ARABIAN NIGHTS – Production Day 1 – JOSH TAYLOR
Open Sesame
I weave and wind, risk limb and life and put others and myself in a great deal of danger; I haven’t even made it to the theatre. I am on my bike cycling furiously to our first show. A mixture of fear, adrenaline and excitement swirls in the bottom of my stomach. Maybe it’s the bus drivers trying to seek revenge or maybe its because after a long week of rehearsals we have arrived at our first show. I think the four other actors are feeling in the same way. Line cramming and polishing of scenes are happening all around and suddenly out of nowhere 1pm arrives. As I lie on the theatre floor in my hi-vis jacket and builder’s hat, thoughts circulate; will we remember everything? Will the audience like it? Will they laugh? Suddenly before any more apprehension can set in we have begun. The show went swimmingly and the audience were really captivated and laughed throughout. There were a few minor hiccups but nothing that will not be smoothed out once we are all settled into the run. From where we came from a week ago it is a miracle how far we have come. I would be lying if I was not a little anxious about condensing 1001 nights into a 45 minute slot but we have a really well-rounded show. From the audience feedback I think they really get the multi-layered stories and enjoyed the different ways we use all the props to create animals and places . All we need now is big audience. So come on down!!
