Student Blog: 12 Hours, 1 Brain Cell, Infinite Cues- Tech Week

March madness for some means a basketball frenzy. For me, it means crouching in the tech booth at the corner of the theater trying not to lose my mind. 

10am to 9pm in a dark theater is a little depressing at times. I am being a little dramatic, as all theater kids are. I do love what I do as a lighting designer. But, there’s something so energy draining about staring at the same cues over and over again, hearing,”Hold”, rewinding where the scene starts, marking the same light over and over again until it stops live moving (even though the command should’ve worked the first time). 

At some point, time stops making sense.
 

3pm feels like 6pm.
7pm feels like it should be illegal.
And by 9pm, you’re questioning every life choice that led you to labeling cues in near darkness.

But weirdly enough… you get used to it. Or at least, you learn how to survive it.

Here are some things I do to ease through tech week (Or at least survive it).

1. Tech Table Buddy

For the theater I’m programming in now, the light board and where the designer and assistant sit are very separated. I’m smushed into the corner, alone, in a dark area, standing awkwardly on my spinny chair because I can’t see above my monitor. For clarification, the desk is tall, it’s not because I’m short. 

Dramatics aside, something I find that lifts my spirit is a tech table buddy. What that means is something small, either a stuffed animal, a figurine, a keychain, or anything you find comforting that can sit on your desk next to you without blocking any of your monitors. 

Personally, a tech table buddy makes me feel relaxed. It reminds me to find joy in what I’m doing. I’ve learned that anything I can do in joy, I can do well. 

2. Eat Food

Not just snacks. Not just caffeine. Real food.

It’s very easy to say “I’ll eat later” and then suddenly it’s 6pm and I’ve been running on a white Monster (elite flavor) and vibes. That is a dangerous game.

Tech week is physically and mentally exhausting, even if you’re “just sitting at a board.” Your brain is working constantly. Give it something to work with.

Keep in mind the temperature of the theater you’re in when you bring snacks. Nobody likes warm yogurt, especially the sound designer next to you smelling it. Also, don’t bring things you hate, but don’t bring just junk. I love Sour Patch Kids as much as the next person, if not more. However, adding some fruits and vegetables will do you great good. Getting sick and tech week is not what you want.

3. Actually Take A Break

Not the “I’ll just sit here and scroll on my phone while still staring at the stage” kind of break. A real one.

Get out of your chair. Walk around. Stare at something other than the stage.

I know it feels like the second you leave, something will happen and you’ll miss it. Or someone will need you. Or that the break you’re taking isn’t that long anyway, so you might as well keep working. But the truth is, if you’re not actively working on something at that moment, hovering doesn’t actually help anyone. It just drains you faster. 

Even five minutes outside the theater makes a difference. Real light, fresh air, a reminder that time is still moving normally somewhere else. It resets your brain in a way sitting in the dark never will.

No one is useful when they’re running on empty. You start missing things, second-guessing yourself, taking longer to fix simple problems.

4. Stretching (Yes, You Actually Need It)

“I’m just sitting here, I’m fine.”
 

You are not fine.

Tech week has this sneaky way of turning you into a statue. I’m hunched over the light board like a gargoyle defending a castle, permanently hovering over the “Go” button like my life depends on it. Hours pass, and suddenly my back feels like it’s made of concrete and my legs forget how to function. I woke up the next morning thinking, Why does my back hurt?

Stretch. Please. 

You don’t need a full yoga flow in the middle of cue-to-cue. Just small things:

• Roll your shoulders back every once in a while
• Stretch your neck side to side (slowly… we are not trying to pull something mid-tech)
• Stand up when you can and straighten your legs
• Shake out your hands if you’ve been tense at the board

It sounds small, but it makes a huge difference. Stretching wakes your body back up, which in turn wakes your brain up. And during tech week, anything that brings your brain back online is a win.

Also, bonus: you look slightly less like the undead emerging from your casket at the end of the night.

Tech week is exhausting. It’s repetitive, weirdly disorienting, and somehow both incredibly slow and way too fast at the same time. It tests your patience, your focus, and your ability to function on questionable amounts of sleep and caffeine (A Monster a day keeps the drowsies away!). 

But it’s also kind of magical.

You’re watching something come together piece by piece. Every cue you label, every hold you sit through, every tiny adjustment you make is building something bigger than the moment you’re in. You are actively helping create the final product.

So take care of yourself in the middle of it all. Laugh when things inevitably go wrong.

Because at the end of the week, when the show finally runs clean and the lights hit exactly the way they’re supposed to, you’ll remember why you put yourself through long days in a dark theater in the first place.

And somehow… you’ll probably do it all over again.