With the start of the 2026 S!NG season, Townsend Harris High School’s Tech Crew has already started preparations for the upcoming schoolwide production. This year, Tech Crew is welcoming in three new leaders, new teacher advisors, and a cohort of prospective members.
President and returning leader of Tech Crew Daniel Jagdeo said he is eager to embrace a larger leadership role in the team. Daniel joined Tech Crew during his freshman year, and said being a part of the team allowed him to merge his interests in technology with in-depth, hands-on experience. When asked about what drove him to join Tech Crew, he described the decision as “kind of out of the blue.”
Daniel said, “When I joined [Tech Crew], it was very different from what I expected. It was definitely an intense environment, but I think over time I grew to love it because of that intensity. My experience thus far as a co-leader last year has taught me leadership, and it also taught me to work really hard.”
New Tech Crew leaders and juniors Kaylee Oh and Sabrina Zhang expressed similar sentiments regarding their motivations for joining the club and past experiences working with their designated equipment. “For past productions, I worked on audio and spotlight for S!NG, curtains for FON, and sound for Nightingale [Theatre Company productions]. I’m looking forward to doing lighting this year, but sound has been my personal favorite,” said Kaylee.
Drama teacher and Nightingale Theatre Co-Director Kevin Schwab has been working with the Tech Crew for eight years and is looking forward to working with the new team. He said, “I can always say that there are very creative and imaginative Tech Crew members who find ways to get things done, usually in a very short amount of time. There’s only one opening night and you want to make sure that your crew is ready to go, and sometimes that means being very fast on your feet and making sure the audience never notices that there might have been a problem.”
To ensure optimal rehearsals and performances for S!NG and future productions, Tech Crew leaders have created numerous personal and teamwide goals relating to technological efficiency and improving communication for this year.
Daniel said that one of the most pressing challenges surrounding S!NG is it starting so early on in the academic year. He described how the condensed amount of time often leaves Tech Crew members with less time for preparations, increasing the likelihood of technical challenges. “The main goal right now is to make sure that our equipment is actually ready to handle. I plan on doing very extensive checks that may last up to two weeks on all of our equipment, such as doing extensive checks on every single light bulb,” said Daniel.
“During past productions, we faced a lot of complications with mics; this led to certain lines not being heard by the audience and feedback from the speakers. This school year, we plan to check the mics extensively and make sure we are ready for any inevitable difficulties,” said Sabrina.
Daniel shared his vision on bridging gaps in communication within the club and promoting transparency between Tech Crew leaders and club members. Due to Tech Crew’s responsibilities of the technical aspects of each performance, Daniel emphasized the importance of clear and coherent communication. “We want to make sure that the members are communicating with us about exactly what’s happening, and we want to be more communicative with the members. A lot of people were being left in the dark in the past about what needs to be done, and we kind of want to bridge that communication and also bridge that knowledge of what we know to the members,” said Daniel.
Kaylee said, “My biggest goal is to bring in…more members, and be more interactive with the equipment because there’s always something to learn and everyone should find out what they like and have fun with it.”
Returning Tech Crew member and junior Caroline Polec expressed her enthusiasm for the productions ahead this year. She encourages fellow Harrisites to get involved with the team and discover the rewarding work that occurs behind the scenes. Caroline said, “Tech Crew is the kind of club you need to be dedicated to. You can’t drop out of doing your part during a show or go [missing in action]. When all the performers [practice] for S!NG, we practice too in our own way. When practice starts, our meetings last just as long as S!NG practice does, sometimes lasting till 6pm-8pm. I advise that you stay committed and you communicate any updates or concerns with the Tech Crew leaders.”
Though she won’t be participating in Tech Crew this school year, previous member junior Miriam Berman advises incoming Tech Crew members to get to know their peers. “Make friends in the club as you’re gonna be spending a lot of time with them when it gets closer to productions,” said Miriam.
