When the lights dim and the curtain rises, most audience members only see the polished performances, intricate costumes and dramatic scenes unfolding on stage. What they don’t see is the intense preparation, long hours and creative teamwork that make those moments possible.
Behind every successful production is a dedicated group of people working tirelessly backstage.
Marshall University’s School of Theatre and Dance’s most recent show, “When We Were Young and Unafraid” by Sarah Treem, was brought to the stage in early October. Taking place in a 1970s bed-and-breakfast kitchen, the production depended on a wide variety of props, quick costume changes and coordinated crew members to maintain the success of each show.
Much of that responsibility fell on the production’s properties designer, sophomore theater major Landon Mefford, who prepared items needed for the set. He began work on the first day of the fall semester when the design team held its initial meeting.
Mefford reviewed the script line by line, building his list of props directly from what characters used or referenced. He spent weekdays in the school’s storage areas and weekends searching for and ordering items until every prop was crossed off his list.
For this production alone, Mefford said the props list filled three pages. Though audience members may overlook a coffee cup or if there are actual items in the cabinets, the technical team sees those items as critical.
“Most audience members do not understand the number of people it takes to make the production successful,” Mefford said.
The crew included six designers, two stage managers, two deck crew members backstage, a director, an assistant director, a full costume crew and a full team of ushers working alongside only five actors.
Costume work played just as significant a role as props. Junior theater major James White served on the wardrobe crew and was responsible for maintaining costume pieces, steaming garments and organizing quick changes.
Quick changes are often one of the most stressful backstage tasks. They happen out of sight, between lines or scenes and leave no room for error. In this show, one costume change had only a 30-second window. White said with practice, those transitions become a form of “theater magic.”
White’s involvement in tech began in high school, where he first learned how many people contribute to a full production. That early experience showed him the broader community behind theater.
For Mefford, who originally came to Marshall focused on acting, technical theater became an unexpected fit. What drew him in was the ability to influence the production’s visual world rather than portray a character within it.
“I like seeing my vision and my thoughts affect the overall direction of the play,” he said.
While actors receive applause at the end of every performance, technical crews experience their payoff differently. Both Mefford and White said opening night is the moment when weeks of work feel worthwhile. Once an audience reacts positively, stress gives way to accomplishment.
“It feels like the full weight of my anxiety is lifted off my shoulders when the audience sees the show on opening night,” White said. “That feeling drives me to continue to do what I do in this field and gives me the motivation to keep coming up with different ways on how to help actors portray the messages in these productions to the community.”
Though their contributions may go unnoticed by some of the audience, technical theater students ensure that they give their all for a production. Their work shapes the storytelling and supports performers in every moment of the show. Without them, the world built on stage simply wouldn’t exist.
“The best part about it is seeing it all come together and knowing someone in the audience is most likely seeing live theater for the first time and they are seeing our weeks of work,” Mefford said.
Ella Hatfield can be contacted at [email protected].
