Musical productions had been held since Harding's days in Morrilton, Ark. The first official "Homecoming Musical" was "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1971. This year, in fall 2010, the Benson hosted "Thoroughly Modern Millie," a show set in the roaring 20s in New York City. The story featured tap dancing secretaries, Chinese bellhops, flapper girls and a mobster of sorts. It was a largely successful show with the traditional standing ovation at the curtain call when all of the smiling actors, singers and dancers came out for their final bow. But what about the faces behind the curtains? New York's city streets, laundry carts, speakeasies and hotel hallways did not just appear on stage when the actors needed them. The show called for a large-scale crew and a semester of hard labor to get everything ready for the faces on the stage. "A lot more (people are involved] than people think," stage manager and senior Saoirse Dryden said. "There are the designers, of course, for costumes, set, lights and PR. There is the building crew who puts in an amazing amount of work to get everything done, the backstage crew who you can't do the show without, and, of course, there are the director and producer who also spend an ungodly amount of time working on the production." Some students volunteered simply because they wanted to be a part of something. Most students who worked on the crew, however, were theatre majors who had been involved in shows for years and were looking forward to a career in the theatrical arts.They had experienced everything from lead roles to pulling the curtains at the correct time. "I feel like [Harding] target[s] the concept of 'Jack of all trades, master of one,"' freshman Kris Monroe, a theatre major in charge of the downstage flies, said. "Helping with the process of developing the show is challenging and a new learning experience with every rehearsal and every production." The audience became well acquainted with the faces and voices of the actors and dancers on stage. The stage crew was never seen, however, though they worked just as hard. They were given the unique perspective of behind-the-scenes observers, getting to hear audience reactions to their handiwork. "It really doesn't bother me that we fade into the black," Sydney Clyde, a senior theatre major who came from a long line of performers, said. "After all, if you knew that the lady sitting next to you in the audience made that costume onstage, it kind of takes away a bit of the magic, doesn't it?" They were the faces behind the curtain, and they liked it that way. "As a techie, my goal is for the audience to see the show as a whole and not even know that I'm there," Dryden said. "If the show runs smoothly and the audience enjoys it, then my job is done and done well. Hearing an audience member remark on how well the show went is all the recognitions I need." Monique jacques 2 2 student life
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