Rriinngg, rriinngg, rriinngg…”Hello?” “Julie! Where are you!?!?” “Ah! I’m coming! I’m coming!” …five minutes later…Rriinngg, rriinngg, rriinngg…”Yes?” “JULIE!?” “AHHH!!! I’m coming!!!”



Stage managing, the most stress, yet most fun you will ever have…

Stage managing a show, whether an amazing Black Box show, a breath-taking PAC show, or simply a good choir concert, is a lot of power. And as my favorite superhero Spiderman once said “With great power comes great responsibility.” Being a stage manager is unlike any other position on the crew because you must not only lead everyone else but you must be your own leader. You must embrace the fact that you have the power to answer your own questions as well as those of your fellow comrades. TEC, being an organization completely run by students, enables you as stage manager to make the decisions that need making. Of course Mrs. White, Mr. Bernstein, Mr. Strange, and Mr. Poole are always available to answer any questions and help you make these decisions, but taking it upon yourself to find the answer brings a whole new world of accomplishment into view. Now, as rewarding as this accomplishment may be, there’s also a somewhat of a scary side to it. What if I make the wrong decision? Am I doing this right? Is this good enough? When these inevitable questions pop into your mind, you can’t help but feel nervous about being so accountable. But don’t worry, I have the solution! A quote from another one of my heroes, Mrs. White. This came about on the wonderful day of my first night working as stage crew for the Holiday Spectacular. Now considering how the PAC was under construction at the time, this show took place in the PE Gym, and under these special circumstances, everyone in the audience, only 10 feet away from the stage, was able to hear the loud crushing of two huge Christmas presents crashing together. Who’s fault? Mine. Getting a little apprehensive I managed to smash my box, as well as the dancer inside of it into the one in front of mine, and to my great embarrassment, everyone saw. As we finished the scene change and ran off stage, I couldn't help but freak out, but Mrs. White was there to help me out with her wonderful words of wisdom. She told me that the reason she loved theatre so much was because whatever happens happens, it’s a live performance, there is no turning back, so all you can do is make the best of it, and if you mess up, oh well! Just do your best and that’s all that really matters!

Now with that said, it’s time I tell you a little more specifically about stage managing Midsummer Night’s Dream. If you are aspiring to be a stage manager, the Black Box is the best place to start! Working in a smaller theatre and a smaller crew may be a better idea than going straight to Zenith. On my crew, specifically, I worked with seven other people, and it was an absolute blast! After spending a week nonstop with them, I got to know them really well, as a group, as well as individually and even got to make up an awesome handshake with each of them! One of my favorite parts of TEC is the fact that it’s just like a family! But instead of the occasional fighting that you may do with your brother and sister, it is replaced by a very high sense of respect for those who you are working with. Knowing that no matter your position on the crew, all of them are important for the show to run smoothly and that therefore you must respect those in positions above and below you. Another one of my favorite parts about stage managing is the interaction you get with the cast (actors/actresses)! In the Black Box, it is the stage manager’s job to call times. One hour till places! Thirty minutes till places! Fifteen minutes till places! Five minutes till places! One minute till places! PLACES!!! The sweetest part is getting to hear their unified response…”THANKYOU!” Here again you witness the respect shared within all of theatre, whether it be between the crew itself, or between the cast and crew, it is crucial for a good show, as well as for forming those tightly knit bonds with friends that you will cherish and keep throughout the rest of your high school experience.
Stage managing was an eye-opening experience that I will never forget, and although I was nervous to take the initiative and sign up, I’m sure glad I did because it taught me a lot and brought me a whole new appreciation for theatre tech. So if you’re hesitant, don’t be, take a chance, try it, you will love it, I promise!

-- your fellow techie
Julie Maury

It all started as a freshman, he walked into the halls of Westlake High School with very little idea of what he would be doing his whole high school career. Sure he would do what every other high schooler in the country was doing at the time, take English, go to history, learn math, but what made him unique was his interest in tech theatre.

In 2009, Phil Gilbert Jr., landed a job on Broadway. He is the projection programmer for the show Bye Bye Birdie. Making Phil the first student from the Westlake Technical Entertainment Crew to make it all the way to Broadway.

The Westlake Technical Entertainment Crew is in the news! The Westlake Picayune wrote an article on the students of the Westlake Technical Entertainment Crew. Go ahead a take a look at what it's all about. Link below

http://westlakepicayune.com/2009/06/03/whs-technical-crew-flexes-muscle/


Travis Favaron
2009-2010 T.E.C. President

And I’d have to say it was, what other high school organization can say that they went to a Cowboys football game for school-related purposes – and be telling the truth? But not just were we going to see the opening game of the newly renovated Cowboy’s stadium, we were going to be in a behind-the-scenes tour of the stadium – on their opening game day. Is that even supposed to be able to happen for a high school football video crew?

“Wow.” “No way!” “Incredible.” All of us little high school students were chirping in glee not only because of the sheer size and sophistication of the technology of the room, but because we already recognized it. The switcher, robotic cameras, graphics, RCU’s – we all knew how to use nearly every piece of equipment in that massive headquarters.

Through the state-of-the-art Dallas Cowboy’s Stadium, we had realized the true extent of this group, of this video crew. We’ll have fun for the entire length of the football season, we’ll spend hours upon hours with friends, but really, be a part of something bigger than ourselves. We are getting the knowledge to go directly into the field years earlier than others could imagine, we could go film college football – during college – and we could say that we were a part of the Television Broadcast Crew at Westlake.

Even if we don’t go choose this path as a profession, who else could put on their resume, that they (truly) have the ability to work their high school football video crew job at the NFL Dallas Stadium?

--Robert Jameson
Video Engineer
TV Broadcast Crew 2009

It’s the end of 5th period and what better of a class to end the day with than Pre-Cal. Yes, it’s the end of my school day, but Video Crew has just begun.

During 6th period Tech II, we start the process of loading our shiny new trailer to the brim with controllers, cables, chairs, and more insulation than you could shake a stick at. The people planning, coming, going, pushing and packing suddenly stop and as we close the back of the truck the bell rings. We say goodbye to all the people not in Video Crew, while other crewmembers outside Tech II join us on the bus. After some singing, discussion, chatting, and cookie munchin’ we arrive at the rivaling Lake Travis’ football stadium.

As excited as we were to get on the bus, we were doubly for getting off. It was an adventure! It was as if were setting up in the boonies – no – we were setting up in the boonies; yet we knew that we had the ability to soon turn it into an high definition video headquarters. And after two tree-mounted lights, some stairs, a few thousand feet of cable and a spider or two it was time for some true ‘bobby’ (barbeque). And being able to sit down and see everything in place, we had single-handedly set up state of the art technology in the middle of nowhere without a hitch – until the lightning alarms blared us all into a frightened silence.

After some nervous waiting (albeit gracious relaxation), the ball was kicked. “Take 2.” “Roll replay.” Ready Tanner graphic. “And… take 1.” And before you could say, “This is Westlake Football” it was over. The band was gone, their own stadium crew was gone, even the stadium lights were gone (temporarily) but we were still there. We re-filled the trailer, re-wrapped the cable, capped some cases and hit the road. It was 2 am, we were tired, we were semi-conscious, but best, we were home.

With what seemed like just a few touchdowns, we had already accomplished one of the most unique and daring adventures in the history of high school football videography.

What did you do Friday night?

-- Robert Jameson
Video Engineer