Greenhill’s annual theater productions rely on months of hard work from actor, coordination and faculty. But when the lights go down, the audience rarely see the team responsible for creating the world onstage: the Greenhill technical theater team.  

“Theater is an art form of the moment,” Technical Theater Director Will Turbyne said. “The moment we see it come together is the same time the audience sees it.”  

This year’s musical, Disney’s Descendants, celebrates Greenhill’s 75th anniversary with an all-school production featuring more than 80 performers from the upper, middle and lower school. Behind the large cast is an equally ambitious technical undertaking, built through months of design, problem-solving and collaboration.

Under Turbyne’s guidance, about 25 students across multiple levels of tech theater classes have spent the fall constructing the visual environment of the show, from rock-and-roll inspired sets to intricate projection and lighting sequences.

“Everything is in progress right now,” Turbyne said. “Set building, lighting, projection design, and costume design. It’s all happening at once.”  

Alongside Turbyne, the students also work with other industry professionals such as costume designer Hope Cox.  

“She’s been teaching them about color, concept and costume construction,” Turbyne said. “It’s all about creating a unified aesthetic.”  

Putting together shows has always been a challenge, but this production is unique according to senior Darwin George, the stage manager.  

“We’re constantly communicating between the rehearsal room and the tech shop,” George said. “Our job is to make sure blocking, cues and technical needs all line up.”  

During tech week, the production’s many layers finally cross over. The crew begins by running the show without lights or sound, then gradually adds in microphones, transitions, lighting cues, and sound effects.  

“It’s the first time the crew really gets to see what they’ve built in action,” Turbyne said. “We start running cues about five days before opening, going element by element until it all fits together.”  

For senior like George, Descendants marks their final Greenhill musical, and they say they are determined to make it their best.  

“There’s this pressure to top Mamma Mia! but we’re really just focused on doing the best we can and having fun with it,” George said.