From lighting to hair and makeup, the technical crews work their magic to bring A Midsummer Night’s Dream to life. Mayo Stage Door’s Spring play is Shakespeare’s whimsical comedy about four Athenians whose tangled love unfolds in a magical forest filled with fairies and a group of amateur actors. In the world of Midsummer, the audience doesn’t get to see the crews’ hard work in its creation.
The stage manager, Margaret Pomerleau, oversees the entire production. With her well-rounded knowledge of every aspect of the company, she keeps everyone on track by working closely with the cast, crews, and directors. During the performances, she is in the booth calling the cues and managing everything and everyone who goes on and off the stage. Pomerleau ensures that the show runs smoothly from orientation on the first day to strike, when the entire show is taken apart and put away for next year.
During dry tech rehearsal, stage manager Margaret Pomerleau reads through her cues to guide the course of the run-through.
Leading the set construction crew is the deck captain, who is in charge of the process of safely getting the set built and creating the physical space on stage. The crew works with technical director Christopher Smith to execute his set design. As tech week approaches, the deck captain leads the set crew as the stage left running crew, who run set pieces and props on and off stage.
The set for this show is simple and fixed behind the mid-black curtain. The crew did not have to build many moving pieces this time around. Since most of the play takes place in the forest, scenes that take place elsewhere are done in front of the mid-black. When the curtain is pulled back, the forest set is revealed.
While cast member Tennyson Fuhrer runs through his blocking during wet tech rehearsal, the running crew and lights crew practice their cues for the scene.
Erin Olson and her team coordinate with other crews to design lighting effectively to enhance the production by making sure the cast doesn’t look too washed out or flushed and that every light and shadow is intentional. The crew runs the light board in the booth as well as two spotlights and special effects like fog. Their work shapes the whimsical and enchanting atmosphere of the show. The lights are vital not only for creating the magic but also for making scene transitions seamless.
During a pause in the rehearsal, lighting designer Erin Olson describes her creative vision for lights from the booth.
The lights crew took advantage of an imaginative show to invest in exciting new lights that will be showcased to the audience this weekend. “You should see the Aurora [Borealis] lights because those are really freaking cool,” Olson said.
The sound crew, led by Bella Casper and William Sanchez, is responsible for all sound effects, setting up sound equipment like installing cables for the headsets used between the crew leads, placing microphones on actors, and managing sound levels during performances. For this show, Casper also composed original music pieces as sound effects and scene transitions, so be sure to listen for that!
Brooklyn Pagel determines what props are appropriate for each scene with her crew, creating a space that brings the Midsummer world to life. She also labels the props and places them on the correct side of the stage, ready for the cast to take before their entrances. The props crew will also transition into becoming the stage right running crew led by Pagel as the show gets closer. The ropes to the curtains are located on stage right, so the running crew there manages the movement of curtains during the show as well as the movement of set pieces and props. For this play, the props crew could get creative with their ideas, putting their artistic skills to work on not only props but also on some set pieces!
Elanor Groves and the costume crew work closely with the cast and director to design costumes that not only fit them well but also represent their character. Their work is significant in defining each character and their role in the story through the intentional use of specific colors and materials. Look forward to the beautiful, vibrant, and creative costumes on stage!
Under the direction of Bela Verma, the hair and makeup crew works with the cast to determine hairstyles and makeup looks to fit each character. From silly donkey makeup to whimsical fairy makeup, Verma carefully designs makeup looks to ensure that they support every character. The crew also assists the cast in quick changes between scenes. The vibrant and magical makeup, especially for the fairies is something worth seeing!
In preparation for dress rehearsal, hair and makeup designer Bela Verma applies vibrant fairy makeup to a cast member.
Sophia Vanderheiden manages the house crew, and they are responsible for marketing the show and tickets, making the programs, ushering, and ensuring an enjoyable experience for guests. For this production, Verma worked on designing the posters, T-shirts, and business cards. The house crew is ready to welcome you, so come enjoy the production and let the house crew make it a great experience!
Beyond the technical work, what truly brings this play to life is the dedication and passion of the crews, all working towards the same goal. “There’s no other group of people that I would rather spend my time with almost every day throughout the entire school year,” Olson said. Many techies shared that their favorite part of working on this production is the people. “I have met so many people that I wouldn’t really meet or befriend outside of theater just through this experience,” Pomerleau added. The true magic happens when the crews work together in harmony, making bold decisions and exploring the creative freedom of this play.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream is different from the fall show RENT, which required historical accuracy to represent the late 1980s and early 1990s. “With Shakespeare, there’s more whimsy and magic. Everything is magical, so I’m able to do what I want,” Verma explained. Mayo Stage Door hasn’t had a show with this much creative freedom in a while, so this is something you don’t want to miss.
With only seven weeks to put the show together and so much open to interpretation, the crews have faced many challenges. In addition to school and everyday responsibilities, crews have worked endlessly on this production, bringing their creative visions to life. Despite not having enough time to work out all of the little details to perfection, they are proud of what they have accomplished in such a short amount of time.
Now, what should the audience look forward to? Pomerleau encourages people to take in the “ambient atmosphere” created by all of the technical crews. “The crew members have done a really great job of taking inspiration from things and putting that onto the stage,” she said. Verma adds, “Everyone has worked really really hard to be able to get it up to the standard that we’ve created for ourselves and that our audience expects of us.”
If you don’t want to miss your chance to see the magic of the crews in this dazzling production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream this weekend, check the link and poster below and buy tickets!
https://gofan.co/app/school/MN22473?activity=Performing%20Arts
