Whenever I walk into the auditorium of Buffalo High School, I always expect seeing one of two things: actors performing a play, or the photographers all set up for school picture day. But to my surprise, when I walked into the auditorium last week, I saw and heard something totally different. The purple curtain covered up the stage, and from behind it I could hear the sounds of hammers and electric drills working away on something. My initial thought was “we’ve got a ghost.” I was relieved to find out that this wasn’t the case.

    As it turns out, it was just the theatrical technical crew, building bases and other theater paraphernalia for their upcoming play, Into the Woods.

    “It’s very scientific stuff here.” Theater director Jill Henson said as her students hammered, cut, and drilled into pieces of wood and cardboard. I now know these people not as actors in the limelight, but the builders in background, hoping their props will hold up to the actors weight.

    As I watched the crew build away, I began to wonder what this play was going to be about. “Into the Woods is all the Brothers’ Grimm tales rolled into one play,” Henson said. “We’re performing it in December.”

    That may seem like more than enough time, but there is a lot of work still to be done, both on stage and off. Repeat tech students help the newbies see the light.

    “I like working backstage and seeing it all come together,” senior Madison Graves, who is in her second year as tech crew, said. “I can’t wait to see how it all comes together.”