Hidden behind the big black curtain in the auditorium is the team that ensures it all happens. Both the beautifully designed stage and the safety of the actors are all thanks to the Sharon High set department.
This winter, the team is excited to prepare for the upcoming festival competition. The Sharon High School Theatre Company will have a community performance of their production of Kate Hamill’s adaption of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women at the high school on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. This weekend, they will perform at Stoughton High School.
Led by set heads Nailah Mason and Ada Van Dyke, the theatre company’s set team is composed of about ten members per season. The team works tirelessly to construct and design the sets for all of the company’s productions including the fall musical, the school’s entry in the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild (METG) competition, and the spring performance. During tech week and all of the performances, the team helps by calling cues to the actors and assisting in moving sets to and from the stage. Additionally, they ensure that each transition is seamless despite often not being seen.
The winter season comes with a series of added challenges for the team. Per the rules of the Massachusetts Educational Theatre Guild, each school competing in the festival has an allotted time of only five minutes before and after the show to construct and break down their sets. This proves quite a challenge for the team, forcing them to construct a set that is easy to put up and take down but is also safe to be performed on. Additionally, each actor has to be trained to assist with the process. The sets also need to be transportable from school to school.
Last year the team constructed a set for the company’s production of Middletown that moved on to perform in the final round in Boston. The set was three silhouettes of classic buildings: a hospital, a library and a house. Other set dressings were added to enhance various scenes. The team is excited to begin work on this year’s festival production. The season has started up — crew interviews took place last month.
The team has won a number of awards for their incredible work in the METG Festival performances, they received two in the 2023 production of It Starts With a Boat, and one in the 2024 production of Middletown.
Most recently, the team constructed the sets for the fall musical Disney’s Newsies. The set was centered around a piece of rented scaffolding, and some student-built elements included a late 1800s printing press, several tables sturdy enough to tap dance on and a lifelike portrait of one of the cast members.
The team has created sets for a variety of different shows. Past set head Luca Townsend said, “My favorite set probably has been Legally Blonde, mostly because it looked super impressive. But also, it was our first time working with a tech director, and being able to work with a professional definitely helped me develop more of my set skills.”
For the most recent season the company worked with a new technical director, Christina Monaco. She has experience working at Brookline High School. She assisted with design and construction. The set team is currently looking for an adult to help with the upcoming winter season.
The team auditions at the beginning of each production with the cast in order to receive their team assignments. Townsend, Mason and Van Dyke were appointed as heads during this process. The team then works with Monaco and director Ms. Alyssa Burke, to sketch ideas for the set and begin planning out the design ideas for the season. Construction and design happens about three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
On Saturdays, the team and various actors come into school from 9-2 to resume working. The team is trained with a number of power tools including a circular saw, jigsaw and impact drills. These tools are used to build a number of technical elements. Another aspect of the team is color theory and painting. The team has a number of experienced artists that work with color theory to create the perfect shades for various scenes and set pieces. Oftentimes, beautiful and lifelike paintings are featured in the company’s shows. The various aspects of the set team make it easy to get involved.
