The stage turns black, the lights fade and suddenly, the action begins. Shadows rush out from the corners of the stage changing the landscape; Pushing and pulling away the bottom of ocean floor leaving behind a beautiful sandy beach. These shadows are known as Dragonflicks.
The Dragonflicks crew is a group of students learning the ins and outs of audio and visual production under Advisor Michael Kidd. Though they’re never in the spotlight, the Dragonflicks crew along with their advisor, Mr. Kidd, work tirelessly behind the scenes of every school event, ranging from the assemblies, to the dance concerts, and to the musicals to ensure every performance is seen and every voice is heard.
“Everyone that applied to Dragonflicks aren’t necessarily shy people that hate the spotlight.” Sophomore Janet Wu said. “We just prefer being backstage controlling everything from the shadows, helping those who need it and making sure everything goes according to plan.”
Each member of Dragonflicks tries out for a certain role, based off of experience, and is assigned a position whether it be lighting, props, sound, stage set-up or coordination, each one serving diligently to make sure the show runs smoothly.
“Even though there are different roles within Dragonflicks, everything falls into place after a couple of runs through the production,” Senior Spencer Chang said. “It might be chaotic the first run, but after we resolve all technical difficulties, it looks wonderful and runs fairly smoothly.”
All of this work does not come easy. The average assembly takes 16 to 18 hours of prep and for the bigger projects such as the musical, around 85 hours of prep and groundwork are required to make the show a success.
“In preparation for the upcoming musical, the Dragonflicks crew has been working five to six days a week, four hours every day,” Wu said. “It’s definitely a lot of work but we always give it our all to make the performances run as smoothly as possible so that the audience can have an unforgettable experience.”
The preparation for the musical is almost complete, with thousands of dollars worth of equipment fine-tuned and ready for the show. As the big day inches closer and closer, the members of Dragonflicks will finally be able to see the fruits of their labor.
“My favorite thing about putting together this musical is watching it progress,” Wu said. “Everything is finally coming to fruition and I am so grateful for everyone’s collective efforts in making ‘The Little Mermaid’ come to life.”
TCHS School Newspaper