Blog
Something Big Happened Today
What a treat it was on Tuesday evening, when I had the opportunity to watch from the back of the Hall whilst our Sixth Form students performed ‘The It' to a live-streamed audience.
Now, as have many others, I've availed myself of the opportunity over the past year or so to watch online performances and events, including those that we have hosted ourselves, so I had underestimated the impact that Tuesday evening would have.
Really, it was about the aspects you don't see or experience on-screen: The palpable excitement when the performers arrived; the build-up as all the microphones were checked; the anticipation when the lights went down; the fascination of seeing the tech set-up, knowing that the at-home view was quite different to what I was experiencing, due to the camera set-up allowing the online viewer to experience, unlike me, two viewpoints at once.
Being there at the end to congratulate the performers at their achievements, their ability to remember it all, their aptitude for performance with credibility and without missing a beat; this was a reminder of the aspects of live performance that I’ve previously taken for granted and then, sadly, not realised when they slipped out of my grasp.
Being able to turn to Miss Blackman, who has coached the class in her lessons virtually and in-person, to share the 'wow' moments, and chuckle at the darkly comedic elements without the need to take to social media.
Those aspects all matter, and I came away thinking, "something big happened today." We are, after all, social creatures who thrive on our interactions but maybe, as our lives open up little by little once again, we shall experience some surprises about what matters to us; sometimes we might experience the unexpected and we can learn from that!
