Unseen and Unheard: Techs Do Their Thing

6th March, 2017

Theatre Technicians are the silent heroes of the theatre world and at Girton Grammar School, about 25 students have taken on the scaling of gantries and programing of sound and light as a co-curriculum subject.

Theatre Tech students, as they are affectionately known, are the constant presence behind the scenes and without them the show could not go on. From assemblies and school productions to major events like Foundation Day and Speech Night, the sound, light, music and special effects are carried out by these techy whizz-kids.

Working outdoors at the Senior School Swimming and Athletics Carnivals is no obstacle and working within other venues like the Bendigo Stadium on Speech Night or the House Dinners, does not dissuade them.

In the Black Box theatre at the school, students put on safety gear and scale the gantries above the performance area to adjust lights.

“The gantry is 6.5 metres off the floor, so the safety gear is not just for dress ups!” Connor Hampton (11 Riley) said.

“I only joined theatre tech this year and am loving it. It is fantastic learning new things about all of the technology that supports a range of special events.

“I am studying VET Music and Theatre Tech compliments this subject well because we learn about music technology,” he said.

The Theatre Tech co-curricular is run on Tuesday afternoons from 3.40pm until 5.00pm. Many Girton graduates who have taken part in this practical co-curricular have gone on to have careers in the industry and often come back to help out at Girton events.

 

Pictured: Connor Hampton (11Riley), Ben Huchings (11 Aherne) and Lachlan Trounson (11 Riley) ‘suit up’ to scale the gantry in the Black Box.