When the lights go up for the Drama Club’s spring production of Cinderella, one freshman will be behind the scenes, lighting the way.
Freshman Wylee Ruckman has been part of drama working behind the scenes for the lighting department as a member of the tech lead and tech board.
Ruckman started working on lighting when he was an eighth grader and was trained by 2023 graduate Dawson Poe.
“I wasn’t intimidated by Dawson since he was a senior me and him eventually grew really comfortable around each other and eventually became close friends,” said Ruckman.
Learning from Poe was not all work.
“On the days one of us wasn’t feeling well we wouldn’t really do anything,” he said.
Ruckman was training when he worked on “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Double Cheeseburger.” This year was a different experience working on “Murder in the Air,” “Law and Order Fairy Tale Unit,” and the upcoming “Cinderella,” where he is running most aspects of the lighting experience.
Lighting a show requires an understanding of the and when the right moments to spotlight occur. He says he is most stressed the night before a show.
“Most of the time I do just press buttons which isn’t the stressful part but the day before I set up the lighting cues to my liking,” said Ruckman. “It can be really stressful because you’re scared you’re going to mess up because as doing the lighting, one little mistake can mess everything up.”
The most stressful part of putting on a show for Ruckman happens in the last three days. He has to light the correct parting of the stage for every scene so it’s different every time, check the lamps and bulbs, and double-check the remaining lighting.
“In the box, I may only press buttons, although I have to make sure I am clicking the correct buttons, and if I click the wrong one, it’s embarrassing and stressful during the show. I also have to control the right music for the right scenes,” said Ruckman.
A perk of running the lights for a show is the view. Ruckman enjoys watching the shows from the booth because he does not have anyone blocking the view with their heads, and he does not have to sit in an uncomfortable seat.
Ruckman is currently training eighth-grader Vanessa Thacker and freshman Garrett Cook to run the lights for shows.
The Drama Club is always looking for new people to help out behind the scenes.
“Just be yourself and ask about it with Mrs. Wishart and don’t be scared to try stuff new,” said Ruckman.