Grace Henrich
Technical Theatre is everything that goes on behind the scenes which allows the audience to be transported to the world of the production. The effect that the lighting, set, makeup, costumes, scene transitions, sound effects, and the timing of all these things have on the audience often goes unnoticed, which is exactly what makes it so interesting. There is almost a mischievous aspect to designing a production because it affects the audience without them realizing it. Theatre is unpredictable. No matter how much rehearsal or planning happens, each show will end up being a little different from the last. The audience experiences this slightly unique performance firsthand with the actors and designers. Since each performance is different, it creates a unique experience for every audience member.
From sound designing, I’ve learned that the audience does not always realize the impact of a sound effect. For example, there is a scene in Bright Star in which the Mayor tells his son that he threw the son’s baby from a train. The mayor is so haunted by what he has done and his son is so shocked that they both feel as though they were physically there. I conveyed this to the audience through the use of sound by playing the clatter of a train softly in the background. It took people seeing that scene multiple times to understand the impact the sound effect was having on them.
Even the way the mics are mixed can have a large impact. An example of this is when the Mayor throws the child from the train, the entire ensemble passes the child among them and eventually off the train. I originally only used the upstage cads (the mics dangling above the stage), but once the downstage cads (mics on edge on the stage) were used, the feeling of the scene deepened, creating an almost eerie tone to the voices. Little moments like these keep the audience (and myself) interested in the show.
The Woodinville High School Theatre Company has recently closed Hamlet. Unfortunately due to COVID-19 and school closures, we had to cancel our spring musical, Curtains. However, stay tuned to see what The Woodinville High School Theatre Company does in the future, possibly even this spring or summer.