Student Blog: Tackling Tech Week

We’re under a week away from tech for my high school’s fall production, Much Ado About Nothing, and I’m the stage manager. Any theatre person can probably agree that tech week is one of the most stressful, yet rewarding and memorable times. This will be my seventh tech week at George School, and through my past experiences, I’ve developed a routine for myself. 

At my school, students must fulfill a certain number of after-school activity credits. These can be achieved through partaking in theatre (whether it’s acting, tech, or production team, or orchestra for musicals), dance, playing or assisting in managing a sport, mindfulness classes, and more. Students have these activities after school, nearly every day, for two hours. However, during tech week, our schedule changes. Instead of having rehearsal directly after school, we have two hours to complete homework, eat dinner, and socialize with friends. Afterwards, we have rehearsal for about four and a half hours, including time for getting into costume, makeup, mics, pre-show warmups, running the show, and notes. For nearly all of my past tech weeks at school, I’ve ended up with a packed academic schedule, with no free/study period. While my school has tech week and shows during the first week of the new term (check out my first article for more details on our unique seven-term schedule) to avoid the calamity of final tests and projects, I’ve still had to find a personal schedule that helps me feel less frazzled and accomplish everything I need to do. 

As soon as academic classes end, I find a place to get my homework done (usually in a study room at the library), either with my friends or by myself. I try to accomplish as much homework as I can within the first hour, so I can have some downtime to relax. I usually grab food at the dining hall; however, our school reopened a cafe last year that has anything from bubble tea to fries to quesadillas, so I may end up there once or twice! I’m the type of person who likes to arrive early to call time, and when I’m performing onstage, I like to warm up and review lines in one of the practice rooms in our performing arts building beforehand. When I played Luisa in The Fantasticks last year, I spent a lot of time warming up before tech rehearsals because if you know that production, you know Luisa has one heck of a role with those high singing notes! After rehearsals end, I typically arrive home just before eleven, so I go straight to bed to make sure I’m getting as much rest as I can. 

High School, especially junior year, can easily be seen as overwhelming, but I’ve found that if you’re able to create an individual schedule that tailors to your needs, while making sure you’re allowing yourself time to hang out with family and friends and recharge, you will thrive and avoid an overworked and banal routine. Especially as we’re headed into the holiday season, don’t forget to make time to watch your favorite movies, decorate, bake and cook delicious foods, and enjoy time with your loved ones.