Everyone watches the actors, dancers, and singers as they light up the Poway Center for Performing Arts (PCPA) stage, mesmerized by the show in front of them. However, people often forget the people behind the scenes of these beautiful and moving performances. The kids backstage who spend endless hours putting their blood, sweat, and tears into creating something memorable, with very little recognition.

This year teacher Sharon Wezelman’s technical production for theater class  is working on a production of the hit musical Grease that will be performed next April. This means that theater tech will be busy building sets, planning costumes, and helping the actors with makeup and microphones. They will also spend hundreds of hours in rehearsals. 

“I really like theater tech, even though it is a lot of work. It’s really fun and fresh,” junior Natalie Wall said.  The student stage manager is responsible for calling cues, which means they tell the light board operator, sound board operator, follow spot operators, and stage crew when to do their jobs.

Wezelman speaks highly of her theater tech students, and mentions how hard they work and how little recognition they get. 

“The tech of a show really brings everything together. They do all the little things, which can actually have a big impact on the show. Tech works very hard to make shows even more special,” Wezelman said. 

Dillon Sablan helps with stage management, stage crew, props, costume, lights, and sound. “It’s very satisfying to see the final product of all the hours you’ve put into a project,” Junior Dillon Sablan said.