audience sees onstage. 

“It was pretty fun because I got to talk to upperclassmen and make some set pieces,” said Dani, a crew member who worked on the large stained glass window, a key element of the backdrop. “A lot of the ideas we made came to life pretty well.” Giving the cast tangible tools to interact with, as opposed to miming, gives a sense of authenticity and life to everything occurring onstage. 

Furthermore, another critical part of the production was the make-up and costumes crew. They had the difficult job of transforming the actors, putting them into flashy, cohesive outfits that fit the styles of the 1980s. Similar to the multitude of sets, actors had multiple costume changes—from church attire to barbecue outfits to prom clothing —and the costume crew ensured a streamlined wardrobe throughout the show. Combined with the other efforts from all the other departments of crew, Beaumont was fully brought to life in the theatre.

While the actors bring the show to life, without the backstage crew’s scene changes, the prop and set crew’s craftsmanship, and the make-up and costume crew’s efficient transformations, Footloose simply wouldn’t have been the same. So while we congratulate and celebrate the actors who give their all onstage, we must also remember to celebrate the unsung heroes of every musical: the crew.