R
JANANI LAKSHMAN MAHADEVAN
XII GPS (I)
As a person who has never been too enthusiastic to step
out of her comfort zone, “act like someone’s sassy mother
on stage in front of hundreds of people” did not seem
like the optimal way to spend the last three months of
my junior year. The idea of playing an incredibly vain,
cartoonish old woman while being bored into by absolute
strangers seemed like an actual nightmare.
If only I could go back in time to tell myself how wrong
I was.
Ali Baba was the very first musical I’ve ever been a part of,
and I’m not keen on making it the last. What started as a
jumbled mishmash of wide-eyed eighth graders and camel
props culminated in something huge and extravagant and
wonderful and, ultimately, bigger than all of us. The result
of days of steady effort, a tight bond between the cast
and crew, and peals and peals of laughter, Ali Baba wasn’t
just a production for the people who were privileged
enough to be a part of it- it became a way of life in those
surprisingly short few weeks.
This isn’t an exaggeration. For a while, in the few stressful
days preceding the opening night, we spoke exclusively in
scripted dialogue, hummed the songs under our breaths
to the point of insanity, truly became method actors (since
I played a mother, my parents took this opportunity to
make me make all the rotis at home), and actually lived
and breathed Ali Baba. And because all of us were living it
together, the cast and crew were able to form friendships
that have stayed robust even after the musical came to a
close.
And when the musical did come to a close, it had been
vastly bittersweet for me. Sweet because the stress of
running lines and costume changes, set arrangements and
mic placements was finally levied off us. Sweet because,
basking in the roar of applause on closing night, I was
global
public
school
swept with the incredible feeling of satisfaction at a job so
well, so thoroughly done. But bitter because it was over.
Being a part of Ali Baba was one of the most defining
parts of my experience at Global, not only because it had
been so successful, but because the process gave me so
many valuable experiences as a person as well as an actor
to cherish for a long, long time. The tangible adrenaline in
the air during a rehearsal, the nervous ruffle of costumes
backstage during a performance, and the eventual,
cathartic applause at the end of it all will remain with me
forever, and I constantly find myself missing it now.
I will forever be grateful for the experiences working in this
musical has given me, from learning to be a more confident
actor, to being able to work toward a common goal with
a staggering number of people, to giving me endless
smiles and so many new friendships. I’m especially glad I
was able to work with some of my juniors, considering I
wouldn’t have been able to speak to so many incredible,
hard-working, hilarious people otherwise.
And of course, I’m thankful to Deepa Ma’am and Shamim
Ma’am for giving me this opportunity, and to the scores of
teachers and volunteers that made performing Ali Baba go
that much more smoothly- and that much more delightful.
Being a part of this has made me realize just how much
goes into two hours, and it’s helped me appreciate the
efforts taken by every member of the cast and crew of
other productions so much more.
Ali Baba will always be one of my favorite memories at
school, and as a senior now, it’s an experience I’m always
upset that I won’t be able to repeat here. However, it
certainly helped me realize that acting is clearly something
I’m passionate about, and I can’t wait to be able to play
many more sassy mothers in the future.
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