A night to remember

Irrespective of your course, societies or accommodation, there are some dates in the student calendar that you’re always loathe to miss – and the annual end-of-year Summer Balls for the various unions, faculties and communities which comprise the student base, be they for the Athletic Union, the Media, or individual departments, are most certainly amongst them!

A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get a ticket for the summer Performing Arts ball, a chance to get suited up, arrive in ranks of taxis at a swanky venue to be greeted with free champagne and complimentary bottles of wine and enjoy a delicious three-course meal (a far cry from the usual beans on toast!), before being granted access to a private nightclub to show off our silky moves – well, if you belong to a dance society, that is! It had all the ingredients of what promised to be an unforgettable evening.

I’ve already written before about how much I enjoyed last year’s event, but this year, having set myself the challenge of branching out further amongst the different societies on offer, such as into musical theatre and comedy, the chance to celebrate a year’s personal, and a whole community’s, achievements with a large number of great friends was more exciting than ever.

I often forget just how much of a leveller the opportunities on offer at University can be, and how great they are for networking and just constantly meeting fresh people and forming new bonds. When you go through some of the experiences that societies and events can put you through, it’s difficult not to form multitudes of strong friendships!

This year’s edition of the photo booth picture!

...Of course, you do get to take more than one!

My day began with a quick rehearsal for Keeping Down with the Joneses; with it being the day before the production’s technical run, we as directors wanted to keep things ticking over, so at least one run of the play was in order. As it turned out, the end result of the whole rehearsal process was a largely successful, action-packed, hilarious (my personal highlight being when a chair collapsed on stage with someone sitting on it – they were fine, and as a result it added a hilariously unexpected comedic moment to the show!) and massively enjoyable show week, which taught me plenty about budgeting, management, planning, promotion and the like, as well as being a jolly good time throughout.

Finishing early in order to give people plenty of time to prepare for the night ahead, and following a timely visit to the Zepler Building’s well-equipped computer labs on campus to press ahead with some last-minute coursework, I headed home to get suited up before walking across to a friend’s for some more photographs of everyone looking sharp, before ordering an armada of taxis to share with nearby fellow actors, singers, dancers and more.

Everyone looking dapper – before the event, at least!

Upon arrival at the wonderful venue, the luxurious Grand Café located in the heart of Southampton and steeped in maritime history, we were all greeted with a free glass of champagne to kick off the evening in style, before taking our assigned seats for some scrumptious cuisine. The table I was placed on consisted of a great mix of older and newer members of Theatre Group, and it was lovely getting to chat and enjoy a meal with long-time friends, like bubbly fellow Great Expectations cast members Hayley and Alice, alongside more recent companions like the incredibly enthusiastic and friendly Joneses producers Caitlin and Sarah.

A surprise was to follow as, during the course of the dinner, a Frank Sinatra-esque singer took on the best of his swing hits, providing a warm and vivacious atmosphere to encompass the meal as crowds merrily sang along – although it was easy to tell which tables had the musicians and singers on them! Even more entertaining was when one member of Theatre Group, Joe, got the shock of his life after being asked to join the singer on stage, and did brilliantly – but photos and videos aplenty of the incident are, of course, floating around in cyberspace!

After the meal, it was downstairs to the Café’s private nightclub for the chance to party and celebrate a year’s worth of spectacular Performing Arts shows, development and achievement by all involved – a fantastic high on which to end a brilliant day, and year to boot!

Standards of attire slowly dipped over the course of the evening, naturally!

Such nights are, for me at least, the pinnacles of the University world – great experiences, great memories, great company, but most of all, one heck of a great time.

Thanks to Jade Thompson and all of the committee for their work towards the PA Summer Ball 2013 – the whole thing was truly a night to remember!

Robin