Rachel Cheung: Tech beyond the technical
Rachel Cheung became involved in theatre tech because of a friend. Now three years and many productions later, the friends she's made are the reason she sticks with the craft.
Photo by Olivia Gieger
Photo by Olivia Gieger
For many, the thought of theater tech conjures images of complex sound boards and streams of intricate lighting cues, but for Rachel Cheung '17, stage manager and theater tech intensive, it's all about the people.
Cheung became involved in theater work because of the people. As a sophomore, she stayed after school with a friend who invited her to come help with costumes for the Wellesley High School fall musical, "The Drowsy Chaperone."
"I liked how everyone was part of a community; it felt really fun, especially because some of my other friends were doing it. It was so nice to be after school with my friends and have something to do," she said.
As a sophomore, Cheung continued working on costumes for the fall and spring musical and then moved on to lighting design for the fall, winter, and spring productions as junior. This year, she was a stage manager for "Beauty and the Beast," which means she was responsible for actor- techie coordination. She will be the sole stage director for the upcoming winter play, which is scripted by the students and, thus, much smaller than the musical.
The job of lighting designer kept Cheung after school for hours. While programming for "Grease," she and another designer stayed after school programming lights from 2:30 until 9 p.m. for three days straight. She joked that "Beauty and the Beast" kept her at school so late that she would get to school in the dark and leave for home in the dark.
Yet in spite of the demanding hours, Cheung still comes to rehearsal with a passion for her job. "It's the people, honestly [who keep me coming back]. It's so fun to talk to everyone, especially at the beginning of the year. We have a ton of new tech kids this year. Also, the actors are really fun. The shows we pick are always fun; [It is fun] to listen to new music and have a new story to focus on [with each new show]. By the end I'm so sick of the story, but it's so fun during [the show]," she said.
Cheung explained that she loves the camaraderie between the actors and techies and also among the techies themselves. "Every single night after the show, we would go hang out; we'd go to all the cast bonding things after the show -- we went to the cast dinner, we went to Cabot's, we went to the cast party -- but then after that we'd always do stuff too. It's nice to be able to do the show and celebrate while doing it, but then afterwards you get to celebrate it over again, and you can bond over the mistakes you made or anything funny that happened," she said, adding that, "It's just fun that even after spending a whole day with [members of the tech crew], you're still with them."
Her peers echo the strong sense of community Cheung feels in the tech department. "Rachel isan amazing person to work with. [Besides her technical abilities,] she's also simply one of the nicest people I've met, which is important in stage managing because there's a ton of communication that goes into the work, whether it's with actors, techies, or POPS [Parents ofPerforming Arts Students]," said Zoe Salvucci '17, who also stage manages and has worked with Cheung on technical design throughout high school.
In addition to her hours outside the classroom, Cheung spends a considerable amount of her school day working on tech projects, as she is in two technical design classes -- Theatrical Design and Stagecraft -- for which she receives one intensive credit on her transcript. She uses these classes as a time to plan in her role as stage manager.
Production Manager and Technical Director Brian McManimon teaches the tech classes at the high school and leads the tech crew for all the WHS productions. He emphasized Cheung's dedication to the community of theater and tech. "Rachel is awesome...; She is really selfless and always looks out for the people working around her." McManimon explained that Rachel'slooking out for others ranged from always helping her other senior members or teaching the younger students. "She is great at working with kids who are interested in tech and bringing them up to speed," he said.
Aside from her role as a leader, Rachel's skill in her job is apparent. "She has a great knack for seeing an artistic vision [in lighting a scene] and executing it effectively...; She has a great artistic eye," McManimon said.
While she does not see herself pursuing theatre design as a career, Cheung hopes not only to help with productions in college, but also to incorporate the lessons and skills she has learned from tech into her life. "When mistakes happen, it's really a learning thing -- as cheesy as that sounds," Cheung said.
"It's really not a big deal if you make a mistake; the audience doesn't notice and a lot of time, other techies or actors won't notice unless it's big. So, it's O.K. to make mistakes. You really do learn by doing things and messing up as you go along," she explained, referencing that the first time she managed the lights by herself for a show, she turned off all the lights before the audience was out of the theater. She panicked but has never made the same mistake since.
