When attending plays, most people direct their attention to the performers, the acting, the catchy songs and the intriguing choreography. However, these things are only half of what makes a great show. Stage crew is a vital part of every theater production, yet their work often goes unnoticed.

Great Neck North Junior Players presents “Little Shop of Horrors,” is a horror-comedy musical set in the 1960s. The story revolves around the tale of a florist and his destructive carnivorous plant, who keeps eating important characters. The play was unique and entertaining, containing various scenes and characters that kept the audience laughing and crying through the night.

Stage crew is responsible for creating the set, pre-setting the props, putting together the costumes, making sure the show runs smoothly and much more. Even though they manage so many aspects of a show, the stage crew rarely receives the same amount of recognition as those in the play. “Some people forget we make a lot of the costumes and put the whole play together. We make everything on set, it’s not purchased like in the middle school,” said Sarah Smith, a member of the lighting crew.

Students like Ben Cohen, crew leader for Little Shop, dedicate time and effort almost everyday to make the final performance look the best it can. Even so, the lack of praise from outsiders is apparent. Usually stage crew is seen by viewers as a less important aspect of school productions. “We don’t get a lot of recognition. The only time is when we are taking our bows at the end,” said Ben Cohen.

The head teacher of stage crew, Ms. Haase, gave her opinion on the underappreciated attitude that stage crew can receive. “In terms of recognition, I think maybe most people take it for granted. But if they do, that means the set did its job. If things went wrong and if things looked really bad, people would notice,” Haase said. “But if it looks good, it should be seamless and support the actors and give them an environment where they can become their characters.”

Perhaps stage crew is meant to be a more unnoticed aspect of school plays, but it doesn’t mean that the work they do is easy. Stage crew members describe their jobs as difficult, taking much patience and time for everything they do. They must also be careful when dealing with the dangerous equipment involved in set building, such as saws and drills.

While preparing for the show requires efficient planning, stage crew must also exercise precision during a performance.

“During the show they need to understand the script and understand the sequence of events. They basically need to be thinking three steps ahead of everything that’s happening,” Hasse added.  “Otherwise the tempo of the actors will be affected and things start spiraling out of control.”

Regardless of struggles that they must endure, stage crew always puts in the effort to make North High’s theater productions come to life.

By controlling what the audience sees through light, sound, and stage fixtures, the stage crew dictates the mood of each scene and enhances the performance of the students that are onstage.

Ashley Schlusselberg, who played one of the leads., Audrey, in Little Shop of Horrors, raved about the accomplishments of stage crew. “Stage crew is so helpful and they’re amazing artists and they work so hard on the set — without them, there would be no show.”