I'm a Pretty Wildebeest

Darkness. Lights up to reveal a blue washing up bowl half full of water and a golden crocodile nut cracker placed in front of it. This represents the river and the crocodile that lays in wait. The lion roars and sounds of the jungle. In the distance, the herd begins to approach.

Stampede! Stumble. Crash. Bang. Fuck. I think I broke a hoof...

This is how we entered the theater.

On Saturday I was lucky enough to have been a part of the 2nd Play in a Day - a new concept that was developed by those creative, clever people at BIG Improv and Dusty Apple.  Eight writers are given their individual props that must be incorporated,  along with a line that must be included in the script, in this case: "I don't like the dark." At this stage (at 8:30pm on Friday night) the writers have no idea who will be performing their creation, they just know how many actors they have, their gender and nationalities.

Then the busy little writers take their quills and ink back to their abodes and write away by candle light all through the night! The scripts have to be sent over by early the next morning so that they can be distributed to their allocated directors. The directors have also been kept in the dark, they know not the identities of their writers or actors, they just have words on a page and their vision.

At 11:00 am Saturday morning- cue actors! Who also have no idea who will be directing them, acting with them or who wrote their play. I had been feeling completely vile all week with a nasty chest infection and I had been making a point of doing nothing but work and go home to bed every day last week inn order to feel well enough to do the show. I am so glad I did because I needed all the energy I could muster to summon up my inner wildebeest! I was very fortunate to have a sensational director and a brilliant group of ladies who formed our herd so the day was nothing but fun, laughter (mainly at the fart interlude mid way through) and creativity!

Thanks to our talented writer, the concept of our story was pure surreal, comic brilliance! Four wildebeest in a herd trying to find a safe place to cross the river over to pastures greener, while trying to avoid getting snatched under water by the crocodile. Wearing all black, high heels, hair in baby spice bunches and faces covered with gold and orange glitter (courtesy of my make-up bag containing all the glitter!) we entered from the staircase, trampled through the crowd and hopped in over the river. There was leader who was resourceful and caring, the bitch who was just 'over it', the pretty one, naive, pleasant and desperately concerned about her broken hoof and the neurotic little one, who spends the entire play mid-panic attack and sadly meets a tragic end in the washing up bowl!

I couldn't have been happier to see my gypsies in the crowd being wonderful and supportive and encouraging and as a result I felt really happy and fulfilled when the show was over. Not to mention the fact that I was thorough entertained and incredibly impressed by the seven other performances that debuted that evening. The atmosphere was electric and excited, it was so nice to all jump on stage at the end, writers, directors, actors and organizers!

Everyone that contributed to making Saturday the raging success that it was deserves a massive congratulations and their achievement should be recognized. I suppose that I why I decided to write a blogg about it!

Here's to creativity, spontaneity and making people smile :)

                                                                            <3