Many cast and crew members of “JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR” are well aware of the stressors of Tech Week, a period that is both rewarding and exhausting as it leads up to the opening show. This labor-intensive time commitment, coupled with the challenges of studying and teaching at The Baldwin School, is bound to have an effect on the cast and crew. So what are some ways that they have handled this week?
One method enacted by Mrs. Christie Reed, Head of Upper School, comes in the form of consistently reminding faculty and staff of the show dates and tech week in order to give them time to prepare.
Upon receiving the official list of students in the cast and crew, “I share that out with the faculty and again remind them that students should be asking for extensions for tests, papers, quizzes, anything, and that to please excuse any work that needs to be turned in and not counted as late,” Reed said.
While this is certainly a considerate practice, its effectiveness is measured in how well it is communicated from teacher to student. Tessa Gunn ‘26 says that she was not made aware of this arrangement, nor was Emma McLean ‘29.
“I don’t really notice much of a difference between the amount of work during tech week versus during the rest of the year,” McLean said.
Other students, such as Genevieve Soven ‘29, have free periods during the day during which to do work, as she doesn’t do her homework outside of school. While she didn’t ask for any extensions, she believes that teachers would be understanding and helpful if students were to.
I feel like a lot of teachers will give [students] an extension if [they] ask them ahead of time and if [they] communicate,” said Soven.
In addition to students finding time during the day to stay on top of academics in order to decompress later, teachers are helping to provide their students that time.
“I am trying to be sensitive to my students and meet them where their needs are,” said Ms. Lee Hagon, Music Teacher and Music Director of “JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR”. Due to this, she gave her B-Flats students a more relaxed class period on one of the days during Tech Week.
Additionally, teachers involved with the show are also finding ways to preserve their time and mental health during Tech Week.
“[The] thing about the timing of the show is that we launch right into the really crazy busy holiday season as soon as the show is over,” Ms. Hagon said. “So in that sense it’s something that I need to be mindful of in terms of taking care of myself, because I’ll go weeks without having a day off, and sometimes I have to create that space.”
Mr. Ben Dibble, Middle and Upper School Theater Teacher and Director of “JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR,” utilizes class time to work on the set.
“I can make a lot of my class time about how we’re contributing to the show and collaborating, and so I can bring classes over and we can do work on the set if it’s drama class or if it’s musical theater class because it’s germane to the topic,” said Dibble.
Though this week can be difficult to navigate, students and teachers find ways to balance academics, social lives, and theater to create a wonderful show.