Peter and the Starcatcher opened up to the Centenary Community on March 15th and 16th. It was met with thunderous applause as students watched orphans, pirates, mermaids, and starcatchers run around the stage putting on the story of how Peter Pan became Peter Pan. Audience members were able to view the show from their seats as if they were watching TV, otherwise known as a proscenium theatre. Over the course of the Peter, vanities were duplicated, umbrellas disappeared, and the whole set changed during intermission. All of this is a part of what makes theatre so magical. A part of that magic is the technicians backstage that make all of those set changes and prop switches happen.

As Assistant Stage Manager, my job is to keep things flowing smoothly on my side of the stage. This involves things like taking the bamboo sticks from the Mollusks when they go off stage to putting a severed hand prop in a trunk since the actors don’t have time. It isn’t easy either. Anytime you see a show onstage, there’s another happening behind the scenes.

This show is in the dark—save for a few blue and purple lightbulbs places sparingly along the walkway. During Peter, there was also a pervasive haze that penetrated the air. It gave an incredibly cool effect both on and onstage, but I’m not going to lie, it is pretty weird to see the air move. 

Another part of my job is problem solving. If something on my side breaks, an actor can’t find their prop, or there’s a costume malfunction, it’s my job to fix it. During the run of the show, I dealt mostly with misplaced props. It can be stressful to have to sprint to the other side of the stage and find what you need in the dark and then have to sprint back to the other side without being heard. It’s worth it though to see the magical moment that the prop is used for, like the flashlights in the starlight scene. 

Being a technician isn’t all hard work. We definitely know how to have a good time. The other run crew and I know this show by heart now and you would often find us acting out moments in the wings. A frequent one would be whisper-screaming “BLACK STACHE!!!!!!!”  AR Rossomando, who you saw as Boy/Peter, and I would have our own little kick line during the mermaid scene. My favorite goofy moment backstage was when Molly would speak in Norse code. Tyler Garrett (Ms. Bumbrake), Ophelia Scott (Smee), and Christian Pierce (Captain Scott) would have a little break dance party as Tyler beatboxed. It only lasted for a few seconds, but that’s my backstage moment that I’ll remember from this show.

Being a technician backstage gives you a completely different perspective on the show. There are things that I notice each night that I don’t know if I’d be able to see from the audience. The small interactions between ensemble characters while the main characters are speaking come to mind. I hope each of you readers was able to see Peter and the Starcatcher. It was a fantastic show that I am so proud I got to be a part of.

Arden Miller

I am a junior Theatre major, focusing on Set Design and Directing. Outside of theatre, I write poetry and have been published in Pandora.

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