Backstage Opportunities
You can get course credit for working behind-the-scenes on a CSUB Theatrefest production.
If you are interested in any of the following or getting involved backstage, contact the faculty designer or department chair.
Students work on constructing sets and hanging and focusing lights for a production. With special arrangement, a student may also work on props or costumes. Students put in 25 hours prior to the opening of a play as well as participate in the strike of the production (taking down the sets and lights following the last performance.) This is a great way to experience the time and care that goes into bringing a production to fruition.
Students fill various backstage positions such as light board operator, sound board operator, stage crew, prop master, flyman, wardrobe, etc. Assignments are made according to the needs of the production. A show staged in the Arena may only need three people backstage, whereas a show on the mainstage, such as a musical, may need seven to ten people on the crew. If you are interested in being a member of the crew, contact the faculty designer during the first week of the quarter or come to the first Theatre Company meeting held on the first Thursday of each quarter at 6pm in the Arena Theatre. Assignments are granted to upper classmen approaching graduation first, and then to other interested students.
The stage manager is a central part of the rehearsal process and is in charge of running the performances. A stage manager exercises skills in communication, organization, problem-solving, and leadership among many others. Most productions have just one stage manager, though on occasion a stage manager and assistant stage manager are used. To be considered for a position as stage manager, contact the director of a show and/or the faculty designer.
