West High School produces two plays each year, one in the fall and one in the spring. The most recent production, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” came with the longest tech week the theatre department has had in recent years.

The play opened November 6 and closed November 8. The extended tech week gave the cast and crew additional time to fine-tune details and elevate the production.

“The eight rehearsal schedules, lasting four hours each rehearsal period, were needed to provide ‘The Legend of Sleepy Hollow’ with the following technical elements: lighting, sound, scene transitions, set changes, and stage properties,” Director William Dawson says.

However, longer rehearsals came with challenges. To make the in-depth tech week possible, everyone involved had to commit significant time. “The performers and stage crew were impacted by the amount of time needed to incorporate all the required technical elements. Technical assets were demanding for this production,” Dawson says. “All individuals involved in the production experienced success, but technical elements required patience by every individual involved in the production.”

Theatre students may face another lengthy tech week this spring. “Even though the spring play will be a different genre and tale, that doesn’t mean it won’t be the same lengthwise. The chosen spring play has various important technical elements, so a lengthy tech week will be necessary,” Dawson says.

In total, thirty-two hours of scheduled tech rehearsals were required. Directors also tried to be mindful of student schedules. “Mr. Hirdler, our production manager, determined the amount of time needed for an organized, efficient tech week,” Dawson says.

For actors, the extended rehearsals came with both benefits and challenges. Lead actor Kyle Squire says, “I think that the lengthened tech week has definitely benefited my acting, as this week is really when you have to lock in your character choices and ensure you have everything memorized.”

Still, the week added pressure. “Tech week has definitely been hard on me, especially when it comes to line memorization since I have most of the lines in the show,” Squire says.

The additional time also helped the cast settle into their roles. “The show as a whole has definitely been bettered by this long tech week. Allowing everyone to become more comfortable with their decisions and prepare for potential mistakes is very important,” Squire says.

Despite missing rehearsals due to illness, Squire still saw the value of the extended schedule. “While I didn’t get as much practice as I would have liked, since I was sick for two days, overall tech week has definitely given me a good amount of practice time, which is vital for the show’s quality,” he says.

While demanding, the long tech week gave the cast and crew the chance to refine the show, strengthen performances, and deliver the best production possible.