16. Final Show

Form(at) Festival finally arrived, and after our practice run at Side/Step we felt ready to bring the full version of the show to life with the advanced tech we’d been planning. Our technical lead, Paul, with support from Flo and Cam, was an incredible partner in lighting, sound, and risk assessing our highly unconventional show. Paul also had a gift for diffusing stress and staying solutions-oriented. When we were told the day before our show that haze wasn’t allowed, he calmly reassured us we’d figure it out, went straight to the T&P office himself, and sorted it. Our group did well managing the pressures of show day while giving ourselves permission to take the time we needed to stay grounded. 

We were humbled by the help we received from Cam, who became both our operator and stage manager. The sheer amount of “stuff” our maximalist show required made us realise just how much we depended on extra hands. We spent most of the first day setting up and organising our kit backstage, which meant we only had time for a very quick warm-up before the first performance. 

We were curious about how different audiences might respond across our two nights. The first show drew more faculty and industry attendees; the second had more family and friends. Whatever the mix, we knew we couldn’t rely on forcing enthusiasm out of participants, the energy had to start with us. If we weren’t genuinely enjoying ourselves and connected to each other, the audience would feel it. So, before going onstage, we made sure to ground ourselves together: hugging, taking a group photo, giggling, dancing a final dance, and finally, yelling out the “Yes” Manifesto. It was showtime. 

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