The set crew is behind the scenes of a movie, TV show or play. They help set up and take down all the equipment, props and scenery on set. They make sure everything is in the right place and ready for the actors to do their thing. The set crew plays a crucial role in bringing the director’s vision to life. 

The weekend of Nov. 17, the SHIPMates presented “High School Musical.” “It took us about two weeks to build the entire set,” Kacie Marston ’25 said. “I did set crew because I needed volunteer hours for the NHS. I helped with everyone’s hair and makeup backstage.” When completing hair and makeup they needed to make it look as close as it could to the roles in the movie. 

The crew consisted of ten people. Their biggest accomplishment was getting the props and lighting all set within a two week span before the show. 

With the bigger group of students last year, the crew had struggled to make the props and scenery with that many hands. Having less hands made it easier on the set crew; they had fewer people to worry about and the jobs were more distributed. 

“Working with such a small group was so much better than last year, because we had a bigger crew a year ago. It gave more opportunities to get on stage for the ones who wanted to.” Demetrius Ortiz ‘25 said. “The role I had taken in the set crew was the lighting. I chose to do the lighting because I wanted to make the spotlight perfect for the main characters.”

The smaller set crew made the set crew more tight knit and work better together. “Being a part of such a small set crew is so much better than a large group,” Ortiz said. “There was more cooperation and communication between all of us, and it was easy because we are close to each other. We never really had to say anything to each other. We could give a simple look and we would know what to do.”