Poll to follow.
Other. I was a poker player inadvertently shot by a stray bullet and subsequently dragged offstage. It was quite the comedic moment because the nervous leads skipped a large chunk of dialogue to arrive at my shooting, and my surprise was apparent. And did I say comedic?
Techie and spear-carrier. Our Drama teacher in high school insisted that all techies had to fill background roles and all actors had to work tech at least once a year. Made each group appreciate the other a bit more. Mainly I worked the board and snuck off into the prop room for some hanky-panky.
Other. We did more than one play while I was in school. In some plays I was offstage, others I Was villager number 3 and others I was a lead.
I don’t understand why the tech positions are given the shaft in this poll. At my high school, set construction was a significant endeavor which required a hefty time commitment from the participants. Also, I’m not sure how you arrived at the technical categorization scheme of “Set Maker” and “Lighting / Offstage”, as if this adequately divvies up the many different skills that are needed to put together a theater production.
However, it is likely that my high school theater experience was atypical, as we were well-funded, well-staffed, and had a shitload of smart kids willing to put their time, sweat, and blood into every show. Perhaps at most schools, the dynamic is more along the lines of “leads”, “other actors”, and “bumbling dumbfucks” are you suggest here.
I checked “top supporting cast” for a high school production. That was usually the case in amateur theater afterwards, but I have also designed sets, stage managed, directed and written plays.
In my first play, in third grade, I was, in fact, the lead and title character.
In grade school, I played Rosencrantz in Hamlet, Trinculo in The Tempest and my first role was “Porter” in MacBeth. My lines were “Yes, my lord” and “We were out carousing until very late.”
If my high school experience was anything to go by, bumbling dumbfucks adequately describes all the groups.
We did The Tempest as well - I was Caliban. I was also Beverly Carlton in The Man Who Came to Dinner.
I sucked pretty bad. It was fun.
Regards,
Shodan
In the pantomime The Princess and The Frog, I was Third Wench. Third. I didnt get to speak, I swept the stage.
I clicked the techie box because that’s where I spent most of my time, but I went to a performing arts high school and spent time doing a bit of everything. Never the lead though, I wasn’t really ever that good.
I put other. I was in the pit band, which I suppose comes other “lights or other offstage”, but to me it was significantly different. We performed where the audience could see us. And while the lighting operators were certainly performing, their job was to illuminate the cast, while we performed directly.
Then again, we didn’t do plays, we did musicals.
Other. My place was different each year.
First year, I was offstage doing sound.
Second year, I had a bit part. (About 3 or 4 lines in the whole play, filling out most of the crowd scenes.)
Third year, I was a major secondary character.
Fourth year, part of the lead ensemble.
I was the lead in the Fall play at our smallish high school in the late 70s. It was hardly a memorable role - I was the knight in what can only be described as a medieval vaudeville comedy - the only line I can remember which I uttered after I realized I was doomed by the evil witch was “What a way for a Knight to end”. Great theater it was not.
Okay, not the school play, just my 7th grade English class, but another one for The Tempest. I played Miranda. All I remember is being mortified at being on stage and having to be a romantic lead. I already had a crush on the boy who played Ferdinand, and I’m sure it showed. I don’t remember much but I think I had sit next to Ferd or something equally hideous. You’d have thought I’d been asked to do a nude scene with him.
In elementary & junior high school I tended to be the stage manager, helping the teachers build the sets. I didn’t see it as a dis; that was what I wanted to do. In high school, as one of the few black students in my school, I’d get asked to play certain roles.
Lead male singer every year.
Really? Sweet!
In our school the juciest leads always went to the seniors. (They had already paid their dues with minor roles in previous years.) Except my senior year – no senior could do Captain Von Trapp, so it went to a junior. He did pretty well!
One or two lines (although I’m not sure if I even had lines). The first time, I was a member of the mission band in Guys and Dolls. But the next year, we didn’t have enough guys to fill out the male half of the ensemble in South Pacific, so another girl and I volunteered. Their costumes were more comfortable anyway. 
Assuming this poll meant elementary school, the it was the lead. There were a boatload of lines to learn; I was not happy. After all the work I think we only performed it 3 times. Twice for the kids in school (morning for KG-3) afternoon (4-6). Then one night performance for the parents. I got over the stagefright. Still I vowed never to take part in any sort of performance again. I came to regret that decision.