“Gaieties” is set to make its 104th return on Nov. 18, which means that beloved characters will soon be worming their way back into Memorial Auditorium and into the hearts of the students body: the Tree, the ever-failing Cal villain and a smattering of arbitrarily naked college kids (to name a few).
What most audience members forget, however, is that there is a lot more to a show like “Gaieties than the cast. This year, 33 crew members worked tirelessly to perfect every element of the annual showcase.
The most visibly technical side of “Gaieties” is the show’s hallmark transition songs. During the longer scene changes, iconic pop songs blast out of the speakers, synced with spectacular lighting effects. Selecting these songs is a joint-project between the director, the sound team and the lighting team. After the songs are picked, co-lighting designers Stephen Hitchcock ’18 and Michael Tucker ’18 spearhead the rest of the preparation. Especially excited for this year’s number, Tucker quips, “I can’t wait to pump up the audience.”
This year, the designers prepared six transition tracks for the crowd — six tracks, which sound designer Alex Aguilar ’18 hints are “#sortofathrowback.”
Of course, the responsibilities of the lighting and sound designer go far beyond the preparation of pop ballads. Hitchcock and Tucker also program light cues for the musical, hang and focus lighting instruments, direct board operations and lead follow-spot coordination.
In charge of the program’s aural vision, Aguilar creates a sound concept and sound plot for the cast and the pit while simultaneously taking proper care of the speakers. Although a show as big as “Gaieties” is a challenge, Aguilar sees it as “an opportunity to get creative with microphones, as well as have a ton of fun with sound effects.” As the premiere approaches, she adds “I’m really excited to go into tech and performance week so I can finally see [and] put my design in action.”
Though important, without a set, lighting and sound would likely fail to capture the imagination. Building this element of the program begins with the set designer, Nisha Masharani ’15, who determines the aesthetics of the build and drafts an outline. These designs are brought to life by the build team, led by the technical director Elliot Bomboy ’17 and master carpenter Mike McKenna ’16. According to Bomboy, Masharani has designed “the most complicated Gaieties set that’s happened in a couple of years.” Although determining and executing the best method to build the set can be a challenge, Bomboy is naturally “super excited to see actors performing on it.”
Most designers rarely interact with the cast members, but for the production and rehearsal staff cast and crew relations are of the upmost importance. The producer, Adriana Ganem ’18, manages both the cast and crew, while Trey Hale ’18, the director, oversees everything the performers do, from acting to singing to dancing. Describing this year’s cast as “incredibly talented [with] high-energy,” Hale says, “It has been quite the journey staging the show on the complicated set of ‘Chem31XXX.’”
The stage manager, Nicole Phillips ’18, like Hale, also feels a tight connection with the 23-person cast. Whenever cast members jokingly call her “mom,” Phillips sees it as a laughable jab. “However, after eight weeks of working on this production, I understand the truth behind the joke,” she says. Her job is to make sure everything and everyone is taken care of and Phillips “love[s] every moment of it.”
All in all, the technical side of “Gaieties” makes for a rather demanding show. Every aspect of this musical comedy is student-crafted: the jokes, the music, the choreography, the design. But it’s also a captivating show that, this year, has attracted 14 cast and crew members to return for a second year and three for a third.
So many people find it in their hearts to return because “it’s a great group of people, great social experience, [and a] really fun show” according to production manager James Sherwood ’17, now working on his third “Gaieties.” Although managing all technical aspects of the show keeps him busy, he “love[s] working on it.” He says, “I’ve got to meet so many new friends who I wouldn’t have encountered unless I worked on ‘Gaieties’ and had fun exploring and experimenting with theater technology.”
To see the hard work of these talented crew members, catch “Gaieties 2015: Chem31XXX” next week from Nov. 18-20 at 8pm in Memorial Auditorium.
Contact Grace Yoo at gyoo ‘at’ stanford.edu.