Family

Hola my friend!

Today was one among the best days of 2024! I had a lot of fun today... But before that... Here's the entire behind the scenes of "Can you hear the song?"

Day 1 Rehearsal.... Oh God... It was a mess for sure. The actors were intact, but, we the dancers had no idea where to stand. None of us knew our position nor could sing the song perfectly on beat. We kept singing and dancing the entire morning session. Phebe mam was so patient to reorder the entire choreography and make us feel bold. Mam didn't hesitate whenever I asked her to sing the chorus... I couldn't catch the beat nor move on without perfection and that made me pester her so much... I kept saying "Mam, once more!". It was tiring but 100% fun. Me and my dance buddy Christopher anna kept on repeating the lines and dancing with full energy. Our energy level did match perfectly, and that's what makes us brother and sister from different mothers. After a happy dance session in the morning, we took a break.

The weather knew we were tired and wanted to make us even more dozy haha. It started raining all of a sudden. The entire campus was muddy with giant raindrops dripping all over from heaven. It was fun until we decided to head to Macphils. Oh God, the muddy roads soaked my shoes and wet my pants. But, you know what the best part was... Each of us clinged on together under umbrellas to reach the spot. Guess what, who misses music in the rain? Yeaa, we absolutely did! And that's how our jam session started in the rain. It was dreamy for sure. The mist encircled the arena as sweet melodious romantic music drenched our souls. We sang popular love songs like 'Nenjukul peididum mamalai', 'Perfect', 'Kadhal Cricket' and 'Nee Kavidaigala'. After a heartful singing session (feat. Phebe Mam's guitar and Martin Hall's clap box), Wesley sir joined us and we started our warmups as usual.

Soon after 15 pushups, 'AHH' voice warmup and impersonating a dialogue, sir made us sit in a circle. Woahhh! The wholeness I felt was incredible. We were one in body and soul. The moment each of us got into character and began exchanging our lines, the more heavy I started to feel. The script written by Phebe mam when brought to life is something really heart touching and lamenting. Each scene opened my heart to accept and praise the Lord, the God Almighty who sacrificed himself for my sins. Fun fact, we did mess up the song rhythm after all those practice we had. We were either over fast or fast or slow or very slow. Anyhow, the entire run through got over, and the dance team (especially me and Christopher anna) glanced at each other signalling "We messed up again!". 

It poured and poured and poured. Cats and dogs throughout! Despite the surrounding weather, it was time for us to rehearse in the Anderson Hall under the lights. It took a while to setup the lights, immerse into character again and adjust to the new environment. Eventually, we did figure out the new circumstance. One more important incident that happened that evening was, Wesley sir got on the stage after years. It was a proud and over-joyed moment for each of us to witness our director on stage. The entire rehearsal dragged and dragged as each of us were trying to figure our spots. Wesley sir commented, 'Worst performance!'. We did accept it ourselves and wrapped up to play our roles with perfection the next day. The day ain't over yet... It was Mother Mary's birthday... That is Lara akka's birthday. We cut cake for her and had a fun chit chat under the dim lights. It was a magical moment for sure, because the smile that covered each face was not a fake one! And that brings the end of Day 1 Rehearsal.

Wesley sir on stage after years...

Christopher anna as grandpa Eli... Hehe...

Day 2 Rehearsal.... The dawn kicked start with songs again. We kept on singing until we got the rhythm right. Our department choir too joined us to help us sing. It was quite alarming to see Wesley sir's face after a song. He would give us a stern look and say "Guys, try again with more focus!". We were given 5 trials to figure out our problems and solve it. And yesss! We did! Phebe mam was happy that everyone caught the rhythm right. But that joy lasted only for a few minutes... We messed up again when we started dancing. We did a few more practice rounds and went forward for another run through. The actors surprised me every single time. With their immersion into character, my pals travelled ages back to portray the Biblical characters of those times. With even more clarification in their deliverance and added on pauses, my crew did bring life to the historical icons. Three of them stole my heart... Rachel (who played Issac and Samuel) portrayed the innocence of a child, Amy akka (as 3rd Wise Man) showcased the crankiness and foolishness of a dumb yet not so very unwise man and Timeus anna (who played the man searching for the song) brought out the desperate thirst and happiness of a person who finds something! And that brought the end of the morning practice session.

