A Night of Make-up, Ketchup, and Friendship!

For the sake of my readers, let me tell you that this post, is going to be unbelievably long...

Yesterday, 4th December, 2008, was one the most memorable days of my life. It was the day when my friends and I staged the play, "Julius Caesar", for our school's annual day.

Everything started in the typical excited fashion. We began wearing our costumes, some looking awkward, others looking better than normal. It was good to see Senators wear loose fitting robes along with a satin clothe draped around their bodies. The Guards looked like guards. The fishermen almost looked like real fishermen, thanks entirely due to their fishing nets.

That's when things went upside down a little. Our slighty overzeleous Makeup man, decided to - literaly - give us a new look. Funny looking guys were turned into brooding, fake beard donning men. Those who were supposed to look arrogant (for example Caesar himself)....ended up looking like a cute, entirely harmless, grown up doll.

Still, with layers of make up stuck to our faces, and lipstick on our lips (oh yes, even Caesar liked to dress up as a girl, it seems..), we were ready to put up our final show.

One thing remained....the blood that was needed in the assasination scene. That, would be courtesy of Heinz Tomato Ketchup, it turned out. The ingenious idea, was to put an unsealed packet of Tomato Ketchup, beneath my robe, so that the first evil Senator who stabs me (with a fake plastic knife, mind you), would splatter ketchup over my robe. Ta ta`, we would get a blood soaked Caesar!

It was a risky deal, though. What if the ketchup packet fell off my robe, and landed on the stage floor? Meaning when they stab me, I would step on the ketchup. It would be quite distrubing if Caesar's feet started bleeding when they stabbed his chest.

Yet, everything went well. The ketchup oozed out slowly, so that by the time they were done with me, there was ketchup all over my chest. That was fine. The problem started when I lay on the floor, pretending to be dead. Do you know how repulsive it is to smell ketchup, literally under your nose?

I think I developed a dislike for ketchup after that. There was ketchup all over the robe. Some wiseguy wanted to get some french fries...

But the best part of the play, was what happened after it was over. We all headed to the green room, and with half removed beards, messsed up makeup, and a little bit of ketchup remaining, rejoiced at the success of the play.

That's what struck me the most. It took around two months of regular practices and extra time at school, just to put up this play of ours. Yet, during that time, a lot of things changed. People who barely knew each others names, became friends. Guys who had a mutual dislike towards each other, began laughing together. We became closer, better friends.

And that's what lasts. The make up is washed off within a few hours. The stink of ketchup dies down within a few days. But the friendships we've made. They're just going to get better...

I would like to thank everyone who made this experience memorable. Thanks for the memories, guys!