The pirates who stole Christmas

My phone bill came to an astronomical amount over December and January - I think much of it had to do with the fact that I was trying desperately to upload a video that I made with my Niece and Nephew - a task that is still incomplete! But you'd think I was running an empire and not a little blog!

A kind 'reader of queries' suggested that I upload my video to Youtube and then share with Blogger - yes I will do that and thank you stranger and friend. But here's what the phone bill fuss was all over... As an early Christmas present I went to the fantastic Parkview toy store down the road and brought hand made fabric puppets for my niece and nephew... There was much excitement about the little lone parcels under the brightly decorated tree - presents that they could open Right Now - being still 'so many sleeps till Christmas!' With a choice of Pirates, Doctors, Nurses, Goldilocks, the Three Bears, Lions, Crocodile's, Giraffe's... we made made up a story... starring Ella (nearly 5) and Hugo (just 7)... a simple event driven puppet show... this is the first of what is sure to become The Pirate Adventure Series... 'Crocodile and the Three Bears.' Hugo thought up the title and most of the storyline. I just had to remind them about the point of each scene. They drew and coloured in the scenery... The concept of 'rehearsing' was just too bizarre - so total improvisation is the only way to go - I love youth... incorporating dialogue, setting, movement - even a sneaky fart - into what is a divine little story of the naughty pirates who tried to steal Christmas. For our first 2010 adventure - we're planning The Pirates trip to the Moon and Mars!

What we meant was Senior Primary...

We arrived at Botlhale Primary school one very hot morning in Gaborone, Botswana - there is nothing quite like the Botswana heat - its dry and close - as if the sun were almost touching you - fine dust sits in the air the way salt hangs in the air at the coast. And it's 6am.

Our two cars packed to the roof with props, set pieces and costumes... We were shown into the school hall where the performance was due to take place in about an hour. I casually checked the number of students... and - just cos I'm pedantic - the grades of the students. 150 junior primary students! The average age was between 5 and 7... We had never performed to such a young audience. We set up as quickly as possible and reworked the show - to completely simplify the story line.

We were competing for their attention not only against the heat, with the fairly complex story line, but a small bird had managed to get itself trapped in the hall and flew from window to window desperate to get out... but amazingly we managed. I love in the small clip we got on my stills camera - hence the quality of the footage - how they all go quiet when 'Theodore' tries to get 'Lerato's' attention.

It was such a liberating show actually... we were able to do things that you can't normally do - like ask the kids if they're following the story... let them ask questions in the middle of scene... negotiate who is going to come up for the audience participation...

It was fun - but the show is still really for older kids!

Youth Theatre Rocks...

This is a small movie from the performance we did yesterday at Dainfern College in Johannesburg. The students filmed it and did the lights and the sound. Such fun!