DEAD IN THE WATER

So, I got recruited for the 10 Minute Play Festival. I was excited at first. Then it became a real challenge to memorize all the lines.
My acting partner, Susan, and I met regularly on our own to rehearse besides the rehearsals with our director, Ali. We were feeling fairly confident until the last night of stage rehearsal. All directors and actors from the other 8 plays were in the audience. We had just had a flawless run through of the script with Ali. Susan and I were only minutes into the play without using the script. I was pretending to read my prop menu while waiting to say my next line. Disaster struck! I was not hearing the line Susan should be saying. My mind was thinking "What is she talking about??" I looked over at her. She stopped. It was my turn to say a line but I didn't know how to respond. BAM! My mind went blank, I have no clue what to say. Susan is silent-the audience is silent. Every thing seemed to be in slow motion. I felt helpless. I explain "I don't have any idea what to say." SILENCE. "We are dead in the water!" I stammer.. SILENCE again. Frustration is taking over me with a little bit of anger. I say to myself "Well, if all of you are going to just sit there then I will too!" Finally a line is thrown to us. Susan and I struggle to the ending.
Leaving the stage Susan is in tears. Embarrassment made my cheeks flame. Many attempts from fellow actors were made to console us. Pats on the back, hugs and words of encouragement. Many telling how they had bombed out before. So much well meaning advice loaded on us. "You're trying too hard, relax", "Just let it flow, don't think about it", or "Concentrate!", another said "You should know your lines!" and "You should know how to save each other."
Later I sifted through all this wisdom. "Which is best for us?" I wondered. I assess the situation. Okay, I failed- I really suck at this but at least I tried it. Wise sayings from famous people popped into my head.. The one I best remember is "It is better to fail trying than to fail to try at all." I later got a fortune cookie with the message " Nothing dared, nothing gained."
Determination motivated me to devise a plan. "This will not happen again!!" I realized that the advice of "know your lines" is not enough. You must know your partners lines also in order to "save" them. Concentration was another that I picked.
 I called Susan. Firmly I explained our new plan of action. "We must stop playing with the props-we need to CONCENTRATE!! Both of us will learn each others lines also." I shared with her the idea I had in case one of us forgot a line. I was going to put the whole script in the prop menu. A friend helped us accomplish this. I devised a code: If we have a blank out say "let's order dessert." We will look at the menu. I gave each page of the script a dessert name to let the other know what page we were on. It was in alphabetical order. Pg 1 Apple pie, pg 2 Banana Pie, pg 3 Cherry Pie etc pg 8 was Red Velvet Cake (yum), last pg 10 was Yogurt.
Did we ever resort to the menu code? No, but it was reassuring to know that there would not be a repeat of "dead in the water".
Overview of this whole experience: frustrating, fun, exhilarating and exhausting. I can now join the ranks with other actors to be able to tell of an embarrassing mess up and can give wise advice. Best advice would be- do what works for you.
An interesting possible venture is forming as a result of this play. The play is about starting a Red Hat Society chapter. The Queen of the Tehachapi chapter was so impressed with our performance that she put in a request to the Red Hat Headquarters for Susan and I to do the play at the Las Vegas Convention in front of 4,000 women! Some of our girl friends want to go with us. I reminded them "Okay girls, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!!"