Sunday, January 31, 2010

I think you're really gonna like my show. I'm pretty sure it doesn't suck.

Yesterday was the talent show :)

Everything was gonna surprisingly smoothly, I barely had to yell at any of the performers (they just get so loud and then people complain...), until ten minutes before the show started and we realized that our opener had not arrived.

Not happening. No way.

We'd had a lot of controversy over how to start the show, since a bunch of politicans would be talking forever and they wanted to be able to be leave right afterwards. We didn't want to open our show with old people talking, so we decided to use a very strong male vocalist.

I spent a signficant amount of time yesterday describing how the curtains would open, the spotlight would come on all dramatically, the music would start and he would wow the audience.

This really wouldn't actually work unless the singer was there.

I decided we would hold to the show to ten past seven and then ask the DJ to open and introduce the politicians.

At 6:58, the singer shows up and I'm ready to strangle him but instead, we ditched his stuff, handed him a mic, and I ran through the lobby into the house to take my seat.

The curtains opened, the spotlight came up, the music started, and he totally wowed the audience all dramatically.

It was at that point that I realized I was holding my ticket and a list of the order than all us members had to be sitting in. So I folded them up and stuffed down my dress. Classy.

After the first singer, the DJ introduced the politicians and they talked and talked and talked and mispronounced the acronym of our organization. The organization that had created the whole evening. The organization whose members they were honouring. Lame.

So the arts centre is stripping all the seats in the main theatre and replacing them and to do that they need sponsors. At the farthest corners, seats cost something like three hundred and fifty dollars. Well this one guy bought fifteen, a whole row, and then asked that they be named about youth who've done lots in the arts.

So we were all called up, and our bios were read out and I posed like a beauty queen and felt ridiculous. But then the cheque came out.

The massive cardboard cheque that was brought directly in front of me while the people shook hands for two minutes (meaning I'm in every picture).

Then all of the honourees (who had been standing in the back the whole time) were asked to crowd around and more pictures were taken. In the middle of our talent show. Which is about youth. And arts. And not cheques or Olympics.

Once they got kicked off the stage, our next act came out (a super cool dance group although I was kinda peeved 'cause they didn't audition 'cause they're all Olympic-y) and the show continued as usual.

I ran downstairs, got changed, rehearsed in my little dressing room (I'd stolen a small private one rather than the massive girls one) and then came upstairs to find out that one of the bands were bummed 'cause they'd been bumped and it was almost intermission.

We got the bands sorted out (there was an issue with the drum set) and after intermission, I went onstage with my friend who was Chair when I was Vice-Chair. It was kinda cool speaking with her again (on stage, I mean) since we spoke at last year's talent show.

Unfortunately, my mic had not been turned on. I don't know why, I was handed it and told to go so I went and no one could hear me. Kinda embarrassing, but we moved on quickly.

I got my headset on real quick at that. I was the fifth act of the second act. My super mega awesome accompanist was ready to go, so once I bothered the techies some more, they actually took my headset a part and taped it up so it wouldn't fall on me. Hehe.

Finally, it was our turn.

The piano was pushed out and hooked up, my chair was brought out and finally, my bio was read out and we took the stage.

I think it went okay. I know it is definitely not a typical song, and it's not necessarily a piece that people would be comfortable with. But I think the crying went well at the end (I went kinda nuts with the ragged breathing since it sounded really cool in the mic).
One of the musicians stopped me and said, "I can't take you seriously anymore, you got scary."

Hehehe!
For the first time in the three years I've organizing this talent show, the ending went well. Usually it drags on, there's too many speechs, too much clapping (that's not necessarily voluntary) and it just keeps going. I'm kinda thinking next year, we should close the curtains, but this year was good too, the DJ kept it quick.

Afterwards, I ran around, gathered all my stuff and then headed outside to meet everyone. I got lots of compliments, although you can't always trust the words of friends, and then one of the women said I gave her goosebumps, which is probably the best compliment I could have received.

It amused me when my friend's family hugged me and then she came and hugged my parents. I don't think they expected it.
"I think you're really gonna like my show. I'm pretty sure it doesn't suck."

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