Showtime! Light and crew students work behind the scenes

April 29, 2010 • Jessi Freeman, staff writer  
Filed under Features

Lights, camera, action. When the performer gets onstage, the music starts and that one single spot light hits center stage, that is all the work done by the light crew. Every show the light crew has to make preparations days prior to make sure every thing stays consistent and working. They have a lot of responsibility to help make the show successful and to stay on top.

This year’s light crew is a crew of one, senior H Kottwitz, and all the responsibility falls on his shoulder.

“I set the lights up, program them and design the lights,” Kottwitz said.

Being the light crew comes with several responsibilities to make sure that performer has enough lighting when he or she gets on stage.

To a newcomer this responsibility would be a lot to take on, but Kottwitz is experienced.

“I have been doing this since 8th grade, starting at South,” Kottwitz said.

When setting up the lights, it is not just putting them in the right spot and turning them on. It goes a lot deeper than that. The crew has to make some drastic decisions.

“You have to pick the color of lighting and decide when is the right time they go on,” Kottwitz said. “And you have to point them in the direction they need to be in and how long they are on for and how bright they are.”

Kottowitz is in charge of setting up the stage, and the performer is in charge of bringing the lights and crews job to life.

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