After noticing issues in theater production, senior Eloise Wescott decided to create a new role for herself.
She created the role of Student Technical Director because the stage manager was very busy so things in the theater would constantly go wrong, such as props breaking and mics malfunctioning. Now the responsibilities of the stage manager are split between two people.
“I also do paperwork, so boring but absolutely crucial,” said Wescott.
She is always backstage, making sure that everything is running smoothly.
Wescott is the president of the International Thespian Society at Riverside (ITS), a theater honors society that was started around a year ago. (Editor’s note: a “thespian” is someone who participates in theater). Her responsibilities include organizing what shows the theater is going to do and hosting competitions that compare the theaters at various high schools.
To join ITS, applicants must have at least 100 volunteer hours at a local theater.
“I had 250 volunteer hours this year,” said Wescott. “100 hours is nothing.”
She helped organize the theater’s storage, by moving boxes of led lights, costumes and other resources that the theater uses. She has also fixed many other small issues that the theater had.
Currently, Wescott is helping create the haunted house, which will be open October 26th-28th. She has worked on the haunted house every October for the past three years.
She is also helping create props and sets for the Clue play, which will run December 1-2.
Wescott has been in theater for three years and she has loved it since she joined.
“I started my sophomore year but my freshman year was COVID, so three years was the whole time I was in the building at Riverside,” said Wescott.
Before she came to Riverside, she was in chorus and helped behind the scenes to ensure shows ran smoothly. This inspired her to join tech theater in high school.
“I don’t actually like singing,” she said. “[But] I really do like being backstage and fixing stuff, and that’s what tech theater is.”
