It was finally time for us to go out and perform. I felt that we were ready, but we needed a good draw. Before I knew it, the room chair had ushered us over and we were drawing our situations. I didn't fuddle around at all with the small slips of paper, I distinctively chose one. Before even I could read it Shane decided that my situation would be our performance.
"You drank too much coffee." That was what we had to work with. Immediately, Andrew suggested that Shane be a man who comes into a coffee shop and, successively over the period of three days, becomes more and more addicted until he is hooked and jittery. We agree that Andrew will be a barista and I a snobby, coffee shop, hipster writer. I then say that we should have an intervention for him after the third day. We decide that I would change characters to a doctor who can help Shane we would use breathing exercises and shock therapy to snap Shane back into normality. Just wait, it gets better. Finally, the ending we came up with involved Shane coming in 6 months later and Andrew asking, "Oh, so are you off coffee now?" and Shane responding, "Nope, just decaf!" Hilarious. I know.
The improv went over great. The crowd loved it and and was fun to perform. The best feeling, throughout the day, wasn't the compliments that we got from friends or relatives, but the random compliments throughout the hallways. It really gave a lot of confidence going into the closing ceremonies that we got so many "warm fuzzies" during the course of the day.
I'm just going to skip the rest of the day until the closing ceremonies, aside from one notable performance I'd like to mention. I can't remember the name exactly but a good friend of mine from Fairfield was in one of the most beautiful group mimes I've ever seen. Now, it should be said that I haven't seen many group mimes but his was so much different from anything I've seen. All of their movements were interchanging and inventive and the whole performance had a flow and rhythm to it like no other. It was incredible.
Let's not waste anymore time with gibber jabber, and get to right to the point of this blog series. The closing ceremonies had finally arrived and I was very anxious. Andrew was up on stage with the banner, as were all of last years winners, I was in the crowd, yet Shane, unfortunately, could not be there with us due to a show choir competition. Then they did the most awful thing they could have ever done while we were awaiting the announcement of the banners. They individually announced every group from every school that made it to All-State and handed out medals. With around one hundred schools and an even more vast number of groups that made it, performing and non-performing, this part of the evening easily consumed twenty minutes. All the while I was tensed in my chair, my stomach in a knot just waiting for them to begin calling the banners.
After all the heart-wrenching waiting, they finally began. With each banner that was called came a roar of applause from the crowd and a standing ovation by the two hard-core speech schools, which I can't remember their names. The winning group and school would then jump up, all exited to have won, giving hugs around and screaming, some crying, in joy. Then, after approximately eight of these celebrations, the improv judge was called to the podium. I swear, while he was giving the introduction to his decision, time froze. I forgot about the massive auditorium around me and the thousands of people in it. As he made a comment about making sure he got the right name, my heart skipped a beat (Kennedy sent two improv groups to All-State). And, finally, he called it. "Our winner this year for improvisational acting goes to.... Group Hanzelka from Cedar Rapids Kennedy!" The entire place went into an uproar once again as I leaped from out of my seat, running straight to Mrs. Osborn for a celebratory embrace. She was so exited it felt as though for a moment that she was going to bring me onto stage with her. She ran up onstage where Andrew was freaking out next to the banner himself and they too shared a moment.
From there, the rest is history. I impatiently waited for the last few events to be called so that I could race up to stage and bask in the glory of our prize. When the ceremonies were over I ran up to Andrew and Mrs. Osborn and we all hugged and it was glorious. From there, the texting and calling of relatives and friends alike began. We were told that Shane was freaking out at his show choir competition and Henna announced the good news to everyone that could hear her. The smile that first appeared on my face from the moment our banner was called didn't leave me for quite some time, and the joy that it brought me still hasn't. Not only was that one of the happiest days of my life, but I gained and learned a lot from it. The most important thing that I took from it was to always be happy. That banner gave me so much joy and I probably had so many endorphins rushing around inside of me that I thought to myself, "Why can't I always be this happy?" Obviously I probably can't maintain this kind of high, but I can always try.
