Michael “Eager” Ahn, Head of Stage Crew

Before I begin this article, I would like to define what a cult is. I don’t actually
know the formal definition, but for the sake of this article we’ll call it a
group of people that partake in abnormal and bizarre activities. Here is a list
of things that come to my mind when I hear the word “cult”: robes, cloaks,
virgin sacrifices, pentagrams, candles, and eerie chants.

With that out of the way, we can get on to the point of this article. I have been asked many questions during my time at NT. How many
courses do you have? Why do people call you Eager? Why would you do such a
terrible thing? However, the one question that always comes to mind regards
the Stage Crew. Are we a cult?

The simple answer to that is no. We are not a cult at all… I think. When I hear the words “stage crew,” a select group of words come to mind: Awesome, Awesome, Awesome. This is clearly very different then the words that came to mind when thinking of a
“cult”. The enigmatic nature of the Stage Crew dates back, to the 70’s. By that,
I mean there are traditions from then that still live on today. If anything, we
were and are a family. The backstage area of the old school was a gathering
place for people of all sorts of personalities. Sheltered Jewish girl?
Accepted. Foreign Mauritian-Canadian guy? Accepted. Introverted angry gamer?
Easily accepted. Borderline sociopath? It’s that kind of guy that usually gets
the leadership position. In all seriousness, this was the first time when I had
seen people with such contrasting personalities learn to function as a team. We
were put into an environment where we had to put aside differences (whether it
be cultural or personal) and learn to cope with each other.I can proudly say
that the senior members of my Stage Crew are people I can trust without
question. In spite of the occasional behavioural quirk people might see coming
out of the auditorium, we are definitely not a cult. Everyone acts on his or
her own free will. We ensure the smooth running of
assemblies and shows. We do not brainwash naïve niners and steal milk crates
when we get the chance. We are a group of highly trained professionals…and
definitely not a cult.