Theatre Ink’s recent 9 to 5 musical dazzled the audience with its elaborate sets and entertaining effects, all of which were made possible by the behind-the-scenes work of North’s Technical Theater and Design program.
North’s Technical Theater and Design program contains both an in-school introductory course and a more advanced after-school course, according to Technical Theater department head Michael Barrington-Habor.
“The intro course is more of a one-term cursory overview, whereas the after-school course is much more about doing,” Barrington-Haber said. “You’re learning the craft of what is backstage, whether that’s set, lights, sound, costumes, hair, makeup, props, et cetera. You get a little bit of all of it.”
Senior Rafi Matas, who has been a member of the after-school program for four years and assists the in-school class, described it class as very hands-on. “We’re building stuff. We’re not doing math problems, we’re not writing essays,” said Matas. “It’s really community based teaching and learning.”
The goal for both programs is to teach students how to work in a theater environment, as well as to get hands-on experience with set pieces. The class is open to all grades and levels of experience.
“For both of the programs, no experience is necessary—just a willingness to learn,” Barrington-Haber said.
Matas described the routine of the after-school program. “We come every day after school, put our bags down, and then we meet in shop and find out what our next project is, whether it’s building stairs, painting stuff, you know, whatever Mike tells us to do, that’s what we do. It’s very student-led.”
Freshman Gabby Silva, who attends the after-school program, said, “I’ve done technical theater since I was around seven, so it seemed like a really good opportunity for me to learn even more and broaden what I already know.”
The program is just as valuable for first-time technical theater and design students as it is for advanced students, according to Silva. “There are a lot of people who joined this year who have never done theater before. You can go in at any level, and they’ll teach you well.”
Silva added that community cultivated inside the courses is a large part of the positive experience.
“Everyone there is super kind and helpful, especially the upperclassmen,” Silva said. “They won’t judge you for needing something because they know that everyone’s learning, and they were there before as well.”
Matas added, “We all help each other, which I think is very different from most classrooms. And I think we all have a really close relationship with each other, which is very special.”
According to TheatreInk director Adam Brown, watching Barrington-Haber grow as a teacher over the past two decades has been incredible. Brown described him as knowledgeable, patient, and direct.
“With tech, you can’t really beat around the bush. You need to do something, and you need to get it done,” said Brown. “That’s what makes Mike really special.”
On top of the community-building and hands-on opportunities, the work done in- and after-school in the workshop goes towards North’s very own Theatre Ink productions. “You get to learn what it’s like to work on a team, creating the world of every single production Theater Ink puts on,” Barrington-Haber added.
Aside from set-building, the tech crew also has to incorporate a lot of other theatrical aspects in order to execute their pieces, “It’s an umbrella, theater, and there’s all these things that are happening that might seem like they’re isolated—they all have to work together,” said Brown. “That’s the beauty of it.”