Also, suck it Roberta.
"You drank too much coffee." That was what we had to work with. Immediately, Andrew suggested that Shane be a man who comes into a coffee shop and, successively over the period of three days, becomes more and more addicted until he is hooked and jittery. We agree that Andrew will be a barista and I a snobby, coffee shop, hipster writer. I then say that we should have an intervention for him after the third day. We decide that I would change characters to a doctor who can help Shane we would use breathing exercises and shock therapy to snap Shane back into normality. Just wait, it gets better. Finally, the ending we came up with involved Shane coming in 6 months later and Andrew asking, "Oh, so are you off coffee now?" and Shane responding, "Nope, just decaf!" Hilarious. I know.
The improv went over great. The crowd loved it and and was fun to perform. The best feeling, throughout the day, wasn't the compliments that we got from friends or relatives, but the random compliments throughout the hallways. It really gave a lot of confidence going into the closing ceremonies that we got so many "warm fuzzies" during the course of the day.
I'm just going to skip the rest of the day until the closing ceremonies, aside from one notable performance I'd like to mention. I can't remember the name exactly but a good friend of mine from Fairfield was in one of the most beautiful group mimes I've ever seen. Now, it should be said that I haven't seen many group mimes but his was so much different from anything I've seen. All of their movements were interchanging and inventive and the whole performance had a flow and rhythm to it like no other. It was incredible.
Let's not waste anymore time with gibber jabber, and get to right to the point of this blog series. The closing ceremonies had finally arrived and I was very anxious. Andrew was up on stage with the banner, as were all of last years winners, I was in the crowd, yet Shane, unfortunately, could not be there with us due to a show choir competition. Then they did the most awful thing they could have ever done while we were awaiting the announcement of the banners. They individually announced every group from every school that made it to All-State and handed out medals. With around one hundred schools and an even more vast number of groups that made it, performing and non-performing, this part of the evening easily consumed twenty minutes. All the while I was tensed in my chair, my stomach in a knot just waiting for them to begin calling the banners.
After all the heart-wrenching waiting, they finally began. With each banner that was called came a roar of applause from the crowd and a standing ovation by the two hard-core speech schools, which I can't remember their names. The winning group and school would then jump up, all exited to have won, giving hugs around and screaming, some crying, in joy. Then, after approximately eight of these celebrations, the improv judge was called to the podium. I swear, while he was giving the introduction to his decision, time froze. I forgot about the massive auditorium around me and the thousands of people in it. As he made a comment about making sure he got the right name, my heart skipped a beat (Kennedy sent two improv groups to All-State). And, finally, he called it. "Our winner this year for improvisational acting goes to.... Group Hanzelka from Cedar Rapids Kennedy!" The entire place went into an uproar once again as I leaped from out of my seat, running straight to Mrs. Osborn for a celebratory embrace. She was so exited it felt as though for a moment that she was going to bring me onto stage with her. She ran up onstage where Andrew was freaking out next to the banner himself and they too shared a moment.
From there, the rest is history. I impatiently waited for the last few events to be called so that I could race up to stage and bask in the glory of our prize. When the ceremonies were over I ran up to Andrew and Mrs. Osborn and we all hugged and it was glorious. From there, the texting and calling of relatives and friends alike began. We were told that Shane was freaking out at his show choir competition and Henna announced the good news to everyone that could hear her. The smile that first appeared on my face from the moment our banner was called didn't leave me for quite some time, and the joy that it brought me still hasn't. Not only was that one of the happiest days of my life, but I gained and learned a lot from it. The most important thing that I took from it was to always be happy. That banner gave me so much joy and I probably had so many endorphins rushing around inside of me that I thought to myself, "Why can't I always be this happy?" Obviously I probably can't maintain this kind of high, but I can always try.
Also, suck it Roberta.
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