Samantha Lang

The tech team is one of the most essential parts of what makes a play, but they are often overlooked, missing the spotlight. Samantha Lang joined Playmakers this year, and she has been a great addition to the team. 

What were you looking to accomplish coming into the playmakers?

I really wanted to get to practice more of my light board training that I learned from taking Tech Theatre the year prior. I was also looking forward to having a new group of people I would form a bond with by being involved in Playmakers.

Over the years how have your experiences in the playmakers challenged, inspired, or shaped you as an artist and person?

I’ve only been a Playmaker in the 2022/23 troupe but I can say from NCTC Regionals, to NCTC States, to going to SETC in Lexington, Kentucky that there’s so much positive energy I’ve been awarded in the theatre. People are going to support and encourage you, whether that’s your ensemble, your directors, your family, other students from different schools you meet, there’s this feedback that you get from being a Playmaker. From my experience that has been very helpful and comforting. 

Do you have any advice for incoming playmakers, how would you describe Playmakers as a community?

My advice to future Playmakers is to always have a With and For attitude, in AND out of the theater. There is always going to be something happening somewhere else but you have to make your best judgment for the good of the group. We made it to our equivalent of Nationals because we worked hard and kept ourselves in the right mentality, that we needed to work as a team. Our Playmaker family feels like a safe space to be yourself and be vulnerable about things that you feel are important. 

Reflecting back on your time in the program, are you satisfied with your achievements as an individual and group?

I am very satisfied with what I’ve done as a Playmaker because it’s not very often that I get to meet this amazing of a group of humans. I am proud of my capabilities that have grown from being a lighting designer as a Playmaker. I’ve learned a lot about changing things on the fly due to an issue I couldn’t have fixed. I’m so proud of all of us this year for working on Our Place for close to seven months and still finding new ways to grow the work. It’s really something that we can learn from one another to become really great versions of ourselves. 

Are there any fond memories of the playmakers you would like to share?

We celebrated Elias’s birthday with a surprise party at Mellow Mushroom and that was really special because he had no idea it was happening. I’ve had some really great moments with my tech team, Alex and Brittany, who I talk to about everything under the sun on headset during our rehearsals. During our Playmaker warm-up, when I crashed into a part of the dock because I was trying to maintain focus on Brittany, I remember laughing so hard I almost didn’t finish the rest of the warmup. SETC was super chaotic so there’s a lot of fun memories looking back on it now.