course, gossip about the previous play.
After we were all ready, we did a quick
run-through of our play, and then the waiting
began.We paced backstage, occasionally
stopping someone else to straighten their
hat, put another bobby pin in their hair, fix a
suit coat, pinch their cheek, or just simply
ask if we were going to live. We didn?t know
where our director was, as he had other
backstage work to do, and that was also
terrifying.
Then, it happened. Over the
loudspeakers, the five minute call was given.
A handful of girls joined together to pray, and
even though I was Christian and the rest of
the troupe was Muslim, we all took hands
and prayed together.
Then, a deep breath, hugs, and off to
the curtain. We took our places silently, our
hearts pounding in our chests, and our
breaths cut short. The lights focused on our
faces, and we did the play that we knew like
the back of our hand.
None of us remember how we did the
play. We don?t remember our mistakes, or
what we did best. All we remember was that,
after the show, our director gave us an 8/10,
and then we were free to greet our friends
and family that had come to cheer us on.
It was almost eleven that night by the
time everyone got home. Our excitement
and exhaustion levels were high, but I
wouldn?t have traded that night, and the
feeling I got when the lights came on, for
anything else.