Working in the Wings: Tech Club’s Contribution to Campo’s Musical

Behind the scenes of the Campolindo Spring Musical is a whole team responsible for the lights, sound, film, and backstage management. Campolindo’s Theater Tech Club learns everything behind the scenes of the Campolindo Performing Arts Center (CPAC) and works throughout the year preparing for the musical. Meeting in the CPAC every Monday from 3 to 5 p.m., Theater Tech Club plays a major role in the orchestra, band, and choir concerts throughout the year as well.

Junior Elizabeth Cho, a 3rd year Theater Tech Club member, said, “I knew I wanted to join [Tech Club] since 8th grade because my brother Ethan was in the pit [orchestra]. I knew I wanted to be involved in the musical, but I wasn’t that into playing my violin and I also can’t sing for my life, so I just kind of thought, ‘Hey, here’s how to do something super fun.’”

Freshman Yvonne Goldblatt, a Tech Club member, said the role of tech in the musical is to “help film and do all the lighting and [overall] make [the musical] look good.”

Freshman Theater Tech Club member Amaia Tzortis added, “We create [and] work with all of the lighting, sound effects, and recording of the musical.”

The new addition this year to Tech Club is creating a recorded version of the musical, which comes with the incorporation of a film department for tech. Cho said, “This year, we have a lot of people [in tech] and [Tech Club member senior] Grace Kelly is super passionate about cameras and directing in general. So we’re really lucky to have her and have her help support [the film] section.”

Goldblatt added that in tech you are free to choose what you want to focus on learning and your role in the club, or you can learn everything. She said that “lighting, spotlights, microphones, camera” are some of the different sections you can participate in. For the musical, Goldblatt will be helping with the spotlights.

Cho, the stage manager of the musical, said, “I go to rehearsals with the cast and I help the director Dave Pinkham. When the show comes around, I’ll be in charge of making sure people are where they need to be…and get on stage.” Another minor role Cho has is helping with the administrative work behind the scenes.

Tzortis said “I will be working with sound, so stuff like sound effects and sound recording [for the musical]”.

COVID-19 has impacted the club greatly, as they lost an entire year of usable time and training. Cho said this past summer she organized a boot camp to make up for the lost time. “We had the people who are graduating come for a week and they kind of taught us everything they knew. [Junior] Diego [Davila Gil] and I [took over], so from there we upped the publicity to get more people to join and [improved] the level of organization. We also decided to take a lot more gigs this year, so you’ll see us at concerts filming which we used to not do.”

Tech Club provides a great opportunity to be involved in the musical, which is 1 of the most enriching experiences on campus, without having to perform on stage or be in the pit orchestra.

“I was interested in the club because I thought it’d be a fun after school activity,” said Goldblatt. “There’s a lot of cool people that you can meet and it’s just a fun experience.”

Cho recommends joining Tech as the club allows you to learn from the people who came before you and from the advisor Ross Wilson. She added, “What we get to learn you can’t do anywhere else on campus and outside of the club unless you work in a theater…and the people are great.”

Similarly, Tzortis said her favorite part of tech is “the people and atmosphere. [I like] how we all feel like 1 big family.”