As the cast of this year’s musical, “Sweet Charity,” took the stage for their final bow, the crowd erupted in applause, recognizing the many actors who gave it their all on stage. The cast worked hard to portray these complex and extravagant characters, but they couldn’t have done it alone. We often forget about the hard work put in behind the scenes. Without senior Kaitlyn Finnerty’s contributions, this year’s outstanding production of “Sweet Charity” would not have been possible.
As the stage manager of “Sweet Charity,” Kaitlyn called every cue to move set pieces on and off the stage throughout the entire two-and-a-half-hour show. “If a set piece moves, a prop has to be preset, or a prop or set piece moves on the stage, I’m the one who is calling those cues,” she said.
In addition to moving large set pieces, Kaitlyn was also in charge of controlling when the apron, the front portion of the stage, came up and down, as well as when and how the light borders needed to move for each scene.
“If I called a cue even a couple seconds late, it could result in a cast or crew member getting injured, creating a safety hazard,” she said. “If I called a cue a few seconds too early we could also have a set piece blocking an entire scene. So it really comes down to a matter of seconds that makes all the difference.”
In order to perfect this timing, she would rely on the actor’s lines to know when to call her cues. Still, she was under immense pressure. If an actor missed a line or even forgot a word, Kaitlyn could miss an important cue and create a safety hazard for everyone on stage. Sometimes a cue would hinge on the syllable of a word from an actor’s line.
For a job as demanding and precise as this one, Kaitlyn emphasized that communication was key. “There’s a lot of communication between the adults who are integral to the show, as well as keeping open communication between the cast and the rest of the crew,” she said. “I act as a voice between the cast and the crew, as well as the adults in the show, whenever there are any concerns or issues that arise.”
She also underlined the importance of staying organized, especially as the show became more complex throughout tech week with the addition of lights, costumes, and sound.
“During a typical day of rehearsal, we would get a ton of notes from Mr. Reynolds and Mr. Bane after running through the show once, ” she said. “After rehearsal, I would go home and spend about an hour reading through all of them and creating lists of things that the tech crew needed to work on the next day, as well as notes for specific people.”
Although Kaitlyn is incredibly talented at what she does, it’s even more impressive to learn that she only began working as a stage manager at last year’s fall play. Despite her talent, she is incredibly humble. “I think that it’s a pretty individualistic process, since there are things that work for me and how I structure things, and other people may have their own process,” she said. “Figuring out what works best for you is the most important thing.”
Above all, Kaitlyn will miss the connections she made with the cast and with her fellow tech crew after she graduates. “We spent a lot of time together, averaging eight hours of rehearsal every day for two weeks,” she said. “You get really close with everyone that you’re working with.”
Even though Kaitlyn will be greatly missed by the theater department, we know that she is going to do amazing things in the future and that her organizational skills coupled with her drive and tenacity will take her far in life. The next time you go see a production, make sure you take a moment to acknowledge all of the hard work occurring behind the scenes!
