Behind the Scenes of the Fall Play

There is a whole other world backstage. Here is a look behind the curtains.

Anabella Khavin, Staff Reporter • July 23, 2026

The costumes crew decide everything the actors wear on the stage. Their job makes the actors look like they are actually part of the story and not just random people in the spotlight.

Bronx Science prides itself on its extensive STEM-oriented curriculum, yet in addition to such a centralized focus, it puts up three theater performances each year: the fall play, SING, and the spring musical. All of these productions are prominently created by students. The fall play and spring musical have Dr. Schmidt as director and the fall play has Ms. Heckman as co-director, but the performance, set, and props are all made by students.

When watching a performance, the spotlight is on the student actors. Their work is phenomenal and essential to the show, yet most of the time the work it took to make all the other key components to the production are overlooked. From lights to costumes, everyone has a role in the show, even if they are not on stage. Particularly in the fall play, the people behind the scenes worked especially hard to make the show perfect.

These photos show the incredible dedication students had to make the fall play; even though some roles were not as celebrated or credited as the actors, it is noteworthy to acknowledge the remarkable effect all of the students had on the outcome of the performance.

While the backstage rooms dedicated to painting and costumes seem disorganized and messy, it actually makes perfect sense for the crew. They know exactly where the paintbrushes are, each jacket and dress in the costume rack, cardboard, and anything else they would need for their job. Their mission is to make the perfect show, and they make sure that their work lives up to that goal.

About the Contributors

Anabella Khavin, Staff Reporter

Anabella Khavin is a Spotlight Editor for the ‘Science Survey.’ Her favorite aspect of journalism is telling a story by visualizing the writing for the reader and making it truly immersive and unforgettable. She appreciates how much a photo can capture of a single moment and how a photo can lead an entire story through just a frame. Outside of school, Anabella preoccupies herself with various forms of creative writing, from poetry to long form narratives. Occasionally, she creates digital art, mostly of her cat, Sherry. She hopes to continue journalistic writing as well as creative writing in the future.

Astrid Grimskog-Tran, Staff Reporter

Astrid Grimskog-Tran is an Editor-in-Chief and Graphic Designer for ‘The Observatory’ yearbook, as well as a Staff Reporter for ‘The Science Survey.’ In her work for ‘The Observatory,’ Astrid likes to take photos for school events and student life. She finds that the process of learning and experimenting to take good photos is fascinating and deeply enjoyable. When writing articles, she finds the detailed conversations in interviews to be eye opening, and enjoys when the discussion derails from the initial prompt. Outside of the yearbook, Astrid works as the Stage Manager for the Fall Play and Spring Musical, working with the many limbs of Stage Crew in order to bring the performance to life, transporting the audience to another time and place. Additionally, she loves playing the clarinet, an instrument that she picked up during the Coronavirus pandemic, and she hopes that everyone will appreciate the work that Concert Band and Orchestra, alongside the other performance classes, puts in, in order to prepare for their Winter and Spring concerts. While Astrid does not have a decided major in college, she is planning on continuing her pursuit of theater-tech, music, and journalism wherever she might end up.

Olive Forman-Sarno, Staff Reporter

Olive Forman-Sarno is an Editor-in-Chief for ‘The Science Survey.’ She enjoys journalistic writing because she believes that writing an article is about finding what’s true and sharing it with the world — she has an admiration for the work of muckrakers. Olive finds journalistic photography appealing because anything can be a story, and she intends to capture it, whether it’s a simple sporting event or a political rally. While she does not yet know what she will study in college, Olive is interested in a wide variety of subjects and always wants to learn more. Her hobbies include figure skating, playing the guitar, and making metal jewelry.