Breathing Time

Discussion on preparations for the Annual Day function 

Banoo Apa treats us to cake and tea in extended X-mas celebration

The Annual Day function has been postponed again (ref post of December 11). But this time it is for very good reasons. Instead of being under pressure of an unreasonable deadline and making a slap-dash job of it, it was decided this morning to move slowly but systematically, put our best foot forward and mount an impressive show we can all be proud of. More important, everyone should enjoy the process.
This realization dawned after a week of rehearsals (for the plays) whereby, the strengths and weaknesses of participants have come to light. As Kiran Prakash pointed out, emphasis was being laid, rather prematurely, on the final performance before people had even memorized their lines. “We ought to concentrate on dialogue delivery, diction, voice modulation, etc. only afterwards,” he explained.
Indeed, such fine-tuning takes at least two months of regular rehearsals even for professional actors. And here, we are mostly inexperienced non-actors. A couple of exercises were suggested such as leveling of pitch (to instill confidence) and seeking the help of a prompter (preferably a female voice like Banoo Apa’s). These would greatly reduce stress in the run-up to the show.
Another lesson learnt in the past few days was that we had unwittingly put the cart before the horse. We still need to take stock of our resources (including the creative) before deciding upon the scale of the show – or even its date. Siba Prasad Maitra offered to approach Celebration Club for a donation and a letter of request has accordingly been prepared for him to carry.
As for creative inputs (apart from the plays) nothing has yet been decided. Potential performers need to be identified and coached to fill at least 90 minutes of programming time, before a schedule can be drawn up. Make-up, costumes, props, light and sound, anchoring, etc. are also critical concerns. Only after these issues are resolved would we be able to fix a date for the function and approach a decorator for erecting the stage.
Till then, we have got ourselves a breather.

Lt Col Angad Singh (rtd):
* Kiran Prakash has given good suggestions. We should continue with the rehearsals so that our actors modulate their acting and voice to give proper effect. Needless to say that choreographer has also to take lot of pain and render help to various actors. Everyone has to work hard to make the event a success.

* Our daily exercises keep us healthy and tuned to our daily routine. Similarly our Annual Function is an important event. It stimulates not only all the members but also gives additional oxygen to the audience. It is a day of reckoning and the audience would remember it till the next event. As such it is important that we all put our best foot forward and ensure that the event has the desired effect. Wishing you all the best of luck.