Behind the scenes!

Well, that was that. It still hasn't hit me that it's all over. Who knew eleven performances could pass so quickly? Reminiscing might make reality strike, so here are some behind-the-scenes pictures instead! Below is our wall of good reviews. (There was no wall of bad reviews.) In the top right corner you can see my picture that was in a big Hamburgian magazine! I'm famous! Er, my character is famous! Sort of.

These were the beautiful beautiful flowers that Sarah brought me when a group of Smithies came to the show during the first week. Apparently they got a lot of strange looks because the idea of bringing flowers to performers isn't as popular here. My American director knew who my friends were right away because of them. How fun!

Another cute picture of the plastic-faces eccentrics.

Behind the sceeeeenes....

Hang on a minute... Blogger has a video function?!?! Let's give it a shot. Here's a clip of our dance party that happened before every show to Duke Ellington's rendition of Three Blind Mice. (How appropriate!) You can't actually see anything because there was no light backstage, but... you get the idea.



We were a cast that was particularly fond of spontaneous jam sessions. Here's the cast backstage rocking out while Miss Casewell drives Mrs. Boyle away from the stage with loud music and dancing.



During the last performance, we put a lot of inside jokes into the script and basically did all the naughty things that we always wanted to do before that Nora never let us, as long as they weren't too distracting. Most of the time the audience didn't even notice. Here's an example of a more obvious change that the audience didn't understand, but we found hilarious. (Note that there is a giant plastic lobster that always has to make it on stage during the final performance of every University Players show. Tradition!)



And, of course, the murder scene! It's too bad that you can't really hear the dying sound effects, but I wouldn't turn the volume up too loudly for this one.



At one point during the last show, I changed my lines around at a dramatic moment so that I conveyed my text with my Russian accent, but with stereotypical American Valley Girl syntax and expression. ("Oh. My. GOD. Sargent Trotter, you are, like, so, like, serious! You know, I have like, always thought that like, Policemen have like, NOOO sense of humor?") Then I switched back. It was hard to keep a straight face, particularly because my American friends and director in the audience understood and were laughing heartily. It was a wonderful last show.

...But the show didn't end at the final bow! No, no. Then we had to strike the set until the stage was clear, which took a couple hours anyway.


It wasn't until we were done that we were allowed to break into the potluck and partay it up. Here's the producer and director giving their little spiel to the cast and crew.


We ate and danced and sang and jammed until about six in the morning when someone decided we were going downtown for breakfast. Long story short, this adventure ended up with me having a lovely breakfast at the central station with two of my guy friends. I got home sometime after 9am and my poor body hasn't been properly regulated since, even without having consumed any alcohol. It was worth it.


So now it's over and I have to get back to the real world. Exams, homework, the works. I'm also sad that I no longer have a huge crowd of hungry people to bake for anymore. Over the last few weeks I would go to class, rehearse, bake, sleep, do homework, go to class, etc. I made all sorts of things from inside-out Oreos to banana chocolate chip cookies to apricot scones to the most amazing carrot cake you will ever eat to chocolate no-bakes to triple chocolate pumpkin pie, which I believe won the prize for best dessert I have ever baked. Ever. Pictures to come.


P.S. Here's the peanutbutter chocolate no-bake recipe, though note that I almost halved the amount of sugar (about a half cup brown sugar and about a third cup white - it's already so sweet) and added about half a cup of shredded coconut. Mmm.