Saturday, 24th july, day four

Today promised to be a both exhilarating and stressful day, since it is the first day a performance of the Lens group was scheduled.
After getting up early and enjoying the Lebanese breakfast at the hotel, it was time for technical tinkering, troubleshooting and testing. Time flies when working hard, as it was already time for lunch. The quick bite provided the much needed energy for the next few hours. Tension rose as the technical issues were still not resolved, which manifested itself in an unstable connection between the operator, the soldier in the field and the audience.
The deadline for the rehearsal approached as the attending crew from LAU was being searched for victims to test the installation. The group finished some last preparations as the testing subjects gathered. As blindfolds were being put on, some basics about the game, as well as the background story were told. The volunteers were led around the campus for disorientation. The game started after the remaining rules were explained. Our two Lebanese friends ventured into the course set for them. After the exiting game, it was clear Edwin, Danny and Sem did a great job putting the tech together. Just one more test run before the actual performance. The second run went good. It was now time to dress, and for Rosa and Joël to prepare for the performance.
Around 6:30, with some delay, Joël and Rosa turned to the audience and introduced them to ‘Project Lens’. Omar and Barfu were the brave volunteers to venture into the parcours. After being led to the gaming area, they were introduced to the rules and some tips. It became clear soon that this couple was going to do everything needed to win the game, even if it meant ripping Evert apart (the corpse). Sadly, this team did not complete their mission, leaving Omar exploded. The audience was extremely enthusiastic about the game, leaving us with a large number of volunteers for the next game.
While a play by the Belgians started, the group reset the course and technique.
The second performance went great as well. Cynthia and Lea did have some troubles, however, with the lack of light. They did win the game though! This second performance was therefore also successful. After the performance, the group managed to get to the next play in time, which was performed by the Moroccans. The Moroccan play was quite humorous, reminding us to some old Dutch plays.
The night really started when people started dancing on the Arab beats on the square in front of the theatre. We were going barhopping with the locals after a short while to refresh ourselves in the hotel. The rest of the night was filled with dancing, drinking and meeting interesting people. Yet another great day in Beirut!