The Greatest Relief I Ever Felt

張貼日期：Dec 18, 2016 7:55:42 AM

Kevin Swiecki

It was at high school, some years ago, but I remember it as if it were yesterday. I was probably more relieved than ever, spending so much time thinking whether or not I was able to stand this high pressure. But fortunately, I did.

I took part in a theatre group of my high school and was honored to play the role of the protagonist in Oscar Wilde’s comedy ‘Bunbury.’ It was a huge responsibility, indeed. Our whole group was practicing for months, learning all texts and moves by heart, having loads of rehearsals every week, and all that for that one night: the final performance. I expressed myself quite confidently on stage, just as the others, and we were all satisfied with our rehearsals. However, during the last week before the performance, this changed quickly… I became more and more nervous and had several blackouts. But I thought to myself, “Never mind, you will manage this, don’t worry.”

Then came the last day before the performance, the last rehearsal, a crucial moment. I opened the act with another protagonist and my blackouts recurred. The other actors did not actually do better than I, so our three instructors, totally desperate, said the following, “What have we been sacrificing so many weeks and months for supporting you, giving advice, and now you don’t even bring out the easiest sentences? How about the moves you learned, the gestures?” And they were right. We lost all of our confidence and neglected our texts and instructions. This would, of course, be a pity for the spectators, our instructors, but mostly for my group and me.

It was the day of the performance finally; it should start at 7 pm. I tried to forget about the last day, the disappointment and despair of our whole group. I was convinced that if we wanted to succeed and do a persuasive performance, every of the actors would need to focus even more than before on his or her texts, and stay more relaxed. This Friday passed quickly, to be honest, after school in the morning, the afternoon and the evening suddenly came. We were having our last rehearsal two hours before the final presentation, motivating each other and strongly believing that we could bear this immense pressure. I knew that my family would also be among the spectators, so I wanted to make them proud as well. A couple of minutes before the performance, our instructors came to encourage each of us, “We are sure you’ll manage this, so get out and make the best show ever!”

The theatre was packed with hundreds of people and I was even more motivated, also feeling some gratitude to have this unique opportunity. I said to myself, “Of course, yesterday’s rehearsal was a catastrophe, but only this moment now counts, so don’t be scared.”

The technicians dimmed the light, our instructors sat down in the first row… it was time! I was the one to speak the very first sentence, usually the most difficult one. I went on stage and opened the play with another protagonist. It was the best act we ever played together! Moves, gestures, the text, we knew them all! All of the sudden, filled with joy and relief, I knew that this would be our night and that all the time I spent preparing this play was worth it. Until the end of the play, I did not have any single blackout and my fellows also did a fabulous job. The applause we got at the end was simply mind-blowing and people even approached us saying, “Wow, we have rarely been entertained as much as tonight, great work!” I, my instructors, my family, all people were proud of my performance. It felt as if tons of pressure had suddenly disappeared, an unbelievable feeling.

Undoubtedly, this night and this play were an experience that will always stay in my mind. All that frustration and despair turned into happiness and great relief when I spoke the first words on stage in front of hundreds of people and made my best theatre performance ever.