For the production of Hamburg’s musical this year, Bye Bye Birdie, the crew has been able to move along the sets; both the ones on wheels and not, to add effect to the show. Without the crew, the musical would not have proper settings, realistic aspects, nor would it be nearly as funny if there were not any props that the crew takes care of. From the largest towers to the smallest props, the crew works their all to bring the show to life with the scenic backgrounds to help the viiewers differentiate the locations. The crew has students from all of high school and middle school, which allows both young and old to experience the same joys of being a part of a musical without being on stage most of the time.
Students in the crew like Kaitlynn Gallagher, find the crew to be a “glorious and fun experience even during dull moments.” There are times of rest during the show and times of speed and efficiency during the show. There are students like Aster West who is the stage manager for the musical as well as Sheila Kern who takes care of the curtains and any signs attached to the ropes above. Seniors Owen Shugars, Alyssa Thomas, and Aster West are the main people in charge of running the whole crew team during this musical.
When students join the crew, they start their journey into team-building, speed-efficient organization techniques, while still having to work around the cast members. For example, the scene with the song Honestly Sincere uses the towers pressed flush against each other with the town hall facing the audience. Each of the towers have four painted sides, the side used during Telephone Hour being the one that uses the inside of the tower. Another scene that uses the towers is when the song Kids plays, and the Macafee house is shown in the background, the fake brick wall with the beige door and flower-box windows helping the audience tell that the scene takes place outside of the house.
