The lights hit center stage, but who’s the real star of the show?
Concealed in the shadows of the stage are the people who make all of Carlmont’s plays possible. These students do everything from production to building sets to doing janitorial work.
These students work hard, but it’s worth it for the enjoyment they get out of it. The club which makes the plays function is the Carlmont Technical Theatre Association.
The Carlmont Technical Theatre Association, also called CTTA, is a club that is hidden from the spotlight.
Junior Lisa Cardoza, president of the CTTA, has been in the club since the beginning of freshman year.
In the beginning, Cardoza joined the club not out of free will, but because her mother pushed her to participate more in school. Nevertheless, Cardoza has grown to enjoy the club, while picking up many useful skills along the way.
“The club has helped me learn to work with people I may not like or don’t know. I have learned to talk to strangers,” said Cardoza.
Cardoza, as president, does a lot of work to keep the club running and functioning properly.
The people in the club are very skilled set designers. Everything is taken seriously and requires attentiveness.
“We are very professional; we keep track of minutes. Thanks to Jeff (Horn) [Theater Manager], the club is fun,” said Junior Ramy Wong.
“We help backstage and with the actors,” said sophomore Jillian Yong.
Yong joined the club last year and still continues to enjoy the club, as do many other long time club members.
Yong said, “I build sets, work with the light and sound board, and I work in the musical by being the stage hand.”
Students who join the club are expected to contribute time and effort to create a play worth watching. This world behind the curtains opens up many possibilities for students’ futures.
Cardoza said, “I want to major in science and technical theater. I like that I’m able to meet new people, like in the choir shows or in the productions.”
Wong said, “I like that we get hands-on experience.”
Wong was introduced to the club by Cardoza. Ever since then, Wong has been involved in the CTTA.
The CTTA, is a club almost no one knows about. However, this club helps prepare students for many aspects of school, life, and, of course, the technical theater field. The CTTA’s work all pays off when students, parents, and teachers come to watch the musicals throughout the years and are able to see their work.
“I love that we can do everything that no one sees; we know [all the backstage] secrets. It’s like being in a Ninja world,” said Wong.
The CTTA, a club that seems to be non-existent from the outside, does, in fact, contribute a lot. They help make Carlmont’s plays possible.
