Tonight’s the night. It all comes down to this. The orchestra and the pit. The cast and the stage. The crew and their headphones. Me and my bench.

It’s been quite a ride. I’ve fallen in love with the whole Shelby drama department. I’ve been allowed to be a part of the production as it went from stilted skit to honest-to-goodness, bona fide production. And it’s been fantastic.

Now, it’s time to take all I’ve learned from Kathie Burgin, Steve Padgett and Traci Aderholt and all I’ve learned from each cast and crew member and take to the stage.

On one of my favorite shows, Mythbusters, it’s common for one of the hosts to ‘give the odds.’ He’ll list off possible outcomes and their likelihood in percentages. Through careful planning and experience, the intended outcome is usually the favorite. Often receiving odds of 85 percent. The more outlandish the outcome, the smaller the percentage.

For me, the possibility my time on stage and Oklahoma! go off without a hitch is clocking in at about 89 percent.

I give 4 percent that I trip on my very long dress. Another 4 percent that I’ll trip someone else with my very long dress. There’s a 2 percent chance I fall into the orchestra pit in a whirl of floral pattern and clumsy. The final 1 percent goes to the outcome I actually give into my unwarranted stage fright and spend opening night hyperventilating in a costume closet.

To see how my predictions turn out, come see Oklahoma! and enjoy the show in Malcolm Brown Auditorium on Shelby High’s campus.

Tonight and Saturday, the show begins at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $7 for students (and worth every penny. It’s a heck of show even if I don’t take a header into the pit.)

Labels: education, Oklahoma, schools