Jonathan Levinsky

Focused on his work, Tech Director Trevor Smith measures a piece of the set for “The One Act Play That Goes Wrong.” This is Smith’s first year as Tech Director for the theatre department, as he is motivated to use his expertise to the department’s benefit. “I have a lot of carpentry experience,” Smith said. “Set design and construction [are] kind of my bread and butter. [This should] help “level up” our set quality and safety. Hopefully actors will feel safe on the sets and technicians will be safe building them.”

Three years, three tech directors. Is this the Defense Against the Dark Arts class from “Harry Potter?” No, this is the Technical Theater Department.

No matter how much success the new tech director brings, they never seem to last for longer than a year. The director of the tech department is in charge of laying a foundation for all the technical aspects of every show the theater department puts on. Without this structure, the department falls into disarray.

“If we have the same amount of tech directors in the same amount of years, it’s cursed,” sophomore Anson Schalles said. “It’s almost comical.”

The tech director in 2020 left the department in December of 2020 due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Theater director Alisa Mirabella welcomed new directors in 2021 and 2022 for various reasons. She was able to help with the search this time around and said she assured Mr. Sloan that new director, Trevor Smith, was a good fit. Smith said he is hoping to change this one year trend.

“I am excited for the quantity of shows we get to do each year,” Smith said. “The more practice students get at their tech jobs, the better they will be, and the [theater department] provides plenty of opportunities for everyone to practice their craft.”

While Mirabella has high hopes for her newest hire, senior Michael Zolidis, the Construction Head, is still concerned about whether the department can find a level of equilibrium in terms of what everyone’s responsibility is.

“He needs to help release some of that tension [within the department],” Zolidis said. “In the past, we had been scrambling to build sets at the last second, because nobody knew what their responsibilities were, which only makes things worse in terms of relationships between members of the department.”

 Senior Cayden Bartolo said he wasn’t too surprised about a new tech director, but is optimistic about the new hire.

“I was a little upset that [the old director] left, but the new normal has been having different tech directors [each year],” Bartolo said.“So like many others, I’ve managed to adapt to different tech directors.”

 Zolidis said he is liking what he is seeing from Smith so far, as he has had to deal with multiple personalities leading the department.

“He’s very proud and very kind,” Zolidis said. “I think that’s a good quality to have as a teacher. He is constantly proud of our progress, which makes it easier for us to learn things faster.”

Senior costume head Elly Hart has also found things to appreciate about Smith in just the first couple weeks.

“He’s really knowledgeable in terms of how to do things,” Hart said. “He started from day one and is already making an impact.”

This job is not Smith’s first rodeo. He took over an already well-established theater department at Sweeny High School, just south of Houston, where he faced challenges such as not being able to do things the way he wanted to in his position.

“I think it honestly makes it easier to start [from scratch],” Smith said. “If I had been taking over a [tech] department that was well-established [again], then there would be more traditions and things that I would have to learn, and maybe some habits that I would have to break. So, this is more of a blank slate.”

Under Smith’s leadership, the tech department has begun rehearsals for “The One-Act Play That Goes Wrong” and has started “Elf” rehearsals. Smith also brings a level of expertise in an area that the tech department has been lacking in the past couple of years.

“I have a lot of carpentry experience,” Smith said. “Set design and construction [are] kind of my bread and butter. [This should] help “level up” our set quality and safety. Hopefully actors will feel safe on the sets and technicians will be safe building them.”

Smith also wants to  spread his knowledge to students across the department.

“The design experience I bring should serve our students who want to do scenic design in college [as well],” Smith said. As I can give them tips and methods for channeling their creativity.

While Smith is already contributing in positive ways to the department, Hart said there is one thing that Smith needs to do in order to truly make an impact.

“If he stays for more than a year,” Hart said. “[If] he fully commits, that would set him apart from any other tech director we’ve had.”

For those outside of the department, they will have a chance to see how much of an impact Smith has made thus far with the first mainstage production of the year, “The One Act Play That Goes Wrong.” It will be in the PAC Sept. 29-30 at 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the theater website.