This week was the busiest week yet. Because school is starting back up, we were not able to use our staging facilities in the morning, since our staging facility is a charter school. We were moved to a large room in a mental health facility where we made a make-shift stage on the floor out of tape. We rehearsed at the mental health facility in the mornings and then we moved back to the auditorium for full run-throughs during the afternoons. The entire week was spent cleaning up and trying to perfect the show.
Finally, after five weeks, it was show day! The morning of our show, we all gathered as a group to hear the announcement of our first interns for the next six weeks. During our tour, we have the opportunity to serve as interns for all the different staff positions. We have three rounds of internships-all which last about six weeks. For this first round of internships, I applied to be one of the two education interns. The morning of the show, the trumpets sounded and three staff members walked through the doors in togas. The theme of the announcement ceremony was the Olympics. Our three education staff members walked out first and pretended to be divers. They didn't do so well and decided that they needed some help. They announced that they needed Dristy and I to help them. So, Dristy (my Nepalese counterpart) and I will get to work together for the next six weeks organizing and planning the lessons for our casts.
The day of our first show, which was a dress rehearsal for our host families and invited guests, we ran through the entire show three time...prior to our performance. For our first two shows, I danced in four specialty dances. It was an incredibly exhausting day to rehearse the show three times before our actual performance and I was not sure how I would have the energy for one more show.
Before each show we have a green room, which is a time when we gather as a cast to go over final notes about the show and to get ourselves pumped up to perform. Our first green room was very special and quite emotional. We walked into the room as our staff cheered for us and dance music played. We all danced and sang our hearts out. After we danced, Nicole, my education intern advisor, read us four pages of Dr. Suess' book "Oh, The Places You'll Go." We will continue to read the story as our semester continues. After we read some of the story, the staff walked around the room carrying signs that focused on "right now."
"Right now, you are ready."
"Right now, your host family in Lowell is waiting for you."
"Right now, you may be nervous."
"Right now, your current host family is going to miss you."
"Right now, you may be sitting next to a new best friend."
"We love you"
It was a very powerful and uplifting segment of our first green room. Our cast director, Dave Penny, ended green room with a motivational speech, as our eyes were closed, about how we have the power to make a difference in people's lives this semester. We all opened our eyes and everyone had tears falling down their cheeks. With all the emotion and excitement in the cast, we gave it our all during the first show.
The second show was just as incredible as the first. We had another very supportive and receptive audience, which made us all enjoy performing even though we were so exhausted. For the first two shows I was able to dance in four of the songs/medleys. Dancing in four songs was very tiring, but I have discovered that I love dancing on stage and I look forward to continue to perform as we hit the road!
