It’s hard to imagine how different your life would be if you hadn’t made that life-changing decision. For some people, that was quitting soccer or ballet when they were five and for others that was choosing one of the thousands of colleges in the United States. For Junior Claire Griffin, joining the SMCHS Talon Theatre tech crew by chance at the beginning of the school year was her decision.

“To be honest it was process of elimination for finding an elective,” Griffin said. “I came across theatre tech production and it sounded interesting to me so I tried it and I couldn’t be happier.”

As a fairly new member of the team, Griffin had to catch up on learning techy terms while working on productions.

“Knowing all the different names of lights and cables can be a little difficult,” Griffin said. “But for the most part you get the hang of it after setting up and taking down shows.”

The successes of Talon Theatre’s past productions depended on the hardworking team behind the scenes. Griffin proudly helped put together both the 2015 spring and fall productions, “Hello Dolly” and “Museum” as well as the When Eagles Soar Tour in September.

“I love being behind the scenes of SM’s successful productions,” Griffin said. “I never [liked] being in the front or the center of attention and have always been interested in techy things so I find it really fun to get to express and share that with the other techies.”

From helping out at school masses to award-winning musical productions, the tech crew is a part of it all. While several students attend these events, few acknowledge the hard work that goes into them as the tech crew strays away from the spotlight.

“I think that the tech crew is underrated by people, however to be a good techie you don’t want to be noticed,” Griffin said.

Apart from enjoying an undercover position, Griffin praises her fellow techies for making the long hours worthwhile.

“I like preciseness about everything because it makes you work hard and I really love being surrounded by all the Talon Theatre people,” Griffin said.

Weeks of cramming and stress later, the end results and sentimental memories satisfy and motivate Griffin to continue to work hard and build on the friendships she’s made with the program.

“I think being with the people and knowing what the end result will be is what gets me through the longs hours,” Griffin said. “We have become like a family and you are all in it together good or bad. You get to know everyone so well and you are there to encourage each other. Without everyone the show would not be what it ends up being.”

As for the future, SMCHS’ elective class helped Griffin narrow down her career options by providing her opportunities to explore a new side of theatre.

“I would definitely consider pursuing tech in college or in the future because I love how many different aspects it has to it and I feel like there is always more to learn,” Griffin said. “I am so happy I joined tech and that it was such a wonderful decision for me.”