Our last rehearsal ended these tumultuous few weeks on a positive note. Marcus returned to our group and did an excellent job picking up where he left off. He seemed happy to be back and was very focused on delivering his lines well. Khalil was not there and the students said that they don’t think he will be at our performance. Thankfully, with Marcus back, we only need a few UR students to step in. Adrian played a little joke on us when, after we explained some logistics for the performance, he said he would not be there. He told us he had a doctor’s appointment right when the show was supposed to start, and then laughed and said he was just kidding. As one of our most dedicated students, I am glad that it was just a joke.
We were able to read through the entire act and work more on blocking with our group, as well as costuming choices and cues. The kids were all curious of what they should wear and what kind of stage makeup they were going to get. We told them to dress however they would be comfortable and that we would take care of the rest. They were pretty nervous about performing for an audience bigger than just the three of us but we reminded them that they had practiced all semester for this and were ready. A sweet moment came here, when Tamiya said, “It’s different when we do this with you guys, you’re our friends.” I really appreciated that she looked at us in that way and that she was coming away with a positive experience. Janiyah said she wished that we could keep doing theater and that she had ideas for more plays to do. I’m glad our rehearsals, though they may have been overwhelming and stressful at times, had them coming away with a desire to do more. I am looking forward to our performance and can’t wait to see what the other acts have in store!