We got back from Nihiwatu on March 22 and I got right down to building a set for our play. I had been planning and ordering supplies, arranging a place to work and renting tools to work with for months, but I had held off starting until after the March break. Then I went flat out for 8 weeks. Every day it seems there was a new wrinkle to iron out. I learned the names of most of the men in the physical resources department by the time it was over because I spent so much time working in the parking spaces beside them.

I had some good help from Bill, who has done this kind of thing before and who was never stumped for an answer. And Les who had done some construction and was willing to put in time after his long teaching day. I also had help from my students, in particular Mehdi, who was invaluable, and Brian, who couldn’t seem to do enough.

The play was a smash success, although each audience needed about ten minutes to actually catch on to what was going on. The play is a play within a play, and the jokes escalate as the three acts are like fugal variations that trip over one another. If you never seen the movie, you just have to rent it. Once the audience caught on, there was no end to the laughter and the fun. It was a great success, and I was sad to see it come to an end.

After the last show we tore down the set and packed it onto a truck and all went and had supper. This week feels like someone died. We are all exhausted and depressed. We’ll get over it, and find other things to do, but they won’t be as much fun. There is a DVD coming out for those of you who would like to see what a really fine student production looks like. I can’t wait to see it again myself, but I confess, I am looking forward to seeing it with my feet up for a change!