By Dan Giles, Student Reporter

The standard curtains and commodities of the Severna Park High School stage are cleared away to be replaced by a sprawling extended stage and towering works of wood, for the stage will soon be the runway for the largest show to come through Severna Park; Rock ’n’ Roll Revival XXIII.

On the first day of construction, the tech crew must haul massive wooden platforms from inside a dark, frigid storage container through snow to the auditorium stage. When the supplies are dissembled and returned to the container, it will be during the mild temperatures of spring.

Thus is the life of the temporary stage used exclusively for Rock’n’Roll Revival. Starting at half stage, these wood and metal platforms are lined up to raise the stage several feet so that it may be extended to the front of the audience. Each platform must be custom fitted with four metal legs of various sizes and repeatedly adjusted to ensure that no gaps exist for dancers to trip on. With 30 or so 130-pound platforms which require 20 minutes to fit and adjust, assembling an entire stage is no easy task.

Working three stories above the stage on a rickety movable scaffolding tower, a pair of tech crew members must construct the two massive spotlight towers that will stand at the back of the stage, starting from the top down. Operating in the dim shadows among the curtain tops, the 20-foot legs of the towers are hoisted to the platform and bolted in as it rests on the railings of the scaffolding from which the two crew members work. Having only three feet of head space, being boxed in by the two-foot by six-foot railings, and tottering three stories in the air, the workers have an interesting work environment. “I like it because it is more challenging; working on the ground is just too easy,” said senior Jim Notaro, who has done this in previous years.

Next, a shorter connecting tower is constructed in between the two towers for the sound department. A wall is then constructed along the length of the legs of these three towers, resulting in a narrow passage in the space between their supports. With the towers overhead and the artificial wall completely obscuring view of the auditorium, this passageway will reside in pitch darkness as the actors use it to move across the stage.

In front of this back wall and passageway, two small platforms are created on either side of the stage for the band. Actors will be able to enter the stage through an opening between the band platforms and from two other openings on both sides of the stage. Each wall panel must be perfectly aligned and straightened as it is screwed in, and, in the case of the second and third levels of paneling, must be done several feet in the air from ladders and scaffolding. The panels, which are reused from previous years, still bear pieces of the murals of various Rock’n’Roll Revival shows. The resulting 20-foot wall, spanning all three sides of the stage, bears a mural within itself, one that will soon be painted over to match this years’ circus theme.

“I like exploring parts of the school that nobody knows about unless they do tech crew,” said crewmember Shane McCourd of his motivation for participating in the construction work. In addition to the stage, crewmembers work in otherwise hidden facilities and locations both above and below the auditorium.

With each day, new towers, platforms, and alleyways rise from the construction zone on the auditorium stage. “It makes you a more innovative person,” said crewmember Claudia Frye of creating the set for Rock’n’Roll Revival. The sprawling wood behemoth currently weighs approximately five tons. As the stage is set, the show approaches.