And then the show starts. It's the moment when I finally relax a little, because I know, the dancers/singers/actors will be just fine, doing what they were born to do, enticing us, the audience, into their stories. I get sweaty hands and my heart is racing when difficult passages come up, texts go missing, costume changes are at stake, my ears go big to savour every reaction of the people who see my baby for the very first time - will they love the same bits as I do? Will they laugh when they're supposed to? And every now and then I spot a new thing about this performance that I somehow missed during the last runthroughs...oh, how enjoyable!
And then one of the moments I love most is the time just after the curtain calls, when the performers are still wondering whether to go out another time, when the applause dies slowly and the whole production team is celebrating, hugging and giving kisses - once again, a baby is born and well received. It's that glow on our faces I like, the bubbles of happiness, the bright shining eyes still wide open from adrenaline shooting into the heart...and I love it even better when this survives the after show party, when performers and team are getting their congratulations, their thank yous for being so courages and risking again everything to tell a story, to produce beauty, to share their hearts.
I had a good night, last night.
