Technical Theatre Techniques and Other Such Timeless Trickeries

When the lights dim and the curtain rises on opening night of a show, audiences see the magic—but every moment onstage is carefully planned and rehearsed by a technical team, who too often never receive the applause they so rightfully deserve along with their performing colleagues. At Third House Arts, we like to pull back the curtain (just a peek!) and share the timeless trickeries that make theatre feel effortless, even when it’s anything but. From clever set designs, unusual work-arounds, and more, we'll show you some of the technical tricks that made our recent show Curtains amazing. As a brand new performing arts company, we had to get creative and resourceful with how we used our tech, but we think the challenge was well worth it!

And if it wasn't clear... Spoilers for the plot of Curtains ahead!

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1. Spectacular Set Sorceries

When the curtain rises, the first thing audiences see isn’t the actors (despite the stereotypical actor's ego)—it’s the world they step into. For Curtains: The Musical Comedy Whodunnit, our team had to create two very different spaces: the fictional “Kansasland” musical-within-the-musical, and the backstage world of Boston’s Colonial Theatre.

Double-sided painted flats allowed us to flip seamlessly between prairie landscapes and backstage walls.

A few small touches—a table here, a callboard there—turned an empty corner into a makeshift production office, the perfect hideout for our imaginary “production team” while the equally imaginary cast of Robbin’ Hood carried on with rehearsals.

Even our custom-built stairs held a surprise—hidden lights to support both safe tap dancing and a dazzling reveal.

2. Incredibly Illustrious Illumination

Yes—the stairs have lights! They were featured most prominently in the showstopping number A Tough Act To Follow, casting a dreamy glow over our dancers. Unfortunately, they won't be pictured in action here, so you'll have to catch our next show to see equally amazing lighting feats for yourself!

Our lighting team also got creative in It’s A Business, where the character Carmen Bernstein (played by Colleen Havey) shouts to “Harry on the spotlight,” demanding he “blink twice if [he] agrees.” Simple in concept, but executed well, lighting can elevate immersion like nothing else.

Finally, color helped determine tone and signal locations that the set alone couldn’t convey. Examples include the red lighting in The Woman’s Dead and the blue lighting throughout every (and we do mean every) In The Same Boat number.

3. Perfectly Perilous Props

Props can make or break a show—Curtains is a perfect example, where every item matters in the web of a murder mystery. Of course, we used prop weapons to stand in for the “murder weapons”: knives, guns, a rope, and more—each carefully chosen to fit the story.

To deepen character and give the show a true 1959 vibe, we incorporated stage cigarettes like the ones pictured here. Characters such as Roberta Wooster (played by Sarah Embree) steal moments for a smoke or two throughout the show.

And if you caught the moment at the end of Kansasland, when Bobby Pepper (Nathan Rytting) is shot in the arm and Lt. Frank Cioffi (Nathan Woodroof) later “finds” the bullet and shows it to the audience—you might be surprised. That “bullet” was actually… a humble Tootsie Roll!

4. Hilarious Hanging Hijinks

If you were in the audience for Curtains, you probably saw this coming: the show calls for a dummy to be hung onstage. But our venue didn’t have a fly rig—so what’s a new performing arts company to do?

We started by looking up. The ceiling had plenty of structure to support a simple pulley system, but placement had to be precise so the spotlight would hit the dummy just right. On top of that, the timing had to be flawless—down to the very

second—to sync perfectly with music, lighting, and curtain cues.

Safe to say, it took a few tries! But the results were positively breathtaking! (Get it?)

5. Delightfully Devilish Details

Storytelling lives in the details. Throughout Curtains, glimpses of the characters’ pasts are mentioned—small moments that can easily get lost in a high-stakes murder mystery. We brought some of these to life through set-dressing posters.

Many reference shows that Carmen Bernstein (Colleen Havey) claims to have produced with her husband Sidney Bernstein (Russell Logan). Clever parodies of real Broadway hits—North Atlantic (a nod to South Pacific, 1958), Kiss Me I’m Irish! (Kiss Me Kate, 1953), and Curse the Red Sox! (Damn Yankees!, 1955)—tie the story to its 1959 setting while adding humor and depth to the world onstage.

Other flyers reveal secrets about the onstage characters’ pasts. Did you notice these on the piano set piece? Aaron Fox (Zach Taggart) and Georgia Hendricks (Julia Rose Schooley) share a marriage on the rocks, both fueled and reflected by their careers as composer and lyricist. Flyers from their collaborative work appear alongside individual advertisements, giving the audience a peek into their professional—and personal—history, without the need for more dialogue.

Conclusion

Of course, what seems like timeless trickery is really just the magic of theatre at work. And we've only just scratched the surface-- between special stage effects like fog and incredible costumes, Curtains and many shows like it only come to life with the heartbeat of techincal theatrics. Whether it’s a perfectly timed light cue or a set change that feels like sleight of hand, these little illusions remind us why live theatre will always feel enchanted.

What's your favorite technical trick?