Carlmont’s Technical Theatre Association (CTTA) is taking the mic behind the scenes with the performance of the Carlmont drama’s first play of the year.
CTTA is Carlmont’s backstage theater club. The play will be airing in the Performing Arts Center from Oct. 24 through Oct. 27. Rehearsals with the help of CTTA have been going on in the preceding weeks. They direct the lighting, set building, sound, and more during all events in the Carlmont Performing Arts Center, during and outside of school hours.
“CTTA is absolutely an essential part of all performing arts,” said Performing Arts Center Manager Jillian Yong. “We have students leading set design, hair, makeup, costumes, props, and lighting.”
Carlmont’s drama production next weekend comes as the first of many plays put on throughout the year alongside backstage support from CTTA. Having never been on the crew Carlmont before, students new to CTTA are learning the ropes.
“The fall play is always kind of tricky because it’s the first show where we have a lot of new people coming in,” Yong said.
The feeling is reciprocated in Carlmont drama, with the new students never having been a part of a production with Carlmont. Lily Herrera, a sophomore in the drama program, emphasizes the stress and rush to memorize lines.
“I know a lot of people are just constantly going over lines in between classes and in their free time,” Herrera said.
Drama started out by rehearsing separately from CTTA, but as the play nears its airing day, they have been starting to do combined rehearsals.
“For the first month or two, it’s just actors,” said play lead Colin Crockwell. “Then the tech people start coming to the rehearsals, and we work with them.”
Despite being two different programs, CTTA is essential to the success of drama and all of the performing arts programs, according to Crockwell.
“They’re the people that make the shows really happen,” Crockwell said. “They’re the reason the shows are able to be put on.”
CTTA second-year-member Riley Leung has been preparing for the play by becoming familiar with aspects of backstage lighting and sound.
“I’ve been learning a lot, like how to operate the light board and soundboard, how it sort of works behind there,” Leung said.
Both Carlmont Drama and CTTA are looking forward to their upcoming performance with their new members.
“I think everyone should participate in arts in Carlmont, but specifically, drama, I feel like it gets people out of their comfort zone,” Herrera said.
