“In Theatre We Have To Understand Immediately.”

Ben began class by presenting a number in which he said a speech by Hendrik Verwoerd about the benefits of Apartheid.

He did it in a South African accent, with black skin like an African, with his hands bound and a tyre jamming his arms to his body. He also had dripping wet hair. This was a reference to a horrible way in which African’s were killed - by putting tyres over them, covering them with kerosene, and lighting them on fire.

However Philippe said the image was confusing. We weren’t clear whether it was a slave speaking, or a slave mocking, or perhaps a mechanic speaking (his makeup wasn’t believable).

“In theatre we have to understand immediately.”

Philippe suggested Ben dress like a white man in a nice suit, but with the tyre image. Or to change and do a positive Bouffon moment where Nelson Mandela arrives. It wasn’t so clear where he should go yet. But “we have to try many things and we take the most shocking in a good way.”

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Mike presented a script he had written in which Cain and Abel come to God’s Birthday party. God like’s Abel’s present (meat) but doesn’t like Cain’s (veges). Eventually Cain kills Abel and gives him to God as a gift (meat).

The problem was his text was too long, and there wasn’t any clear actions to go with the text. And Philippe said without action it’s just bla bla bla. It also wasn’t clear what was the blaspheme in the text. Who was Mike saying fuck you too? He said he wanted to show how ridiculous the bible is, but it was a bit loose. Philippe suggested Mike adjust the scene to speak about something from today, such as immigration. “You have to speak about something from today.”

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Duncan also directed an improvisation of a scene he wants to write, in which he says fuck you to charity workers. He had a bunch of homeless tramps on one side of the stage, and a clean positive charity worker on the other, talking about ‘saving the animals’. 

I didn’t like where the scene was going because I feel like people that try to save animals are doing something good, and that who’s to say that we should be saving humans before we save animals? But it turns out this isn’t what Duncan wanted to say. He wanted to say fuck you to charities that rip people off. That ask for $1 a day but actually only give 1 cent to the people they say they’re going to help. 

I think the scene could be good if the person asking for money is fundraising for something ridiculous, like a round-the-world trip for a rich school group. Then the image of a rich person asking for more money, next to a group of people who really need it, might be interesting.