Pirates of the Caribbean - Round Table Fundraiser

Remember way back in June, when I was thrilled at being involved with the Round Table fundraiser?  Well, it's all done and dusted, and over R38,000 was raised for charity in one night,  How awesome is that!


I played a very small part in the preparation, but met some amazing, crazy people along the way, and had great fun at the same time.

I know a few of these pirates - here all ready to be waiters, waitresses and barmen on the night  This vibrant photo was taken by Don from The Studio in Mthatha, who was the official photographer on the night.

The function was on a Saturday, and Round Table moved into the venue on the Wednesday.  They worked wonders transforming an ordinary hall into this magical wonderland::

One wall was covered with this backdrop of a magnificent pirate ship.  It comprised three enormous panels of paper, which were each mounted on a wall before painting. Colour matching between the panels was quite a challenge...

The back of the hall was turned into a Caribbean bar - complete with banana leaves.

Isn't the decor amazing! The third wall represented an old map - of the treasure hunting kind.  This backdrop is the one I spent most time on.

I was asked to paint a whale to fill up some of the space in the sea, and was pooh-poohed when I said that I'm not an artist, I'm only good as a slapper - slapping paint on with a brush or roller.  So I painted a whale.  A rather large one (well, they are large, aren't they?) The next time I came back to paint, after my trip to Grahamstown, my whale was nowhere to be seen.  It was deemed to be TOO large, and had been painted over.  On the left in the pic above, you'll see a smallish island - above the candles. That used to be my whale.

A close-up of my ex-whale

A lovely touch was that all the names on the map are the names of the people who helped with the project - painting, costumes, catering, acting...you name it. So my whale became Wendy's Waterfall. All those names are hand-painted - I could do about three in one evening, with a glass of wine between each name - to ease the cramp in my hand, of course.

The entertainment was hilarious.  There were five skits, performed by Tablers and Friends. My favourite was the Miley Cyrus 'Wrecking Ball' Parody, very loosely based on this version by Jay-Jay, Mike and Dom. I was intrigued to see how the Tablers would recreate the actual wrecking ball.  No problem - they did it Mthatha-style - with scaffolding, chain, and a very, very large brake drum.

Another favourite, which has become an annual tradition, was The Hat Dance.  The closest I could find is this one.  Our vibe on the night was much the same, but of course our guys were better, WAY better.

After a delicious three-course meal, the dancing started...and Bob and I went home.  This was a good thing, as I believe the party ended at 6 the next morning.

Wouldn't it be great if all fund-raising was this much fun?

Hello Grahamstown!

This time last month, I had just returned from a magical week at the National Arts Festival.  I filled my fill of whatever needed filling - 30 shows in 6 days.  (Seeing as there is no cinema in Mthatha, let alone a theatre, I had to overdose on all things theatrical*).

I had the pleasure of staying with family:

On arriving 'home' after my first day of theatre (seven shows)  I was met with this on my bed:  fresh towels, flowers from the garden, a Festival Programme, and best of all - the electric blanket had been switched on - essential in Grahamstown.  How precious!

Some of you know that I am a War Horse groupie, and would give my left hoof to meet Joey in person. He visited us on the Drostdy Lawns and kids were given a chance to 'feed' Joey.  A few lucky ones even managed to hitch a ride.

Joey spent about half an hour on the Drostdy Lawns, to the delight of children and adults alike.

I spent quite a bit of time (and money) at the Village Green Market (The Hare Krishna chickpea fudge is to die for, doll).  I enjoyed the variety and quirkiness of the stalls, but was very aware of the claim that the Village Green is 'The Rich Man's Market'.  There was very little evidence of local traders.  I had to trek to the other end of town so see their wares, and was disappointed by the mass-produced, cheap imports that were on sale, much like many other markets around the country.

If you wished, you could hitch a ride to your next venue on a donkey cart, in style

It was awesome seeing friends from all over the country in Grahamstown - on stage, in the audience or over a rushed cup of coffee.  It was especially special reuniting with Robert, whom I haven't seen for a decade or two. It was also wonderful to meet his gorgeous daughter, who has a passion for all things theatrical, but is leaning towards the film industry. 

Who, you may ask, is Robert...?

...well, this is a pic of Robert (on my right) and me as part of the cast of The Fantasticks - the 1982 HHH production.  Robert and I played the leads (Yes, people paid to hear me sing).  Those of us in the show who are still in touch, have very happy memories of the show.  (I think I had a bit of a crush on the teacher, but can't really remember now.)

No trip to Festival is complete without a visit to the Monument.  While I was there, there was a performance in the arena, and the sound of traditional music resounded throughout the building.

Also at the Monument was an exhibition of some of Handspring Puppet Company's work.  The versatility, imagination and talent was mind-boggling.

Topthorn dominates the entrance to the Handspring Puppet Company exhibition.  Look here for some fabulous pics from the production.  Go and see it if you can, the tickets are well worth the price.  Take tissues.

There are several of these mime artists outside the Monument.  If you put a coin in the box, he will dance for you for a few seconds, much like a wind-up doll.  There are a couple of kids in Mthatha who do this sort of performance art at robots.  Unfortunately, word has it that they use the proceeds to feed their Tik habits.

What a perfect way to end a week of theatre - sitting on the floor in a school hall surrounded by kids laughing at The Wacky Wizard.  And I even know how he did some of the tricks!

So, until next year, back into the theatrical cotton wool I go...

*Performances and talks I attended:

Another Day

Are You Kidding?

Bench

Big Boys II

Big Girls

Burning The Floor

Dirty Words

Going Gooding

HeLa

Hovering

I Came, I Taught, I Left

Illusive

Lake

Memory

More Oom Schalk Stories

Real Meal Revolution – Book Launch

Salt

Same Time Next Year

The Belgian

The Epicene Butcher

The God Complex

The Snow Goose

The Things You Left Behind

The Three Little Pigs

Undone

Undermined

WhatWhat

White Guilt

You Bet Your Life

Wacky Wizard Comedy Magic Show