Dry ice, floodlights and light-up jellyfish: Behind the curtain with Backstage Soc

Unless you work with them, backstage crews are something of a mystery.

They are the black-clad shadows you might glimpse vanishing into the wings after a quick set change, the magicians who conjure up indoor thunderstorms and on-stage floods, the people who can turn twilight to midnight to dawn at the flick of a switch.

In short, they’re the backbone of every gig you’ve ever been to and every play you’ve seen, yet we know almost nothing about them. I went along to Backstage Soc’s Give It A Go session to get some answers – and find out what SMS really gets up to behind the scenes.

So what are these shadow people like in person? I didn’t know whether to expect smart-alec techies or introverted wallflowers, but it turns out they’re a friendly, welcoming bunch with a wide assortment of personalities. They clearly know what they’re doing, but don’t have that elitist air of talent projected by some performing societies.

We met in the Refectory, which was somewhat lacking in the pulleys and smoke machines I’d been envisaging, but did actually contain a brand new stage. For a society whose job is to organise things the session didn’t seem too well-planned, although this wasn’t really their fault – they’ve just moved into the new space while the Riley Smith gets refurbished. In fact, the stage was literally being constructed as we stood on it, which wasn’t the greatest aid to concentration.

Production manager Sophie Bullen making burning coals

The first forty minutes involved a tour of the storage areas, which wasn’t exactly riveting, especially as half the equipment hadn’t been put there yet. Things got interesting when we went across to stage@leeds to see the crew in mid-preparation for their next show, Opera Soc’s The Magic Flute.

The stage was scattered with props in various stages of completion, from a carpet of burning coals to two amazing glow-in-the-dark jellyfish made from umbrellas, gauze and fairy lights. As a lifelong victim of extreme clumsiness I was sure I was going to break something important, but managed to complete a tour of the set having crashed into only one stage light.

Next came the part I’d been looking forward to most – stepping into the control booth to see how the lighting and sound were operated. The sound equipment looked like a CD player on steroids, accompanied by a smaller grey machine with a terrifying number of buttons and sliding switches. The hardware for lighting appeared even more mind-boggling, with two large consoles and two screens.

Lighting designer Freddy Marlow gave us a fascinating explanation of the different kinds of lights at his disposal and how they’re controlled. Admittedly, this meant the crew members on stage kept getting blinded by spotlights and doused in artificial fog, but it was awesome to watch. We even got to tinker with the controls ourselves, and I am proud to report that I didn’t break any.

The Backstage Committee had plenty of non-technical information to dish as well. Apparently a lot of necking in the wings goes on amongst performers, and the Stage Musicals Society in particular like to play crazy pranks on each other on closing night, from basic clothes-stealing to full-blown water gun fights.

If you want to take part in the excitement of a stage production but don’t want to sing, dance or learn lines, you should definitely consider joining Backstage Soc. There’s no experience required, and you can be involved as much or as little as you like.

Plus, as Secretary Amy Dodd points out, the £5 membership lets you see any university production you like without buying tickets.

Going behind the curtain allows you to be creative in whichever area takes your fancy – and let’s face it, nothing feels more badass than those black headsets.