Broadway Knights: Lights, Camera, Tech!

Broadway Knights: Lights, Camera, Tech!

By Club Writer, Julia Schmitt (‘27)

In order to make the dreams of O’Connell’s most skilled musicians and thespians come true, another crew of students has to work to bring them to fruition. In this year’s Broadway Knights, the O’Connell tech crew was busy up in the booth behind the freshman balcony cueing up the proper lighting for each scene, playing the pre-recorded music, and, most importantly, ensuring that all actors’ microphones were on and working. Without the crew, there wouldn’t have been a show, even though the audience never once caught a glimpse of them.

For a show like Broadway Knights, the tech crew always starts by scheduling all of the time leading up to the performance, and making sure they have everything they need. “Then you jump into working with the tech itself,” said Ms. Bambino, one of the leaders of the tech crew, “and incorporate what you’ve learned into rehearsals and run-throughs with lots of troubleshooting, asking questions, and communicating as you go.” Lastly, the crew focuses on memorizing and anticipating cues as well as stage directions.

Planning for tech typically begins around a month before Broadway Knights so that everything can be coordinated. However, Ms. Bambino said, “a majority of the tech gets finalized during the dress rehearsal,” which takes place the afternoon prior to the show. During the three-and-a-half-hour practice, bumps are smoothed out and anything broken is noted and fixed before the big day. Nothing can go wrong during the show, so everything has to be prepared—and if something does go wrong, the crew has to be ready to act. “One of the most difficult parts of tech is ensuring that all students are properly trained to complete their roles, even under pressure,” Ms. Bambino noted, enabling them to be able to respond as quickly as possible if a problem arises. Riley McFarren ('28) added that while this definitely creates a “stressful” energy during the show, the cast feels “excited” nonetheless.

Despite the pressure felt by the crew, it is all worth it once the show is up and running because of all of their hard work. “I love the meticulous and organized nature of preparing tech for a show,” Ms. Bambino said, “and then seeing the fruits of that labor and preparation all come together during the performances.” The day of the dress rehearsal, certain microphones malfunctioned, prompting the tech team and Mrs. Kaylor to quickly figure out alternatives and execute solutions. Thanks to their swift efforts, the actual show went by with barely any glitches, and it wasn’t possible to tell that things had been going awry the day prior. 

Nearly everything the tech crew does—from lighting to sound to videos—is student-run. Ms. Bambino lets the skilled group set up and program the system, plus run all the cameras. “I mainly just oversee tech and step in to help when necessary,” she explained. McFarren added that Ms. Bambino typically “helps out with sound and AV” the most, but still gives everyone significant free reign. This puts a lot of responsibility on the crew, but they never falter, which was proven by the smoothness of the show. As Ms. Bambino put it, “Having student-run tech crews is a true testament to the skill that these ‘behind the scenes’ [...] students have.” In other words, they’re the best of the best.

McFarren found herself first interested in tech in seventh grade, working on props before switching to lighting upon coming to O’Connell her freshman year. “I knew that I wanted to be part of the [theater] productions, but I'm not really an actor,” she said. This led to McFarren choosing to lend a hand backstage, where she felt she could still contribute without acting. Her “favorite part [of lighting] is probably programming the cues,” because she likes the creative freedom that comes with choosing colors.

Tech is a great activity for anyone who likes technology, engineering, architecture, fashion, or cinematography. It offers a wide range of options that all students can find something in, such as set-building, choosing costumes, and programming lights, or recording the performances as part of the AV crew. Additionally, people simply looking for something new and interesting to do in their spare time can join. People of any level of tech knowledge can join; there are no prerequisites. Much of the needed information is acquired on the job, which Ms. Bambino says makes it a great fit for individuals “who like hands-on learning opportunities” and are “thinkers and doers.” 

There is still time to join tech for the fall play, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe; if interested, email Ms. Bambino (gbambino@bishopoconnell.org) or Mrs. Kaylor (gkaylor@bishopoconnell.org).