Behind the Scenes

Kallista Wiseman (she/her)

Editorial Team Member

When it comes to theatre, or any storytelling production, we take a lot at face value - special effects, actors, costumes, sets - all of it looks so real. These stories, whether it's television, theatre, a podcast, or more, have the ability to distract us and make us feel like we’re in another world, even for a short time. Because of this, it’s easy to forget the immense amount of work and preparation that go into these projects. To be honest, not even I really thought about it much until I started high school where I joined the theatre program. It was here I learned as part of the theatre crew what it really takes just to produce one show. 

Coming off of my school’s most recent show, our summer production of Matilda, I can tell you that each show takes about a month of rehearsals, set building, and preparation. I can only imagine that a television production takes even longer. In theatre a few mistakes here and there are normal and expected, in television they are often ostracized. Being backstage of our theatre productions has allowed me to see actors for themselves and not their characters as well as appreciate the hard work that goes into their performances. 

During Matilda we spent three weeks on basic rehearsals and set building before full rehearsals with combined crew and cast began. Subsequently, this time is what’s called ‘Tech Week’ because of additional technology such as microphones, audio, lights, set changes, etc. This is when the cast and crew really meld and become one while spending hours backstage drilling for a single show and repeating what we’ve been working on for weeks. I can say that I got closer with the people I spent time with backstage and that the experience fulfilled me. Creating a project so much larger than myself with such talented people is always a fun experience and has shown me an entirely new side of the media we so often enjoy.