Behind the productions at the Doudna Fine Arts Center, there is a group of eight people making sure everything runs smoothly while at the same time, having fun.

The Doudna crew organizes and sets up for events by setting up lighting, creating sets and making sure everyone knows their role.

Dennis Malak, the production/event manager and auditorium technical director for Doudna, said the Doudna crew will help with the 250 to 300 events the center hosts each year.

Malak said after he receives all the equipment that is needed, the crew will get to work getting things ready for an event that week.

“You just start building once you get the space and once the schedule opens up,” Malak said.

Malak said one day, him and his crew worked for 16 hours.

“You live with these people,” Malak said. “It’s very much your home away from home.”

He said to work with the Doudna crew, students have to be committed and be willing to make some friends.

“We’re a very close-knit group,” Malak said. “I consider me and the crew very much a family.”

Malak said in the past years, he only had five members and it took a big toll on the crew.

The Doudna crew has 13 members this year.

Three of the Doudna crew members have experience as behind-the-scenes drama crew members and are also good friends.

Nora Euker, a senior special education major, said she met Amy Neville and Anndria Cluster working in the drama department at her high school in Lake Zurich.

“It’s not like we joined all together,” Euker said. “We met because we were all involved (in the drama department).”

Neville, a senior biological sciences major, said her friendship with Euker and Cluster started in middle school but has lasted over the years.

“When you form those friendships in middle school they just carry on into high school then we came here for different reasons,” Neville said. “Then we found the department.”

Cluster, a senior biological sciences major, said being in the Doudna crew helped her, Euker and Neville stay close.

“We’ve stayed closer and learned how to work with each other better and respect each other,” Cluster said.

Even though the three are not theatre arts majors, they said working on the Doudna crew has helped them in other ways.

“It definitely helps,” Euker said. “It isn’t just technical work, you learn people skills and hospitality.”

Neville said she uses people skills more than her technical skills.

“The whole job is dealing with people,” Neville said. “It’s 24/7 dealing with people.”

Cluster also said working on the Doudna crew helped her think quickly in situations.

Besides learning how to “think on their feet,” disasters happen.

Euker said there have been so many little problems that they just feel like little annoyances now.

“I’ve had something fall on someone,” Euker said. “I’ve had someone standing under something they shouldn’t have been.”

Despite the stress and disasters, Neville said she enjoys the work and their new family.

“We have a lot fun here,” Neville said. “It’s a small crew so we all know each other. It’s like family, we work together often — it’s a really good time.”

Amanda Wilkinson can be reached at 581-2812 or akwilkinson@eiu.edu.