With actors lined up in the wings of the auditorium and in the closets of the black box, seniors Sydney and Zoe Kasman waited in the darkened theatres to watch all their work converge into one masterpiece after weeks of development.

Stage manager for Red Bird Productions’ UIL One Act Play “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Sydney Kasman has been in stage management since 8th grade, and it has allowed her to test the waters of several technical elements across a large variety of productions.

“I normally stage manage because I love being able to be the liaison between the cast, crew and directors,” Kasman said. “I love being so active in all different aspects of tech, and each show gives me a different outlook on each of them.”

With the stage manager being the glue of the production, Kasman believes that trying to please everyone is “a hard job at times,” Kasman said. The job comes with the responsibility of being the ultimate liaison. 

“I would say the easiest part is not getting stressed because I feel like I very rarely get overwhelmed, even on show days, which definitely helps the whole process,” Kasman said. “The hardest part is trying to be there for everyone at one time, like where an actor needs help and a technician and the director need me at the same time, so communication is very important.”

As a stage manager, Kasman has worked on several productions and as such, she has acquired many problem-solving skills. But RBP’s fall production of “A Piece of My Heart” challenged her in ways that other works had not, and won her favor as a result.

“I think ‘A Piece of My Heart’ is probably the production I am most proud of,” Kasman said. “There were so many changes and obstacles that were against us due to having new directors, such a short rehearsal time and hard times accessing our money, but in the end, we created such a beautiful show. I loved the group of people in this show, and I really think it brought everyone so much closer.”

Stage management involves more than supervising all moving parts of a production — it is a balancing act involving components within and outside of the show itself.

“I think that working in tech theatre has definitely brought me out of my shell,” Kasman said. “In 9th grade, I was pretty shy, but I am now very social and more outgoing. Time management is definitely one of the bigger ways it has made my leadership skills grow, because trying to manage rehearsals, schoolwork and activities outside of school can be hard, but I definitely got used to it.”

In RBP’s recent production of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” senior and varsity theatre technician Rianah Patel worked as the Props Head alongside Kasman.

“As Sydney was our Head Stage Manager, she took charge of several aspects of the show,” Patel said. “She checked in with me and the rest of the cast and crew and kept us well-organized and on track so that we were ready to compete and display our work for others.”

Patel, though traditionally working in stage management, has also worked on setbuilding and lighting, thus having worked with both Sydney and Zoe Kasman in their respective fields.

“I worked alongside Sydney in RBP’s fall show ‘A Piece of My Heart’ as the Assistant Stage Manager and since Zoe was on the lighting crew, I did not spend that much time with her backstage, but I would check in with her area frequently,” Patel said. “They both worked diligently and with so much passion towards their specific areas. They have allowed me to understand the duality of putting on a theatre production — an experience that is just as rewarding as it is challenging.”

Zoe Kasman has expanded beyond her favored tech section over the course of multiple productions. This excludes the company’s recent UIL production.

“Traditionally, I have enjoyed doing lights and props,” Kasman said. “But over my four-plus years in tech theater, I have worked in almost every department and love helping where I can and learning new things, even if it’s not lighting.”

One thing that both Sydney and Zoe Kasman can agree on is that it isn’t the shows that are the most stressful — it’s the preparatory processes.

“The easiest part, I think, about doing lights is going through the cues during a show,” Zoe Kasman said. “Pre-show programming each light cue is the hardest part, as it can take time and patience to get them just right, with ranges from 100 to 500 or more cues for a single show.”

That being said, they do differ in which productions they favor the most.

“My favorite show I have worked on was probably ‘Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood,’” Zoe Kasman said. “This was the varsity production last fall, and I was the lighting head, which was so much fun and gave me a lot of creative freedom. It was great to see how well the final show turned out with all the aspects of tech and acting put together.”

Like her sister, Zoe Kasman has also discovered new capabilities and strengths due to her work in tech theatre.

“Working in tech has helped me build leadership skills by teaching me how to stay organized and work with a team under pressure,” Kasman said. “During productions, there are many moving parts that all have to come together on a fast deadline, so I learned how to manage my time and prioritize tasks based on what needs to be done first.”

Being in tech theater together helped the Kasmans not only reinforce their bond as sisters, but also as teammates. In doing so, they also roped others into the community. 

“Both the Kasmans are very close friends of mine, which I think really sold me on joining Red Bird Productions in the first place, even though I did so later than most,” Patel said. “Watching as they both worked passionately at rehearsals and seeing how much fun they had through the entire process truly solidified my decision to move forward with technical theatre throughout high school.”

Beyond high school, Sydney Kasman has chosen to halt her tech career but demonstrated her love for this craft over the last four years. 

“I would love to pursue theatre in college, but I think it’s such a hard and unstable pathway just due to unpredictability,” Kasman said. “I think I will definitely get involved in it just for fun if I can but not as a major.” 

Similarly, Zoe Kasman has also chosen to move forward separately from tech theatre in the next chapter of her life but still greatly appreciates her time in the field.

“I am not pursuing tech in college because I have done tech for so long and I think I need to move on to new things,” Kasman said. “I will always love doing tech, but I think especially after this year, I will not be continuing.”

Both Sydney and Zoe Kasman have expressed immense gratitude for following their passions for the past several years, highlighting their experiences from Texas Thespians in addition to what they hold to be the grand finale of their appreciation. 

“We are especially thankful for the people we have met and for the amazing opportunities we have had through Red Bird Productions,” Zoe Kasman said.