"So, this brings us to the end of today's lecture." Our lecturer, Mr Durojaiye said into the microphone in his hand, and my eyes darted to the wall clock above his head.

We had only used thirty minutes out of the two hours meant for lecture and I rejoiced internally at the thought of going home now.

I was forced by my conscience to attend in the first place, and I have regretted that decision since I walked in, until now.

"Class, this is going to be the last time we gather together for a lecture in the next few months. The remaining classes will be taught through practicals."

Practicals? This was going to be one heck of a class.

I didn't want to think of the  consequences of taking practicals for a course. And I remembered that this was a university, its life was very stress free, so it shouldn't be a problem. Or what could be stress less as having freedom to the extent of deciding when to attend lectures?

"Excuse me, please. I want to take a call and I want absolute silence." He said and he stepped to a side of the class to call.

Surprisingly, the class did make noise to the extent that I wondered if they heard a word of what the he had said. I was scared that he would be angry, but again, this was a University, he couldn't flog us. I had always been a sucker for floggings and I avoided it at all cost. It puts me in a draining situation of being the main focus at that time, and also trying to manage my every actions.

After some minutes, Mr Durojaiye came back, shaking his head. "You people can't keep quiet for some minutes?"

The class went silent as if it was really remorseful.

Naughties.

"Well, it's a situation that you would learn to control in the next few months." He shrugged.

He signaled, then some students filed in and went to meet him. After a few minutes of talk with them, Mr Durojaiye turned back to us. "I will give you all a number now, stick to it."

He started the numbering with the first person at the front edge of the class and then the next, going between the numbers, one and two. When it got to my turn, I was numbered one.

After he finished the process, he asked us to file out to the open space outside the class which we all did.

So far, I didn't have a problem with everything we did. No attention was directed to me as I flowed with their moves.

"I want the number Ones at a side and the number Twos at another." Mr Durojaiye instructed.

We shuffled into each other trying to follow Mr Durojaiye's instruction. After some minutes, we managed to arrange ourselves. I stood at the back with my gaze down. I had no friend to talk to or stand with like others.

"Okay," Mr Durojaiye's cleared his throat, "like I said earlier, you will be having practical aspect of this course. It's already in the name, Theatre Workshop.

I hope you all know it's a three unit course. And it's compulsory for every English Arts student."

What the fuck? Compulsory? Okay, Idera, okay. Be optimistic.
It can't be that bad. I was already starting to have a bad feeling about the course my mind had just wandered to the possibility of dropping it.

"These people right here are 400 level students," he pointed to the students that he was talking to earlier, "they will supervise you in the plays I will assign to each groups. They will lead you at rehearsals, and after that you will make a presentation at a chosen date, the outcome will be their final year project result and your semester's results, so I advise you don't joke around with it."

Students began to murmur about God-knows-what. I don't even know what I should be thinking right now.

"Another fact you should know is that you do whatever they say. You give the same amount of respect you give to me to them. If  you go against any of their instructions, you might as well consider yourself coming back to retake the course next year. Those of you that keep talking or murmuring with be taught some lessons."

The murmuring among us grew louder.

"Okay, keep on doing that, you'll learn with time." He chuckled. "Now that I have gotten down some rules, I'll introduce you to your supervisors, they will give you the remaining rules you ought to know." He stated.

"For group one, this is your Director, Israel is his name." He patted a dark guy standing him. "You can't address any of them by their names though, but by their title. Then this is his assistant, Ade." He pointed to another guy.

He moved to two girls standing together," Titi here is your Stage Manager, and her friend Lilah, is the Assistant Stage Manager."

He grabbed a girl by her face, "Then you have this naughty Zainab as your Songito."

"These will be your direct supervisors, the indirect ones are the Choros which mean chorography leaders, Props Manager who will be in charge of providing you with things you'll need and other stuffs you need, Costumians and Make- ups. I hope I am clear to you all."

