Six months of planning, eleventy billion emails, texts, phone calls, meetings have happened. Now, it’s 40 minutes into the party and stage curtain will open in one half hour. Folks are running around, costumes are being fitted one last time and I am in desperate need of a nap, but the DJ is settling in to his set behind the curtain spinning to a sold out audience that has no idea this is NOT a recording, so there is no rest for the extremely excited (yet weary). A final tug of the sound cords and check of lighting cues via radio headsets and we are off and running. Four different photographers, each with a specific assignment (individual shots, wide shots, action/set shots and candids of the stage cast and guests) are in place. Six dancers from around the world, 4 sound techs, two lighting programmers, a stage manager, a costumer, a chilled bottle of Stoli, some last minute pre-pictures and instructions and we are ready for one amazing DJ who is making his Chicago debut as 1400 people crowd the dance floor and wait for the…..CURTAIN!
