Its over and I miss it...

I know I haven’t posted anything in about a month butthat's because my life had been taken over by the college play. I lost my life to it, was unable to carry out non play conversation, friends disowned me until the play was over. Suddenly words like tech, light stands, sound stacks, gels and filters all made sense to me. It was like BabaOH opened up a whole new side of me that I never knew existed. Being production coordinator ofBaBaOH defined my last three months at college, taught me so much and left some brilliant memories. Months of worrying, running around, hard work and laughter. A 14 hour tech day. Two hectic days of show. The Annual College Play came and it has made an undeniable impact on every person involved in the production. Months ago people were questioning if the play would happen now I'm wishing we could do it all over again.

 

I met some brilliant people through this production. The penguins, of course, being the most important. I worked the most and the closest with the whacked penguin. She was amazing through the whole thing. From putting up with my insane jokes to actually encouraging my annoying enthusiasm. From letting me enter her house at early hours to wake her up and play with her piggies to letting me deal with the sound guy who never stops talking. From randomly calling people from the yellow pages to listening to me 10 hours in college and still getting home and texting me. All the inside jokes we shared. The mindless laughter. The huge ego trips. I miss it all. We developed a bond and learnt so much getting there. We cribbed, we bawled about efficiency, we were annoyed by the lack of funds, we ran around doing everything we had to and soomuch more but what I remember the most is the fun and the laughter. That is what I take away from BLACK & BLUE AND OTHER HUES. The fun and the laughter we had, in spite of all the complaining we threw our lives into the production and hoped to hell that it paid of.

 

There were other people, two more penguins. The most highly dedicated children ever. They worried about everything there was to worry about, anything with the remotest connection to the play. The worried one still worries and we can’t help but love her for it. The high one gave up worrying a while back and now she’s just being highness. Apart from the penguins there were a whole bunch of other people, an amazingly talented cast, super energetic crew and a brilliant director. The cast improved every time I saw them and the final result was mind blowing! I can’t pick a favorite actor. They were all so perfectly cast and I loved the end result! The crew lugged around everything so uncomplainingly. I’m so grateful to each of them for figuring it all out so well. And B was so so nice about the whole thing. We know we din’t give him half the stuff he asked for but working with him made our work 200 times simpler. Specially considering we were learning on the job.

 

Suddenly it was Friday and we had less then 24 hours to the first show. Everyone involved gave 200% and magically transformed our ugly convent type auditorium into the most appropriate place for BaBaOH. The question we had been asking ourselves all a long was about to be answered. Was all the effort worth it. The morning of the show and I ran around doing all those little things that pop up and then it was done. I looked at my penguin companion and we realised that there was nothing left to do but wait. The first show happened and we heard criticism from every side. Specially about the sound! Tech was our department and it went wrong. How! After all the work? This wasn't supposed to happen! We would set it right! She sat at lights with the man. I sat at sound and troubled the life outta the sound boy. Fortunately I had good company, as was always the case with BaBaOH, so it wasn't an ordeal. But that show killed it! That was what the effort was all for. The next two shows went equally well but its Day 1, Show 2 that remains my favorite! I loved everything about it. At the end of Day 2 I was exhausted but exhilarated! My whole family came to pick me up, cat included and I went on for the whole ride home about how brilliant the play was. Our question had been answered, two days and four shows later we had the answer. It was worth it. Every last bit of it. The long hours, the fits of tension, the constant worry. It was all worth the final result. Ask any of the people who worked on it and they will all tell you about the lessons they learnt, the friends they made and most of all how they would do it all over again given the smallest chance.

Today I couldn't help but think last week this time....I miss it, but I hope I'm looking at so much more of this with better results every time. I know I expect it.

 

To everyone who made BaBaOH a part of my best memories I *heart* you :D