What would theatre be if we didn’t have to constantly remind ourselves that the show must go on, battered, bruised or blind. Here are some of the things which kept us very much on our toes.
1. The Fire Extinguisher Which Wouldn’t
During a performance of Benchmarks at the National Arts Festival, the policeman came out with a fire extinguisher to put out flames, only the pin had not been released, and seconds before the cue, the problem could not be understood, leaving the masked-performer to enter onto stage wildly mimicking a working fire extinguisher.
2. “Turn your flipping phone off! What? Oh…”
During Pictures of You an obtrusive cellphone went off and before the director could evil-eye the alleged perpetrator in the audience, he recognised the ringtone and realised the sound was coming from backstage…
3. Flip Fail
Christo normally completes an impressive back-flip in Shortcuts, except for that one time in America, where he fell on his head, before dusting himself off and carrying on. Fortunately, his ego was more bruised than anything else.
4. “That bandage was not just part of the show”
Thumeka performed in Benchmarks with an incredibly sprained wrist but soldiered on through the cold weather in Grahamstown.
5. Tanya Heywood: The Super Sub.
It was just not Thumeka’s year; just before the run of Benchmarks at Out the Box, she was in a car accident which left her on crutches. Instead of pulling the show, Tanya Heywood was called in to replace Thumeka and learned the piece in less than a week. The show went on to win the Handspring Puppetry Award for Best Puppet Manipulation.
Try that for awesome.
6. Blindman’s Bluff
Despite being amazing mask design, the masks for Benchmarks proved to be very difficult to see through, and when Rob’s lighting design was brought into play, the actors were sometimes walking blindly through the set.
And that, boys and girls, is why rehearsals are so important.