Cheung sees herself becoming a writer or going into communications in college. And she explained that so much of her work in tech will overlap with what she envisions to come. "You are trying to convey a certain idea or a mood to the reader, and that's important to keep in mind."
This article appeared in The Wellesley Townsman on January 11, 2017.
Cheung became involved in theater work because of the people. As a sophomore, she stayed after school with a friend who invited her to come help with costumes for the Wellesley High School fall musical, "The Drowsy Chaperone."
"I liked how everyone was part of a community; it felt really fun, especially because some of my other friends were doing it. It was so nice to be after school with my friends and have something to do," she said.
As a sophomore, Cheung continued working on costumes for the fall and spring musical and then moved on to lighting design for the fall, winter, and spring productions as junior. This year, she was a stage manager for "Beauty and the Beast," which means she was responsible for actor- techie coordination. She will be the sole stage director for the upcoming winter play, which is scripted by the students and, thus, much smaller than the musical.
The job of lighting designer kept Cheung after school for hours. While programming for "Grease," she and another designer stayed after school programming lights from 2:30 until 9 p.m. for three days straight. She joked that "Beauty and the Beast" kept her at school so late that she would get to school in the dark and leave for home in the dark.
Yet in spite of the demanding hours, Cheung still comes to rehearsal with a passion for her job. "It's the people, honestly [who keep me coming back]. It's so fun to talk to everyone, especially at the beginning of the year. We have a ton of new tech kids this year. Also, the actors are really fun. The shows we pick are always fun; [It is fun] to listen to new music and have a new story to focus on [with each new show]. By the end I'm so sick of the story, but it's so fun during [the show]," she said.
Cheung explained that she loves the camaraderie between the actors and techies and also among the techies themselves. "Every single night after the show, we would go hang out; we'd go to all the cast bonding things after the show -- we went to the cast dinner, we went to Cabot's, we went to the cast party -- but then after that we'd always do stuff too. It's nice to be able to do the show and celebrate while doing it, but then afterwards you get to celebrate it over again, and you can bond over the mistakes you made or anything funny that happened," she said, adding that, "It's just fun that even after spending a whole day with [members of the tech crew], you're still with them."
Her peers echo the strong sense of community Cheung feels in the tech department. "Rachel isan amazing person to work with. [Besides her technical abilities,] she's also simply one of the nicest people I've met, which is important in stage managing because there's a ton of communication that goes into the work, whether it's with actors, techies, or POPS [Parents ofPerforming Arts Students]," said Zoe Salvucci '17, who also stage manages and has worked with Cheung on technical design throughout high school.
In addition to her hours outside the classroom, Cheung spends a considerable amount of her school day working on tech projects, as she is in two technical design classes -- Theatrical Design and Stagecraft -- for which she receives one intensive credit on her transcript. She uses these classes as a time to plan in her role as stage manager.
Production Manager and Technical Director Brian McManimon teaches the tech classes at the high school and leads the tech crew for all the WHS productions. He emphasized Cheung's dedication to the community of theater and tech. "Rachel is awesome...; She is really selfless and always looks out for the people working around her." McManimon explained that Rachel'slooking out for others ranged from always helping her other senior members or teaching the younger students. "She is great at working with kids who are interested in tech and bringing them up to speed," he said.
Aside from her role as a leader, Rachel's skill in her job is apparent. "She has a great knack for seeing an artistic vision [in lighting a scene] and executing it effectively...; She has a great artistic eye," McManimon said.
While she does not see herself pursuing theatre design as a career, Cheung hopes not only to help with productions in college, but also to incorporate the lessons and skills she has learned from tech into her life. "When mistakes happen, it's really a learning thing -- as cheesy as that sounds," Cheung said.
"It's really not a big deal if you make a mistake; the audience doesn't notice and a lot of time, other techies or actors won't notice unless it's big. So, it's O.K. to make mistakes. You really do learn by doing things and messing up as you go along," she explained, referencing that the first time she managed the lights by herself for a show, she turned off all the lights before the audience was out of the theater. She panicked but has never made the same mistake since.
Cheung sees herself becoming a writer or going into communications in college. And she explained that so much of her work in tech will overlap with what she envisions to come. "You are trying to convey a certain idea or a mood to the reader, and that's important to keep in mind."
This article appeared in The Wellesley Townsman on January 11, 2017.