Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

A loud, petrified, hair-raising shriek disturbed our huddle.

'Something happened to someone' said one of my co-members. The scream was followed by some sort of voodoo chanting that we only realized that the first group is already doing their piece.

Instead of giving last minute instructions and doing a final rehearsal, we decided to watch the first group and measure their performance.

Their's was a speech choral rendition of 'Congo' - and a very good one at that. Their twilight zone-y voices and well-choreographed movements will leave an audience transfixed to the spot. We're still having goosebumps when before we know it, they're done. They surely set the tone for the other groups. As the team to beat, they set a fairly high standard - that a performance of a lesser caliber definitely sucks and a better one than their's must be really really good. (Hey, Aikat!You're a part of this group so won't you mind telling us more about it? Hehehe!)

Their awesome performance only added to our dillema. How are we supposed to beat that? But we had to do it, and there's no backing out now.

"Welcome... to the house... of... Bernarda Alba!" chorused Bernarda, Concha and Angustias. (I won't be telling who played what character for no further humiliation of the other who obviously can't defend themselves here, hehehe!)

First five minutes of our play is definitely, utterly, expectedly and categorically BORING! Those in the audience all have this blank, vacant expression while watching us. Thankfully, it's only our classmates and professor who are there to witness us suck on stage. I swear some of my classmates even left that make-shift auditorium. But had they stayed a little longer, they'll be witnesses to our winning moments.

SCENE 1

In an anticipated confrontation scene between characters Bernarda and Angustias - where most of us members were on stage - the first of our many booboos happened:

Bernarda: Angustias! Where is Angustias?
Servant: Call Angustias. (This is the servant ordering his master to call his daughter.)

I, as the one playing the servant, had pretty well forgotten my lines here and that's the first thing I can come up with. Good thing the one playing Bernarda is rather quick on the uptake.

Bernarda: (angrily) Angustias, Angustias! Come here Angustias!

Here comes Angustias.

Among us, only Angustias managed to do a pretty good delivery of lines during practice as compared to the rest. She had rigorously and religiously memorized her lines and is now on stage waiting for her cue.

Angustias: Mother? What's that?

In a few seconds, Angustias' Oscar - winning monologue is about to unfold. One line from Bernarda is all she's waiting.

But trust Bernarda (who had forgotten her lines, too) to spoil everything for her - and for us.

Bernarda: What are you doing here?(all surprised as if she's not calling Angustias seconds before), Get out! OUT!

Angustias was dumb-strucked. I can see in her face the questions 'What's with Bernarda?' and 'What's going on here?'. She was about to say something but Bernarda obviously is too quick for her.

Bernarda started slapping her handkerchief in Angustias' face, shooing her away - still screaming 'Get out! Get out!'. Angustias can only say nothing and left the stage. Angustias had long monologues in that scene alone, but all throughout the play, all she said was 'Mother? What's that?'

Bernarda probably realized what a fiasco she'd just made and before anyone of us can react to the situation, she's at it again.

Bernarda: All of you! (Pointing to us left on stage) GET OUT!

And we did. Good thing coz most of us were already sweating, with our shoulders trembling from trying to keep ourselves from laughing. How we managed to keep straight faces on stage, until now I don't know. As we were all at the safety of the backstage - we burst into the loudest, almost on cue hysterics. A minute later, Bernarda joined in for a louder commotion.