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MY DEBUT PERFORMANCE

Nerves! Don't they haunt you exactly when you don't want them to?
Well, I guess that's life.
2nd May,2006. My first show, BEYOND THE LAND OF HATTAMALA at RANGASHANKARA. We enter from the door on the right, somewhere up in the middle of the proscenium.I'm jittery and there are butterflies,catterpillars,worms and anything else you can think of in my tummy.This, not only because it was my first show but also because I'm extremely accident prone. And running right through the audience is no joke.Absolutely not!My Mum and Uncles and aunt were in the audience, watching.My dad was out of station.The turn out was mediocre.

Well, the show began,and running behind Amjed(the best actor on show) I tripped only once, well, surprisingly with no major repurcussions.The scene 2, I slip again but manage to camoflauge it well.
But the luck was short lived!
About 35 minutes into the play BONG!I bang into a hotel signboard while exiting into the right wing.But exitement beats pain, and I'm visibly allright, though with a bump.
If you thought this was it.Mate, you're wrong!

I've completed my major scene and exiting with Deepthy, virtually holding her hand. She exits unharmed. 2 seconds is all it takes and...........DING!DONG!BONG!GONG!!!!!
I've crashed into a signboard(the Barber shop's, they later told me) .
I'm clutching my head and standing right in the middle of the wing.
20-30 seconds later, Divya,Deepthy and Sarala come to the rescue.
I don't know with whom I've banged into.
Divya tries some first aid.I'm crying,OUT of SHEER PAIN, and NOTHING ELSE.She wipes my forehead with a wet cloth. The initial signs are positive, it wasn't bleeding. 3 minutes later, I'm back on stage. Once again the excitement outdid the pain,and I was fine on stage.
The show went of without any more major hitches, except that Amjed banged into Payal on his exit and neither Amjed nor Harish had enoughj time to change into the new costume for the Curtain Call.

Well, earlier in the day, my kurta tore in the midst of the rehearsal.

An important notice:
I cried twice that night.First like I mentioned as soon as I was hit the 2nd time.
The second while eating at RS.Both the times it was out of sheer pain,especially because once the show got over and the excitement subided,I was in major pain.My head was throbbing and all through the post performance meeting I tried to be composed(mainly not to burst out crying).But after that when the topic was brought up again, I cried,(but only for 2 minutes).
But, unfortunately Deepthy,Amjed,Divya and Balaji thought that I was upset and embarassed.I WAS NOT.See, Vinod (he was the one who banged into me the 2nd time, he later apologised and told me, but it wasn't exactly his fault either,none of us could see in the darkness)later told me that when he did bang into my head, from the sound that came, he thought my skull cracked.So, I'm not hyping up the entire situation, but I just want to say I'm NOT A CRY BABY(in case anyone thought I was).
So, quite an eventful day, wasn't it?




Since day 2 is a smaller story, I'll add it here.
3RD MAY,2006.
Show 2

I'm practicing running down the stairs, I slip twice.I'm having a discussion with Kishore on running and moving safely.I say bye to him in the light and sound room and slip down three stairs.

Before the show, I'm extremely apprehensive,I wanna avoid accidents.

Show starts.I don't slip while running down.
I enter for the cowshed scene, and slide to get into position. My knee catches the hinges of the trapdoor. My first evaluation of the scrape was a scene later.It's bleeding. I let it go.
Luckily 2nd time I get a better view.The uppermost layer of skin has peeled of.and it had stopped bleeding.Time to let nature take it's course and my body it's own time to heal.

Divya felt that this show was better than yesterday's, but I felt atleast my performance was better the first day.

Bye, I'm hungry now and it's time for lunch.

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