Friends, Fun, and... Fake Murders!
Trip Start
Jul 09, 2009
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67
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Trip End
Dec 12, 2009
Zabrze,
Southern Poland,
Poland
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Yesterday (Friday) was a Vattanfall show day which means that we have all morning for rehearsal, and then the afternoon and night are filled with lunch, getting ready, a couple of sporadic performances, random workshops and other activities, dinner, and then our hour-long show.
Phew!
FFirst we had morning meeting. Every morning (with the exception of travel days) we start our day with a morning meeting. The promotional team representing the city will discuss the day's schedule and add a fact or two about the city. Then various people and/or groups or representatives (i.e. the show team, the music intern, or the poetry club creator) will give an announcement. Today our city runners (2 students that make the morning meeting order and take notes) decided that each person had to sing and/or perform their announcement. It was so funny to listen to Anna from Minnesota rap her announcement about Bible study or Marek, the student intern for Zabrze, sing about our day.
Off to a great start!
While everyone else started to warm-up for rehearsal, the band got together to rehearse a winter medley. Yup, that's right! We are performing a winter medley come mid-November. We will be singing Jingle Bells, Sleigh Ride, O Tannenbaum, and Deck the Halls. It was so fun to practice (and sing!) those beloved Christmas melodies. It makes me even more excited to come home for Christmas!
After lunch, we saw that a workshop was on our schedule. Usually, the workshop is defined in the schedule so we were confused as to what this workshop was about.
We all went to do our hair and make-up and then returned to the gymnasium, eager for the workshop.
Best. Workshop. Ever.
Sometimes our staff surprises us.
DODGE BALL WORKSHOP!
Okay. You have no idea... no idea at all how much I love dodge ball. I think it is one of the best games on the face of the Earth and my competitive edge completely goes into overdrive when I play it.
We played three rounds and, even though the team I was on lost 2 out of the 3, I had such a blast playing with everyone :)
After playing dodge ball. I almost died.
No seriously. I almost died. I was attacked.
Okay. I'll give you a few seconds to calm your hearts :)
We are playing this awesome game for the rest of the semester that involves the entire cast. It's like the popular Milton-Bradley game, Clue, and involves a murder, a blue stone, and 90 anxious uppies.
Berit-Janice from Germany started the game in Cottbuss. She gives the blue stone to one person in our cast (performer, staff member, student, etc...) and that person is the "murderer". All that person has to do is show the stone to someone (and he or she must see it) and that person is dead. Once someone dies, their name and the date/time of death go on a piece of paper on our cast wall (an informational board called "Wallenstam"). Once you die, you're a ghost. "Alive people" can still be killed in your presence because you're "not there". And, as a ghost, you are not allowed to reveal any information about your killer.
If you are "alive" you must walk around with other "alive" people in order to prevent from being killed. The "murderer" cannot perform mass killing sprees.
Also, if "alive" and you think you know who the killer is, you and two others can accuse the killer at morning meeting. If you stay alive all day long and the killer is who you think it is, then you win and the game starts over. If any of the three accusers die, then the accusation falls and the game resumes. If the accused turns out NOT to be the killer, the accusers die.
Understand?
Well, I was told that I had mail waiting for me so my friend, Lynsie (CA) and I went on a search for the mail. In the staff room was Anthony, our light board operator. He was not who Lynsie and I were looking for so I turned around to leave.
I forgot to ask Lynsie if she was dead or alive when walking with her.
As I turn to leave, Lynsie blocks the door and yells, "Anthony, do it now!"
Lynsie was a ghost. Walking with her was a dangerous decision. I screamed (shrieked is more like it), closed my eyes, and ran out of the staff room.
I did not see the stone.
The rest of the day I hung out with alive people and dodged Anthony. He hid in boxes, tried to give us water with the stone floating in it, ducked under cranes, and even put the stone in his mouth while he talked.
Sneaky little bugger! :)
Did I mention that Anthony had killed almost half of the cast? That's almost 40 people! I also chose to hang out with Anthony's accusers all day. A dangerous choice on my part. He was after them... and me since I was a witness to a failed killing... my own!
Can you imagine walking behind a darkened stage to set out your show costume knowing that a killer was on the loose?
SO MUCH FUN! :)
After dinner... in which it was made known that none of Anthony's accusers had died and the game was to start over in Denmark, I received another surprise.
A large packet of mail.
Tears ran down my face as I read the letters that many of you sent me. Wow. I was overcome with emotion and gratitude. How amazing to have so much people care about me back home. Thank you to Jay and Merideth Brown, Denny and Sandy Anderson, Lynn and Lynette Waldenberger, Rick and Karen Mohagen, Dave and Tootie Schultz, Bud and Jean Johnson, Mary and Joe Keller, Bob and Candy Perkola, and my amazing parents for sending me love and letters :)
It means more than I can say. Thank you.
I'll end this post with a video! Yay! 30 minutes before every show, our cast has "Green Room". I believe I have mentioned this activity before. Basically it is time to let out any frustrations and worries and have fun before performing. Here we are dancing and singing to what has become one of our favorite warm-up activities. Enjoy!
Green Room Video
See you all very soon.
