Radium Girls

Behind the scenes of tech week

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Photo by Maisy Garrison

The script of Radium Girls is about a hundred pages and each Crew Head has their own copy to make notes.

The Drama Club has put on an incredible amount of productions since its beginning, and the traditions that started then are continuing through their production of Radium Girls. One of the most treasured traditions of the Drama Club is the Hanging Foot.

“My favorite thing to do with the foot is stop for a second and karate kick it,” senior sound crew head Emma Curran said. “‘The foot’ is a mannequin foot that hangs above the entrance to the green room. You have to tap it every time you go into the green room for good luck, otherwise, the show will be cursed.”

The productions done by Drama club contain many technical elements. Students take control in positions such as sound and lights.

“This is my first year trying out sound, and I really like it,” junior Elena Sapien said. “I think I’m going to continue with it next year.”

The technical crews usually receive the script a month and a half before production, but don’t begin any technical work until the week of the show. This is called Tech Week. Usually, the week begins with a “Marathon” of the show, which could last from noon until 10 p.m.

“Marathon is the first time our tech and acting aspects overlap,” senior Emily Bradford, the stage manager, said. “We begin to work out any bumps and fix issues that may arise. It’s for the actors to begin feeling comfortable on the stage.”

The practices are heavy and intense. They usually include repeating the show front to back once or twice until it is perfect for opening night. All of the students who work on the technical crews work in what is called “The Booth” if they are not backstage, which is the box at the top of the auditorium that contains the light and soundboard.

“Boy oh boy, I love the booth,” Curran said. “I didn’t start out in the booth, I started out on deck. Up in the booth, you get a whole aspect of the entire auditorium. It’s really cool, I think I prefer it up here.”

Radium Girls is a tech-intensive show, including over 50 light cues and over 70 sound cues.

“This show is pretty cue-heavy,” Bradford said. “Lots of lights, lots of spots and loads of sound cues, as well as a very deck-reliant show. Lots of set pieces move very often.”

The show took place on April 29 and 30 in the Fort Zumwalt West auditorium.