The crew dispersed in multiple directions... Some rushed to the washroom, some to their Department, some to Macphils, some to the Estate Office and some to their Halls. But, I, along with a few others (Sharon akka, Divya akka, Lara akka, Nikitha akka, Christina akka, Rachel, Kalai anna, Christopher anna, Kavin and Mithesh) rushed to the Korean Cafe haha. We had a fun time eating Kimchi Ramen, Brownie and Gimbap and also vibed to the fun K-pop songs played in the background. The Korean professor who was present there did come and give us a thumbs up by the way we were dancing, laughing, singing, eating and vloging, all in one at the same time with a whole package of energy. After a fun time there we moved to the gutters for a second round of food (food cooked by our moms). We sat in the gutters, spilled the tea, cracked silly jokes and had lunch until our tummy burst. With the same energy we headed back to MMIP for practice.

Me with a full tummy....

The afternoon session started with focus once again. Meanwhile, I started designing the map (Dummy map leading to the baby boy) for the Wisemen. It was a fun process... I felt happy by the way everyone reacted. Phebe mam was very happy... Her smile is really precious... She made me blush with her cute appreciation.

Here's the map... "Can you hear the song" is written on top in Hebrew...

The run through was 50% alright because half of the team was missing. But, we soon moved on to try on our costumes. With costumes on, the icons did land on Earth! Soon the air grew tense since we had a friendly crowd approaching us to witness the play. We put on the show before Madras University's English HOD and Wesley sir's family. Despite errors there and here, we did get appreciation from the audience. After that, the entire crew headed to Anderson Hall to practice once again under the lights. As darkness took over the surrounding and spotlight hit the stage, the hall grew serene and intense. Although it was a chaos in the background, figuring out our positions in the side, it was a beautiful rehearsal since we gave it our best despite tiredness and hunger. It was late by then, but we managed to rehearse singing once again, had a chill chit chat, arranged the props and left home. As soon as I got home, I refreshed and set up my props. The day went on with full energy and gifted me with a peaceful good night's sleep.

Wesley sir as modern shepherd...

And now... It's time to tell about today... D-DAY. Our morning was quite chill today. Everyone were unusually relaxed than yesterday. Few were chatting, few were playing uno and few were simply joking around. As soon as our director arrived, we held hands together, prayed and started exchanging our lines. The rehearsal turned out good for sure. With a good amount of cheer from Wesley sir, we straightened ourselves and got ready with our costumes. The room shined with a variety of colours. With good hope and the burden to deliver the good news to the broken hearted, we marched towards Anderson Hall. The time has come....

The joyous carols welcomed us as we entered the hall. Not only joy, but there was something else that awaited us. There was a wierd elevation on the stage... A small one that'll only fit 10 people. But this small obstrucle couldn't stop us from delivering the message. Without any practice in the altered environment, the play began! The entire hall was calm. The attention span from the audience was insane. Everything went on well. The song part was especially awesome... No errors... No more fast nor slow tempo... The perfect tempo... The dancers adjusted in a very decent manner. The play was a grand success:) Praise the Lord! Each and every single scene turned out well. The actors for sure made the audience go through a wave of emotions. My favourite scene was actually the last one when Samuels's little brothers fight (A scene which every elder one can feel). The last line "This isn't finished...." held such goosebumps. Soon after it, Jeffrey anna showed his beautiful drawing to the audience which again sent chills through my skin. The play earned its purpose and the entire cast felt whole:)

After the program, we had a wonderful photoshoot session. Our energy level was insane. We had fun moments, cringe moments and also emotional damages. Following this, we had a grand lunch - juice, yummy biriyani, curd, brinjal, bread halwa, jalebi and icecream. I basically felt wholesome and full after the performance, anyways, I managed to eat how much ever I can and headed once again to MMIP. This was the moment everyone were waiting for. The cast poured their emotions out... The happiness, the hurdles faced, the living miracles, the burden felt and the fun enjoyed together. It was a wonderful time:) The season achieved it's purpose! As I write this blog, the longest I've written (I've been writing this for 2 hours straight), I reminiscence the happy moments I shared during the past few days and cherish my first play performance in college. I really wish for the success of the Macphils Theatre Club and hope that the forecoming plays touch the life of many. I'm super grateful for the wonderful and humble and kind and awesome and talented cast I've worked with! I love you all so much! Indeed, I've found family:)

Happy reading! Adios:)