By Michelle Gao
Gargoyle assistant editor
Posted Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006, The OG, arts

[Note: Uni High's fall play, “You Can't Take It With You,” will be performed 7 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the North Attic Playhouse. Directed by Barbara Ridenour, the play features a cast that includes Gargoyle staff member Michelle Gao, who will give us a first-person look at the production throughout this week. For a preview of the play (including cast list), click here.]

The thing about tech week is that it's really, fantastically, insanely fun, and then it's really, awfully, insanely not. It really depends on when you ask me. For instance, I would say that it absolutely sucks right now because it's the period after fitness — I'm all sweaty, I'm tired, half of my homework that's due today isn't done, and I feel like I'm about to die. No joke.

BUT. The fun starts at night, when it's only the cast and crew upstairs in the North Attic. We're all rushing around to do hair and makeup and put on costumes. It's like a huge party, and I love it. You can completely forget about everything else, meaning schoolwork and the stress that comes with that, and focus on a completely new kind of stress, meaning rips in costumes and misplaced props and awful curling irons that don't work. And that kind of fun is … fun stress. Am I making any sense?

Well, here. This is what I did Tuesday:

3 p.m. — Tore myself away from my animated conversation with Lucy Zhang and felt slightly apologetic for talking during Mr. Rayburn's fascinating Shakespeare class. Classes ended, and we all went to Uni Gym for the Halloween party, where I was (quite frankly) bored. And then I helped move tables back into Uni after being bribed with popcorn by Sue Kovacs.

4 p.m. — Went to Za's with Hannah Lake-Rayburn (who plays Mrs. Kirby) and Jamie Weiser (crew member, sounds), and felt like a loser because I'd brought dinner from home and dumped it all on a Za's plate. But Hannah lent me money to buy soup, so I didn't feel quite so bad. I mean, come on. I don't have enough money to eat out every night this week, much as I'd like to.

4:30 p.m. — Anna Gooler (Rheba) and Lor Sligar (Gay Wellington) show up at Za's, complete with takeout from IHOP, and we all move to a bigger table. We eat and eat and get fat. Afterwards, we run over to Walgreens to buy some more bobby pins for the show, because we seem to be losing them left and right. Lor also buys a plastic sword for $1.02.

5 p.m. — We're at Uni, and we rush upstairs to the South Attic (“rush” meaning running into the elevator). I run (meaning “I stand in the elevator while it goes”) back downstairs and grab some pieces of my costume and a curling iron that I had left in my locker, and also get the cake that Linda Song made for the cast (even though she isn't involved with the play!!) from the refrigerator in the kitchen. When I take it upstairs, many cries of, “I LOVE LINDA!!!!!” are heard.

Once back upstairs, Hannah, Anna, and I start on everybody's hair. We'd made a list of the order in which to do this, from hardest to easiest. Most of the boys are at the bottom of the list, and they either attempt to start their own makeup or sit waiting as we — well, I, at least — wish that they would be real men and do their own hair.

I start with Jackie Hedeman (Penny), and we listen to Mrs. Ridenour's notes about the previous night's rehearsal as my curling iron heats (I had to bring my own in, since the school's curling iron doesn't function). After I curl Jackie's hair and coo over it adoringly for a few minutes, I move on to Alex Cahill (Kholenkov), whose hair is dratted thick and the styling involves half a gallon of gel and a lot of combing and pins.

After that, I help a few other people move risers in the North Attic, and then go back to applying my own makeup.

7 p.m. — The play starts. Those of us who aren't onstage get ourselves ready, now that everyone else has been taken care of. We sit around and play the pianos (until we're yelled at to stop), sing songs from “RENT” and “Wicked,” attempt and fail to do homework, and drink cup after cup of soda that has been left over from orchestra's Halloween party. People come and go.

9:50 p.m. — We organize the bows.

10 p.m. — We get done, and everyone stumbles home.

And now today:

8 a.m. — School starts again. It's Tie Day: All the cool people are wearing ties. Since it's our last dress rehearsal tonight, we'll actually have somewhat of an audience. I am trying desperately not to fall asleep right now.