Friday September 15th - It's 6:10 in the evening, and the show isn't going to start until an hour or so from now. But I don't mind; I want the best seats in the house, and if it means waiting for a while outside, I figure it's not that big a sacrifice. After all, it's not every day that you see the Woodstock staff dancing, singing, playing, and acting. So I sit outside with my IPod blaring "Whole Lotta Love."

Its 6:55, and I'm joined by a few journalism and yearbook students, cameras in hand. The show hasn't started yet, but we already have front seats in the balcony. The middle school has shown up along with a few high schoolers, and you can feel the air of excitement surrounding Parker Hall. Nearby, I hear one of the journalism students seething--the flash in her camera stopped working for some reason.

Its 7:10, and the journalism student is happy now; her camera is fixed and working in fine condition. I smile as she takes a trial picture of me to check that everything is fine. Suddenly, I hear the crowd applauding and screaming. I turn my head around just as she takes the picture (the picture turned out to terrible and I later forced her into deleting it, under pain of death) to see Mr. Wildman, Mr. Nagarwalla, Mr. Das, and Mr. Barooah entering the stage, guitars and drumsticks in hand. The journalism students start clicking pictures like there's no tomorrow.

Its 8:00 p.m., and the show is half over. The crowd is going ballistic, and my hands and throat are aching because of all the clapping and shouting I've done in the last hour. I look around; the audience seems to be in the same state as I'm in, rubbing their hands and laughing at the changed voices of their friends. The performers take their seats a few seats away from me. I stand up and go over to congratulate them for their wonderful performances. Surprisingly, most of them blush and stutter their thank yous. Laughing to myself, I take my seat.

This Staff Talent Show has to be one of the best I've ever been to. There were a lot of different things done by the staff members, all showing their versatile and varied skills. I especially liked the Austrian folk song performed by Mr. Petters - where we all clapped along to the tune - as well as the first songs done by Mr. Wildman's band. "Foxy Lady" just set up the mood for the evening: some great music and talent mixed with a whole lot of fun. Mr. McKenzie's Sean Connery imitation was absolutely hilarious, with people rolling around in laughter and delight. The first half was incredibly fun to watch, I just hoped the second half would come up to the mark.

The journalism students are comparing pictures between themselves and discussing the format and length of the article they are going to write about this event. I take their cue and start wondering to myself how I'm going to put into words how great the show is. Just then, I'm interrupted by Mr. Geddes announcing the start of the second half of the show.

The show's almost over, and I have no clue what the time is. I'm on the stage, and I'm dancing to the tune of an Indian song that I have never heard before. As silly as I look, though, I'm accompanied by half the school. I don't think the Parker Hall stage has ever been this full before. Come to think of it, I don't think Parker Hall has ever been this loud! The journalism students have forgotten all about their photographic duties and join me to dance, cameras hanging around their necks. After a while, the crowd disperses, and order is restored. After the final thank yous and presentations, the show is over. The audience leaves, and I walk down with my friends, all raving about the show and discussing their favorite performances. One thing they all agreed about is that this was definitely the best show that Woodstock has seen in quite a few years, and I had to agree.

Fuser Lama

Gonpo (Fuser) Lama, an 11th grade student, is an intern for the Development Department, writing articles for the website about High School life.