“Deep breath in, and out. Deep breath in, and this time as you exhale make a hissing sound,” says Amanda Mayfield, senior in performing arts and student director of “Emma’s Child.”

“Hsssssssssssssss” echo the seven student actors before her. It is 7:45 p.m., and onstage warm-ups for the cast of “Emma’s Child” have begun.

“Sorry I’m late,” says Melanie Snow, junior in performing arts, as she rushes onto the stage five minutes behind schedule. “Jenn Woodruff [student costume designer] and I were looking for a better wedding ring for me to wear.”

“No problem,” Mayfield says. “Did you find one?”

“Yeah, we … ” Snow starts.

“Hey, Amanda, does this sound OK?” interrupts Rachael Rhoades, sophomore in performing arts and the ninth and final cast member to arrive at rehearsal.

Over the loudspeaker comes a voice announcing a “code blue.”

“Sound check,” Rhoades announces. She is working double duty, not only as a member of the cast but also as part of the sound design team for the show.

“Can we turn down the volume a little?” Mayfield asks.

It is the Tuesday night of “tech week,” just two days before opening night. Last-minute details are being perfected, and technical problems are being solved. About 17 cast and crew members are involved with the production of “Emma’s Child.” All of them are ISU students. From start to finish, they have been working to put together a show with a production budget of only $500.

“I think the fact that the production is created by all students speaks volumes,” Mayfield says. “We have been completely on our own, although we do have faculty advisers to go to if we have problems. But it is ultimately about what we wanted.”

Every year in the fall, interested students who have completed Theatre 251, an introductory acting course, are allowed to submit directing proposals and explain to the theater faculty why their play should be produced, Mayfield says.

“Emma’s Child,” written by Kristine Thatcher, is based on a true story and takes place in a suburb of Chicago in the early 1990s, Snow says. It is the story of a couple dealing with the complications of adoption.

“The first time I read [“Emma’s Child”] in high school, I fell in love with it,” Mayfield says. “I have kept it in my collection ever since.”

Once the student director has been chosen, it is his or her responsibility to pick the design teams, hold auditions, select the cast and set up rehearsal times, Mayfield says. This cast has been rehearsing Monday through Friday seven to 10 hours weekly since winter break.

“The reason why I auditioned was because I have never heard of the play before, and I am always interested in new stuff,” Snow says. “I usually play a comedic character, and this play is a drama, so I wanted to try something different.”

Not all of those cast in “Emma’s Child” have acted on stage before, however.

“I love giving new people a chance to act on stage and be a part of a production,” Mayfield says.

Sally Grosenbach, senior in performing arts and the actor playing Franny Stronant, has always been a part of the crew behind the scenes — but has never appeared onstage. She has been the lighting designer for five ISU productions, scenic designer for one show and has assisted on the set of many others.

“It is scary and nerve-wracking being on the other side of things,” Grosenbach says. “I have a habit of being quiet on the set, and now I am always getting the note to be louder. It makes you appreciate the other side of things.”

For those working double duty during tech week, Fisher Theater has become a second home.

Rhoades says she gets between two and three hours of sleep a night. During a typical day, she attends class until 2 or 3 p.m. and then goes to afternoon and evening rehearsal for the play.

“After class, I hop a bus to get to the theater, where I lose my mind in the tech booth for about five hours,” she says. “Immediately before the show starts, I am tweaking sound and then hurry to get into my makeup, hair and costume, which takes between 30 to 60 minutes. There are no sleeping and no said eating patterns, but it’s what I love to do, so I don’t mind losing sleep over it.”