For the past couple years, John Marshall High School has hosted numerous successful shows that have demonstrated to the community the artistic and musical expertise of John Marshall. These include, Battle of the Garage Bands, Fashion Shows, Love Fests, and Bach, Rock & Shakespeare. The musicians and artists of Marshall have time and again delivered brilliant performances and demonstrated works that show the talents that lie among our students.

However, the success of these shows should also be attributed to the “magicians behind the curtains,” as Mr. Boyd, director of the Stage, Theatre, Design Program and most notably, the Stage Crew, put it. Responsible for the maintenance and setup of any stage production hosted by Marshall, the Stage Crew has numerous duties and responsibilities that they cover. From setting up equipment, to audio mixing, to handling the lighting, the Stage Crew has provided support for JMHS stage productions through their stagecraft and expert management of shows.

The Stage Crew program’s purpose is not just to set up stages, however. Students of the crew do learn lessons from the class, such as gaining a level of professionalism that’s good for the world community as much as it is good for being good in a professional stage crew profession. As Mr. Boyd put it, “We have 10 rules of production that integrate together to build community, responsibility, safety, and awareness.”

Beyond that, Stage crew has learned several technical skills, such as managing projects, understanding technology, physical labor, and being able to coordinate bodies and minds to set up heavy equipment, stages, lights, and support structures.

In addition to that, stage crew is a multi-layered job that involves a lot of personal skills, such as connecting with a team, working with professional equipment, knowing a bunch of procedures with cables, sense of music, sound quality, knowing OS (Operating Systems), how equipment is arranged, and more. “People think it’s like a computer where you plug in some components, turn it on and it all works…we make it easy to plug and play,” commented Mr. Boyd.

Their expertise isn’t just utilized for John Marshall, however, as the Stage Crew has also helped set up stages for various other venues and shows outside of campus.

Of all their shows, when asked Mr. Boyd spoke about how the Love Fest was his favorite to host. “We got to bring back two bands from 2010-2015, honor teachers who passed who contributed to the music program of marshall for the last 20 years. Students did a great job, the alumni were nice to see,” he answered.

Stage production is not without its troubles as well, however, as throughout the school year the stage crew has experienced several problems and have been presented with many issues.

Some main struggles they face are equipment failure, power issues stemming from the school’s old buildings, and aging equipment. “Great equipment, but completely worn out,” Boyd stressed. In many cases, parts break when connecting speakers, and they cannibalize parts to fix other things.

A big problem they once faced was when one part of their flagship console, the S6L, failed, and they had to put it away for the aforementioned Bach, Rock and Shakespeare concert. Despite this, “the show must go on,” as Mr. Boyd said, and he borrowed from the Greek theatre and they had to restart the programming. Mr. Boyd later bought a new one.

Recruitment is another issue, as every year, there are always less students signing up for stage crew. The lack of recognition and general interest has resulted in fewer students joining the stage crew program.

In spite of this, Boyd has expressed pride in the stage crew and their ability to circumnavigate the issues. In general, Mr. Boyd has a lot to say about this year’s stage crew, “I take pride in the students being able to see themselves, feel understood, feel powerful doing things that help others and each other, and pulling off these artistic and technical feats. This crew is a special one, but I tell that to my wife every year. It will be hard to say goodbye at graduation.”

Mr. Boyd gave his acknowledgements to Mako Potestados for his contributions to the stage crew and “putting up with him for 3 years”, Judith Martinez who will take Stage Crew next year, and Victor Rodriguez who received an award and scholarship.

Mr. Finn, a frequent collaborator of Mr. Boyd in music shows, also had this to say: “The Marshall High stage crew is unique in our school district, and probably unique throughout the state, given the level of expertise the stage crew develops over their time in Marshall. This year marks the stage crew as the first we’ve had at Marshall that has been here for 4 years since the pandemic, and it showed. At the Greek, the IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) were complimentary of the stage crew, and they were blown away by their skills and ability.”

And so, as the curtains fall onto the school year, so will the seniors that once filled the ranks of the stage crew. With the exception of Judith Matinez, a junior, every member of the stage crew will be graduating. Parting are the following:

Parting Seniors

Adam Lopez – 3 Years

Diego Parra – 2 Years

Fernanda Garcia – 2 Years

Elvira Lemos – 3 Years

Victor Rodriguez – 2 Years

Mariana Torres – 2 Years

Arsh Virdi – 2 Years

Dannyel Vargas – 3 Years

Drew Castillo – 2 Years

Below are some comments from the graduating crew members:

“We do alot but we get very little support and recognition, despite that, we are there to assist and prepare for any show that’s played. I think of Stage Crew as my second family, the connections I’ve made will last a lifetime.” – Adam Lopez

“Being in the stage crew was probably one of my favorite experiences in high school. It was very hands-on, and it was such a different experience than any other production class.” – Arsh Vidi

“Stage crew really opened my eyes and broadened my creativity of stagecraft and helped me create valuable relationships that will really help me in the future.” – Victor Rodriguez

“In Stage Crew you make a lot of fun memories.” – Fernanda Garcia

“The most enjoyable experience is the class in general. A lot happens, and it’s a fun experience.” – Drew Castillo

“It gives good opportunities. You make lots of friends, you experience a lot of things most kids don’t get to. A lot of people wonder what happens behind the scenes, and through this class you can learn that.” – Elvira Lemos