While the play goes on it appears that the actors are the show, but without the supporting crew there would be no show. Up in the top row in a little darkened booth, the Stage Manager runs the show. This person directs all the action, every lighting cue, every sound cue, every offstage action that maintains our belief. Other crew members wait for the Stage Manager to tell them to perform their duties. And in order for the illusion to work the control booth must not be noticed by the audience. If it is noticed, then something has gone wrong. This is its' irony. Especially since most playgoers don't even think about the lights or the sound or the effects and rarely direct their applause to it.

The students who are filling these roles work as hard as the actors. During rehearsal I observed the Stage Manager and Assistant Stage Managers as they followed every action, every line and could remind the director of how they did it last time they rehearsed this scene. When suggestions were made as to what kind of sandals might be appropriate for the costumes, the Assistant Stage Manager noted it and found out where to acquire such footwear. When it came time for the performance, everyone who had needed the sandals had them. The job of managing the production is challenging, time-consuming and essential.

We can't see and hear the actors without the lights and sound crew. But once again, the illusion they create must be so convincing that we don't notice their work. We don't go to the theatre just to watch the lights change, but if they didn't, the illusion would not work. Creating a mood sets us up to better understand the action of the play. If the play is dark and serious we expect the lights to help us feel dark and serious. When a character begins to sing, the music helps us get into the mood of the song.

Before the show starts the crew must make certain that all of the equipment is working, the props are in the right places, and that the stage is set exactly as it should be. Observation of detail is especially critical for crew members. If a piece of scenery is out of place by a fraction of an inch it can cause a domino effect of missed positioning for the actor and in some cases can be dangerous. Many plays have dance or tumbling elements which require a very specific spacing of elements. The crew members must be accurate in their tasks at all times.

Probably the most common things that people think of in maintaining the illusion are costumes and makeup. These help us understand what the characters are about, and to form expectations about them. Clothes, hair and appearance are our everyday way of judging people, though we claim not to do it. The skills involved require practice and as I observed the classes and performances I noticed the level of helpfulness among the students. When preparing for a show they did each others hair, ironed a colleague's shirt, applied makeup and made sure that each cast member was prepared for their role. Not once did I see a request for assistance denied.

During a class on makeup I was impressed with the ease of interaction among the students and instructor. In your average classroom, students are not asked to touch each other's face and hair and to form ideas about their classmates appearance. But during this class, that is exactly what these students did. This illustrated to me again how theatre students must loosen their physical and personal boundaries and accept their peers quickly. Each student worked with a partner and as they faced a mirror one partner stood behind the other and evaluated their facial shape and characteristics. A worksheet assisted them to note features and then the partners switched places. As there were on odd number of students in the class, one student worked with the instructor. They interacted easily and naturally and even joked with each other.

When an actor accepts the responsibility of creating a role they must accept all of the actions of the character. If that means being physically involved with another character then the actor must perform. The blurring of physical boundaries is a big part of why many students felt that theatre is more of a family than an academic department. Also, the sheer number of hours that they spend together forces them into a high level of intimacy.