Choruses of 'yeses and nos' rendered the air while I was trying to wrap my head around everything I just heard.

"I will let your Director take it up from here while I introduce other groups to their directors." He concluded.

"Good luck and bye for now now." He walked off to the next group.

I looked at our supervisors and chills went down my spine. They all had wicked face, both the males and females except for the Songito who looked playful. Or maybe I was imagining that she was playful because the lecturer had called her 'naughty', but her face looked soft anyways.

The Director's face was the worst, his muscled face looked as if he wanted to excrete two weeks faeces. I was certain that he was wicked.

"Hmmmmn," Director cleared his throat, "I don't know if you know what we are doing here, but first of all, we all need to get to today's venue for rehearsals, it's_"

"We are starting rehearsals today?" He got interrupted by one of us .

I was thankful because that was a question that also plagued my mind.

"Firstly, you don't interrupt me. And yes, you are starting rehearsals today. The venue is at Amphitheatre, so I need you all to run there."

"Run there? It's far." A girl chirped in.

"Yes, you will run there with your mouth open."

What?

"What?" Almost all the freshers chorused.

"Now move, it would do you much good if you don't keep us waiting." the director added.

Waiting? What did he mean?

He moved to a pathway with the remaining supervisors, and they stopped two tricycles.

Now I understand what he meant by 'waiting'. The two males clambered into one while the females into the second.

"We will be waiting for you there," Director pointed to himself and the other guy, "while  they will move at your pace to ensure you that you all run with your mouth open." He pointed to the other tricycle.

My jaw dropped internally.

So he did mean it when he said we were going to run with our mouths open.

I heard some students grunting and talking about how they would never subject themselves to this kind of suffering. I wanted to join them, not to talk like them but not to run like them.

I reconsidered my opinion when I saw half of us sprinting towards the route the first tricycle had taken. I couldn't stand any attention that should later occur to these adamant ones, so I joined the running ones.

Approximately, thirty minutes later, we got to the venue panting. Some students didn't run like they had said.

"Good." Director stated nodding his head, " this is a punishment for not keeping shut when Mr Durojaiye asked you to earlier. For those that didn't run, they would be given three absent in the register. Just so you know, if you have more than five absent, you have failed this course." He grinned devilishly.

"Why don't you note down these rules while we wait for others?" He pointed to a white board that they had managed to bring to this empty space.

What was scribbled on the board was;

1. You must always comes with your rehearsal skit which should be loose jeggins and round neck tops.

2. You should never be seen with your slippers on the stage or its representation.

3. You should never be seen with your phone during rehearsals.

4. There would be breaks included in the schedule, so you shouldn't be caught eating during rehearsals.

5. You shouldn't be a minute a to rehearsal.

6. The Directors sets the time for the rehearsals, so be comfortable with it.

7. Always get permission for everything you do in a rehearsal.

I laughed internally at the rules, they might as well declare to us that we were now slaves.

"Alright, others are here, you all should get sitted." A.D told us as he watched the remaining ones stroll in.

"Where?" Someone asked.

"On the floor, of course." Director's eyes widened.

We all sat on the floor, including those that were just walking in.

"Now that we are settled, we are going to move on to the audition part. Since we are acting out a play, we would be having actors, dancers and orchestras. You can as well go for more than one, that would boost your scores, but now you have to pick one of the three and make a presentation."

Director's words knocked air out of my lungs.

I would present in front of a crowd.

The thought of that made me slowly seep into a panic attack, something that I hoped would kill me so I can be free from this miserable life of mine and what would happen next.

"Who wants to come out first?" Director stomped his feet on the floor and I suspected that this wasn't the first time he was asking this.

No one still volunteered.

"Just give them numbers randomly." Songito threw at him and he replied with an agreeing nod.

I cursed Songito in my heart.

Director started pointing to is randomly, "1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11..."

I was eleven.

I am as good as dead.