Piles of wooden planks. Lilac foam board. A large tool cage. Multiple types of saws with the blades covered in shavings. Cabinets are full of gobos and gels and paint buckets and comms systems and technical sketches. Those are just a few of the things you would see walking into K138, otherwise known as the Set Shop, where technical theatre classes take place each day at Clear Creek High School.
Most people are familiar with high school theatre, but not many people are aware of the student technicians that are behind the entire operation. Everyday students step up into roles handling tasks such as building and buying props, programming sound effects and music, designing and cueing lights, operating the spotlights, building the sets, moving things on and off stage, coordinating all technical aspects, and managing all technicians and actors on the stage. All of these roles work together to construct the magic of a high school production.
The company recently finished the performance run of the fall show, Chemical Imbalance: A Jekyll and Hyde Show, a production set in 1888. The play revolves around Dr Jekyll, a renowned doctor and aristocrat who takes a potion that splits his personality in two; one half Jekyll, and one half an evil monster named Hyde.
Natallia Moreno (12), who was the props designer for Chemical Imbalance, spoke about the work she did for the show. “I sketched certain props I needed to build, and I did research about the time period,” she said. “I definitely had to research if certain things were there during that time period before I used them”. She also assigned certain build projects to other technicians, such as Dace D’Onofrio (12), who constructed the pigeon prop that appears toward the end of Act I in Chemical Imbalance. “I worked on a lot of set design and props, with props designer Natallia. I helped assemble the set and I worked on some of the set pieces. Whenever something needed to be done on the show, I did it.”
Elevated high in the auditorium, in the tech booth, sound designer Sierra Adams and lighting designer Sophia Trejo coordinate the technological aspects of the show. Trejo (12) talked about the work she did as lighting designer. “I created a mood board on Pinterest to put out some ideas I had with lighting, […] refocusing lights and programming them”. As sound designer, Adams (10) said “I listened to a lot of Victorian goth albums, I read the script a few times…My work pretty much doesn’t start until the week before when I have to start panicking”.
After Chemical Imbalance was finished, the department immediately began work on Shrek the Musical. Construction and refurbishment on trees that’ll be featured in the set has already started, as well as painting and creating props. Moreno, Trejo, and Adams are gearing up to begin work later in the year and are currently drafting their lists and plots. The first technical rehearsal takes place on January 17, 2026, and until then, the department will keep practicing and rehearsing until Shrek is performed on January 23, 24, 25, 28, 30, and 31, 2026.
