January 20, 2008

libraries aren't just for reading books, you know


Even though I no longer have to pee in the basin, the theater I am currently working in is not exactly luxurious. Despite the proximity of a loo this time, our dressing room is worse because there is only one. For six actors. Last time there were two dressing rooms for four actors. See the difference? Smell the difference, more accurately.
Oh, what one puts up with in the theatre....

We have already had to cancel a Sunday afternoon performance due to a lack of audience. The accepted theatre rule is that if there are more actors than audience members, the show is off. Well, we didn't even have to count - there was no ONE audience member, so we had tea instead.

Tonight, we had a good-sized house. Exciting stuff! I was so wound up afterwards that I walked home and then walked past home and beyond. Eventually I zig-zagged back home and decided I needed to go for a run. Now, please understand that I am no runner. I love doing sport - read: fitness & dance classes - but running is not something I usually do voluntarily, although I used to sprint for my school. Sprinting is different - I can sum up the interest necessary for a quick dash, but anything longer bores me and thus...I don't know what to do with myself when that little (sane) voice in my head says: "remind me why I want to make my lungs burn??"

Tonight was different though. I really needed to get rid of excess performance energy and I think living in a small space is getting to me. Not having a garden is getting to me. Not having a car in which to sing at the top of my voice is getting to me. So I found myself running and jumping and stretching and dancing and swinging off the bars and poles of the esplanade of the Bibliothèque Nationale François Mitterand like a moegoe at 22h40 tonight. For an hour I ignored the stares of people crossing the esplande where I was doing push-ups off the walls and later on, I ignored the sniggers of people using the foot-bridge where, bathed in pink lighting (cool idea, no idea why it's there) I made it my business to "footloose" like Kevin Bacon to a soundtrack of Annie Lennox (is that even possible? Oh yes, it sure is), The Counting Crows & Dave Matthews.

I'm thinking... maybe it's time to seek out Africa's wide open spaces again?

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