How do you begin to narrate a story that changed your life? Where do I start? Do I start from 7.30pm last night? 3.30pm? 1.35pm? At the start of tech week? After the Human Values Drama Competition? A month ago? Two months? When we stepped into the shoes as Sec Fours?
Three years ago when I first joined ELDDS?
My mind is still scattered in places and it's difficult to gather myself. What a great sense of loss. I can't say I didn't see this profound sense of sadness coming, yet this is me sitting at my laptop, with tears running down my cheeks and chocolates by me ("Chocolates are therapeutic," said Mr Wong).
12 April 2012
We had rehearsal in Plush in full costume and make-up. For the first time in a long while, we managed three full runs with lighting and sound cues. That was a feat in itself because we had never achieved three runs in two hours. Sans Limites came over and stayed the entire time. I was so touched because they cried watching us, once during the first and again during the second run. AND THEY QUOTED US. I count that as the highest compliment because Introspection was self-devised by the CCA, with the help of Ms Ummi and Mr Wong.
Thank you guys, thank you so much. Thank you for being the ones to watch us first and loving our performance. Some of us are your biggest fans, I'M YOUR BIGGEST FAN. Thank you for letting me watch your rehearsals during recess and lunch. I get blown away by your performance each time I watch it how is that even possible???? Watch Sans Limites' performance for the Cedar's Got Talent finals here and don't fall over from the brilliance! THERE ARE NO WORDS.
Photographs, timeline and thoughts under the cut:
13 April 2012 - 1.35pm:
Lunch break with the cast of Introspection (eight of us, with Maryam was sleeping soundly in class). Instead of rehearsing like we should have, Saranya worked on my hair and Pradeeptha ran her lines.
13 April 2012 - 3.00pm:
ELDDS migrated from 4N to Curtain Call, our holding room for the night. We shared the room with Guzheng (well, Zeqi gave me the wrong information and I thought we had the room to ourself. Guess I thought wrong.)
We did our last ever physical, facial and vocal warm-ups and played the Ha! game with Sans Limites (yay again). And Saranya started on our make-up! I'll let the photos do the talking now!
Saranya, the make-up artist.
I love Sans Limites asdfghjkl
Praddy
Maryam: "Broccoli is GROSS!"
Cast of Introspection: ELDDS Sec Fours 2012
The Tradition: Pre-show pep-talk. We couldn't risk crying off our make-up so we pretended to have a motivational talk lol
The Tradition: Red bull. We missed out the Redoxon that should have been added to the cans of Red Bull, not that Pradeeptha needed to get any higher than she looks here. Maryam had 3 cans of Red Bull, that little broccoli hater running child thingy/
Ms Ummi sat us down to chat.
Angelii: "Sarah's so fly she can rap like Eminem. So fly!"
I love Nicolette.
Praddy again
Praddy is everywhere
13 April 2012 - 7.00pm: House Opened
13 April 2012 - 7.30pm: Emcees Rebecca and Victoria started the show
Cedar's Got Talent Finals began!
First up was 11th Hour, eventually crowned the winning act! Congratulations!!!
Sans Limites was the second act *whistles*. Watch their performance here
Sarah, Brenda and Lidiya!
The last act: Wang Qi
Meanwhile, back in Curtain Call, ELDDS felt the effects of Red Bull!!!
Yasmin and Maryam kept warm before the performance, as advised by Ms Ummi.
We unwittingly slipped into Character Focus Walk, our last as cast.
Still hatin' on them broccolis
One last shot before we went on stand-by
The second segment: Cedar Guzheng. It meant WE GO ON IN FIVE!
And WE'RE ROLLINGGGGGGGGGG
Our performance went seamlessly. We expected the crowd to laugh at every single thing, even if it wasn't funny. We really did expect it, but it still stung, a little, that they thought everything a joke, WHEN IT WASN'T MEANT TO BE. I was this close to breaking out of character *hand gestures*. Things turned out a little better toward the crux of the plot, when this confrontation above took place. I guess the audience realised that it was supposed to be quite the serious and emotional play yup.
Curtain: We're done. Nicolette the genius triggered the tears that resulted in the really twisted up expression above.
I have no regrets. Later we learnt that the Principals loved our production and we completely exceeded expectations: our trainer's, teacher's, the audience's and our own. I won't even try to be humble here because we left in the best way possible - Together, upon a glowing pedestal.
Part of 4N
At the end of the night, ELDDS left with the respect of many, which in fact, is something that we have always wanted to gain. Many think ELDDS is a slack CCA, and I won't deny that even some of our juniors think that way, but they won't ever see the long hours we put in, extending beyond two sessions from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. They won't ever know how it is to torture themselves physically, mentally and emotionally in production. They won't ever know how each word or tone could trigger memories from ages ago. We just don't leave the theatre empty.
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