Tonight is the night. Show night. Weeks of rehearsals and preparation are over, now it’s time to give the performance. House opens at 7 so people arrive at 6:30. Everything must be put in it’s place, just right. Thirty minutes until curtain.

The dressing room is full of chaos. Actors get into costume, apply their stage makeup, fit and put on their microphones. The room is filled with the smell of hairspray and hot tools. The sound of the door opening and closing never ceases. Fifteen minutes before curtain.

In the theater, crew places props, charges glow tape, plugs in headsets and makes sure everything is where it is supposed to be. Up in the bat cave, sound crew prepares the soundtracks while the light crew focuses and organizes the light board and follow spots. Ten minutes before curtain.

Everybody is ready, now it is time to go into the choir room and warm up. Standing outside you heard the sounds of oohs and awws. Singing, voices rising up and down. Everybody getting into character. Suddenly, it all goes quiet. Drama instructor, Leslie Coats, gives the actors one last piece of advice. After a big hug from Coats they all file out of the choir room and into the theater. Five minutes before curtain.

All the actors file into backstage and stand in their spot, ready to enter onto the stage. Last minute preparations are made and costumes adjusted. Now all that is left to do is wait, actors rehearsing their lines one last time before they deliver them on stage. Pacing back and forth adjusting from right foot to left foot, waiting. The sound of the audience taking their seats is a low buzz of chatter and greetings. Two minutes before curtain.

The lights slowly dim throughout the house, the audience immediately quiets down. Silence. The stage manager politely asks the audience to please turn off all devices and electronics. Backstage everybody sits frozen, waiting. One minute before curtain.

Black out. Show time.

The actors quickly make their way into the stage, they must be in position when the lights come back up. The first line is delivered, and the show begins. Sitting backstage the crew knows almost every line by now, every que and sound effect. After almost 5 weeks of rehearsals they are are well equipped to help run this production.

Throughout the scenes the prop table becomes more and more bare, costumes are taken off the hangers and put back on in between costume changes. The show is running smoothly. Of course their are a few mistakes, improvisations and mishaps. They are all run through and forgotten.

The last line is delivered. Black out. The show is over. The entire cast meets at the edge of the stage, they line up and hand in hand take a bow. A second bow then a third. The applause from the audience continues until everybody exits the stage.

The backstage crew takes all of the props and costumes and puts them away. Locking the props cabinet and making sure nothing is left out. Double checking everything, pacing up and down backstage. Making ready for everything to be set up for tomorrow night’s show. They exit the theater, the lights go out. Curtain.