Special to The Swellesley Report courtesy of the Wellesley High School Bradford and Parents of Performing Students (POPS). This is one in a series of POPS Senior Profiles we’ll be publishing.
Thomas Tardif, Wellesley High School ’23, hasn’t always been directly in the spotlight, but he has been the one shining it. For three years, Tardif has played the unsung hero in his role as tech crew for some of the school’s largest shows.
In a theater production, people often are first to credit the actors and directors of the play or musical they’re watching. The part people rarely think of, though, is the hard work and dedication that goes on behind the production and stagecraft. As a two-year intensive Technical Theater student, Tardif has had a tremendous amount of work on his plate. But what keeps him coming back is much more than just the work he’s tasked with doing.
“I stay involved because of the amazing people you get to work with as tech crew. It is an incredible feeling seeing something you and your friends worked hard on come together in one big show,” Tardif said.
Tardif began his work on the technical side sophomore year after his sibling Sam convinced him to take part. He describes this moment as pivotal in his career because, without this push, he would have never joined. His first job in the Performing Arts department was serving as a props crew member for “One-Acts” and “Working.” Since then, Tardif has transitioned into the tech realm, where he has stayed ever since. In terms of adapting to this role so quickly, he credits his peers and teachers for their endless support.
“My technical directors have also played a huge role in where I am now. Mr. Lounsbery made it really easy to learn about so many aspects of Technical Theater,” said Tardif.
Tardif’s teachers have lauded his own leadership and hard work.
“From collaborating on set design, adjusting lighting instruments, educating others about the spotlights on the catwalk, [being] one of our student leaders during a Tech Saturday for the school musical, and much more, Thomas Tardif has been a great leader with a quiet confidence with the tech kids,” said Matt Ryan, the Substitute Technical Theater Director at WHS.
Tardif’s peers echo this theme, admiring the compassion that he has for his fellow tech crew members.
“I was planning on painting an entire set myself for “Something Rotten!” the musical. I was very stressed about this and had not given myself anywhere near enough time. Thomas ended up spending, I think, like 4 hours the first day helping me paint, and then he planned out a way to get the painting done by the department as a whole,” said Ren Martinian ’24.
Notably, despite his hours working on the high school’s many productions, Tardif has other hobbies that he has valued throughout his high school career, most notably photography. Especially during the summer months, he enjoys hiking in the mountains and taking pictures of the scenic views. He explains that using this passion for photography to crossover between different disciplines is one of the great things about being part of the technical crew.
“There are so many skills that cross over between the two, like lighting, and composition, so it’s almost like I get twice the practice in either subject,” he said.
Throughout the many shows Tardif has participated in, his time coordinating for “Done To Death” was certainly the most memorable.
“My most memorable theater experience at the high school was working on “Done to Death.” That show was the epitome of ‘the show must go on,’ where nearly everything went wrong, but the production still came together in the end,” he said.
Tardif describes the days leading up to “Done to Death,” when the technical director of the show suffered an accident, and the board operator and lighting designer tested positive for COVID-19, as hectic. In spite of such difficulties, Tardif and his peers were able to put on a great show.
“I’ll admit that the lighting didn’t go perfectly, but given the circumstances, I was quite proud of how it turned out. While it was stressful, I was working with an amazing group of my friends, and the feeling of getting a show like this done was indescribable,” he said.
This experience gave Tardif a newfound perspective on his work for the Performing Arts department. In terms of his biggest takeaway, it all goes back to the saying, “You get out what you put in.”
“Theater has taught me to go out of my comfort zone more often because that is what gave me one of my favorite hobbies. It is very hard work, the hours are long, and it takes commitment, but the feeling of pride and joy when you see all this work pay off is incomparable to anything,” he said.
In terms of the future, Tardif hopes to stick with the tech side of performing arts when he begins college. He recognizes, though, that the traits he learned in the world of theater will last him his entire life no matter what he does.
“I learned an uncountable number of skills from being a part of tech crew. Especially what I learned from set construction, which regularly comes in handy around the house,” he said.
Article written by the WHS Bradford’s William Liu ’24, Tate Bannish ’24, and Griffin Jordan ’24.
