As we near the final productions of the Upper School’s musical, Seussical, I want to take a moment and highlight the hard work of the technical crew that went into making this production happen. Although the tech crew is not seen on stage during the performances, they do just as much as the cast to help us enjoy the show. For this article, I have interviewed Jack Albers (2026), Lucas Donahue (2026), Cara Hamall (2025), and Will Schiff (2024), to help bring to light the amazing work that the CCD tech crew does.
Will Schiff, the Sound Designer of the musical, explained exactly what his job is and how it contributes to the overall show in such a big way. “Sound is a difficult job,” he said. “The crew has to work together to tell a story with sound effects and ambience, while also managing all of the microphones to make sure all of our actors are heard loud and clear. My job during the show is to sit in the audience and mix the sound cues and microphones to make sure all of the hard work that has been put into the show is heard.” Schiff also mentioned how he has important help on the sound crew: “I’m the lead of the sound crew, but I couldn’t do my job without my two friends August Dickerhoof and Harrison Zimmerman. August likes to handle the microphones while I’m teaching Harrison how to run sound cues that play during the musical.”
Cara Hamall, Scenic Artist, told me about her job, one that often gets overlooked despite the hard work that she puts into her designs. “I find reference photos of other productions and of the books to get a design visual to help influence and inspire my designs, as well as make them Seuss-like. I design how the floor, set, and other pieces will look as well as how to create and construct them. A lot of the time I need to work with the building crew to ensure my designs are manageable and functional. For instance, the trees and what will be on the sides of the books.” She says her biggest challenge is “being able to design something when I am having a creative block and being on a time limit. It is hard to design something when you are under pressure and are reminded, especially when I don’t have the best-set schedule to help me visualize, when I need something done and what to work on.” “Another challenge,” she stated, “specifically for this play, is working with the kids because I have to make sure that everything is set up for them and they have projects to work on and the projects are done correctly, while simultaneously I need to finish other things and don’t have the time to spend with the kids which is why having Taylor, Minna, and Gracie involved and looking after them is such a blessing.” Cara said that she mostly struggles with due dates on the job and sometimes she has to work overtime to get everything done. “Just last week I worked on Multicultural night when tech was canceled to paint outlines of the shapes on the floor so the kids could paint inside the lines. I love and enjoy the creativity, design, and artistic aspect of it all.”
Lucas Donahue and Jack Albers are this production’s co-building heads, meaning they help build every part of the set used on stage. Lucas explained the role of building heads is to help lead their crew during work days. “We build the set and work in the shop to get it all ready for showtime. I just have to make sure people are working and doing it right. I’m not just off on the side telling people what to do; I also get in there and work with them. That is part of what I find fun about the whole thing: I love building and making things. The other part is hanging out with the crew. It is a great atmosphere, especially when you know everyone.” Jack mentioned that a big part of his job is solving problems and working with the other crew members. “Sometimes solving the problems is hard and frustrating. I have to make sure progress is on track to be completed in time for the show while also budgeting time for things that may go wrong. I love building things and solving problems.” Similarly to Lucas, he mentioned that he likes “hanging out with the crew because of the great community and atmosphere. I know everyone on the crew, which makes it even more fun.” The building crew becomes the running crew once the set is built. They are responsible for changing the scene around on stage during the blackouts. Building crew does so much to make the productions possible from building the scene, to then changing it.
Seussical will run from March 7th through March 9th in Keeler Theater. Be sure to watch the amazing production and take notice of both the students on and off the stage. Even though the tech crew can’t be seen, the sound and lighting are being controlled by students, and the students built and painted the set that sits on the stage. Productions would not be possible without the incredible work of people like Will, Cara, Jack, or Lucas.
