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Rush City HS crew essential to play

By Barbara Brown
The Rush City High School play each year brings hundreds of parents, residents, family and friends to watch talented youths on stage acting out parts.
However, some of the most important work done in the production is accomplished by people who never are seen during the performances.
Technical staff like lighting and sound crews, makeup and costume designers and set builders and decorators give a dialogue or musical number its well-rounded feel.
In this yearís production of ìWrangler Ranchî at Rush City High School, east meets west as the audience learns about a wealthy New York socialite who wants to teach her long-lost grandson how to be self-sufficient by sending him to the Wrangler Ranch in Arizona.
There, he faces adversity through his two cousins who do not want him to inherit their great auntís fortune, his allergies to horses and his fear of just about everything.
Getting the production off the ground takes more than just actors and good choreography.
First, the director and technical director have to pick the musical or play they think students and audiences both would enjoy.
Try-outs of course look for the best in on-stage talent, but students also must vie for posts in their favorite back stage starring roles.
Older students, mostly seniors, are chosen as student assistants. They are like student directors who work closely with both the teacher directors and the crew.
Those students have had the most experience on the expensive and complicated sound and light equipment and can be used to help train underclassmen who will be in charge on future productions.
Monday nightís dress rehearsal was more than an opportunity for the cast to run through the musical from beginning to end and get out the directing kinks that often pop up at the last minute.
It also was a chance for the sound and light crews to make any adjustments they may find necessary. For example, the sound crew added a honking horn sound effect at one spot in the action, leading director Doreen Karlsson to yell ìGreat sound effect thereî from the audience where she was watching.
The sound crews must be able to quickly squelch any feedback that may come from speakers or microphones, adjust music volumes to the power and carry of an actorís voice and hit cues that come down to split seconds.
Crew members Tamara Saxton, Derek Sjostrom and Matt Thorn all worked together with the cast during rehearsals to make sure everyone could be heard and that they could get their timing set for scene changes, musical numbers and cues to the cast.
It takes the talents of lighting and spot crews to make the actors and stage look good and give the audience that little extra something to set the mood during musical numbers.
Rush City High School has an elaborate lighting system at its disposal and this yearís production is the debut of several new features that include colored lights in flowery designs and a special effects fire made with a spot light.
The makeup crews generally learned from experience said technical director Colleen Daniels.
She said most of the experienced actors apply their own, but the younger actors ñ especially the guys ñ prefer to have help applying their makeup.
Daniels said most of the students involved on the crew side of the productions each year generally do not want to be actors.
They enjoy taking credit for what goes on back stage, but they often donít receive it because they are not seen.
The students get along well even though they may come from all kinds of groups within the school, Daniels said.
ìSome schools have just one type of kid who comes out for the play, but our group ranges from the kid who doesnít say ëBooí during school to the most outgoing student in the school.
ìAnd they all have their own talent that makes the plays successful. We couldnít do it without any of them.î
Crew members for this yearís production are: Kate Behrendt, Amy Bengtson, Kevin Bengtson, Laura Burda, Gabby Calander, Nick Catellino, Danielle Dahl, Brett Dreissig, Cullen Fitzsimmons, Lindsey Hanson, Beth Iverson, Justin Jacobson, Britta Johnson (tech student director), Heather Johnson, Kayla Johnson, Sandy Johnson, Renee Karth, Shannon Karvonen, Andrew Kauffman, Breanna Launderville, Josh Munchow (set student director), Meghan OíShea, Jess Prettner, Joe Prettner, Noah Reichart, Page Rieland, Adam Risland, Tiffany Sader, Samantha and Tamara Saxton (tech student directors), Mindy Scott, Derek Sjostrom, Cherie Smischney, Zach Sowman, Ashley Stanley, Matt Thorn, Megan Twinstrom, Mary Jo Youngbauer (set student director), Susie Youngbauer.

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