Written on the day Moto GP
rider Marco Simoncelli was killed on the racetrack at Sepang in October 2011
and published online by Poetry 24, I posted it here recently then deleted it to ensure that two related posts sat together. I'm glad I did, as today's Moto GP from the recently renamed Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is a perfect excuse for reposting:
Marco,
you were
beautiful, graced
the race
track with
your
slender, leathered
figure,
the interviews with
your shyly smiling face,
your hair
a scribbled
signature
to tell
the world you
wanted to
stand out,
and so you
did.
Outstanding
for
the life
in you, the
drive and
verve and
energy as
every
nerve and
sinew relished
every
single minute
of your
too short
existence.
Goodbye.
I never
met you, yet
I’ll miss
you.
God bless
you.
I stumbled in to 'Robin Hood and the Giant' by accident (it started with a poor joke on facebook; I told David Calcutt, playwright extraordinaire, that I could play a man dressed as a woman).True to form I then gave it a full half second of careful consideration before jumping in with both feet. One Sunday I was in Bloxwich at the Bookmark Library Theatre to meet other fools cast members, the next I heard the ominous words "we have to put a frying pan in that woman's hand", spoken by the play's director, Glen Buglass.
Let me just explain a little for those who are still not aware: this was the first of four 'mumming' plays being written by David Calcutt, playwright extraordinaire, to be performed in Walsall town centre and to reintroduce the medieval tradition of street theatre.
Rehearsing twice a week was a push, as was learning lines, but I'd decided to try something new (I think you should have at least one completely new experience each year, preferably more) and it was fun too! The rest of the cast were just brilliant- lovely people, great characters, all with skills and talents to complement each other, all good company. Some only turned up to make props (one just came to collect his dancer daughter!) but were soon roped in to play, sing or act.
The script was already funny but David, Glen and the cast made it even more so with inventive ideas and suggestions. And the frying pan? An essential prop for Maid Marian, but not for some wispy fair maiden (or they couldn't have cast me!) but a battleaxe from Wednesbury who brings Robin back from the dead with the power of her voice. It was an honour to be given a 'meaty' role, even though I had to rest my poor vocal chords for a couple of days afterwards.
Rehearsals all done, we turned up at The Black Country Arms on Saturday 25th August and got ready for the first of three performances. Despite the rain we had a marvellous time, playing to over 500 people including the Mayor.
It was all over too soon really: an experience, a laugh, a challenge, an achievement- a blast. Over for me, anyway, for the time being, due to other commitments. As I said at the start David Calcutt, playwright extraordinaire, is writing more of these wonderful extravaganzas and it's not too late to be involved. Get in touch at the Bayard's Colts website- that name and the background is explained there too- and tell Glen that you too would like to join 'Odd People doing Daft Things in a Strange Place'. Many of that wonderful cast are in the next one, 'The Alchemist and the Devil', so go on, give it a go and have a great time.
The link is in the blogpost called Next... along with links to photos of the event............
Oh ok, here's one to be getting on with:
