Chronicles of a Theatre’s Room Assistant

Hello, it’s me again! I’m on a row. And still writing in English as hope is always the last one standing.

I’m currently working as a room assistant, at a theatre in Porto. It’s a fairly easy job when people are not extremely rude, or insane, but it can also be a bit tricky. That is if we bear in mind that I have to work directly with public, and my people skills leave an awful lot to be desired. Room assistants are the annoying ones that keep telling people not to take pictures or answer their mobile phones in the middle of a show. It’s not like anyone cares, cause pictures keep being taken and mobile phones keep being answered… but that’s what we do.

As a room assistant (such a fancy name for such a stupid job), I get to watch a lot of shows. Some plays are extraordinary painful to watch and others are maddening to watch more than once (and when I know almost all the lines of each character is definitely a bad sign for my mental health). But once in a while I’m allowed to see high-quality shows that are actually worth paying for.

Granted, some plays take away my essence. I’m particularly bitter as I was obligated to watch the same horrible, horrible play, not just once but TWICE, with actors completely detached from reality as they stood playing night after night for audiences of merely one or two people, when they themselves were four. I hope the air has enjoyed the play, because the room was sure full of it. I (barely) survived by letting my mind wonder outside that place. I tried to keep in mind that I was being paid for staying there, but even that didn’t help much. And so, I just kept on preventing the nice lady from taking pictures and hoping that she didn’t leave, cause how awkward would that be?, but at the same time feeling sorry for the lack of choice she seemed to have. I know I sound harsh, and I am, but all I’m saying is that people that can’t sing at all or speak French, shouldn’t be allowed to sing, let alone IN French. And that actors reading from papers and doing uninteresting, incomprehensible (at least for me) monologues are just as boring as the ones trying to crawl on the walls (literally), or the ones videotaping the other’s face within an inch of distance, not saying or doing anything else, for at least 5 minutes. Too artsy for my, apparently underprivileged, taste.

But anyway, I’m here to talk about good things, not the ones that could seize Sauron’s throne effortlessly. So I was saying that some performances take away vital force, but then others just give it back.

I know that most people know Pedro Tochas from such mainstream mediums as TV and publicity. He worked with Maria Rueff in her show and also appeared several times in Curto-Circuito (ok, that really doesn’t help selling my point of view… not in the least), but he’s probably most famous in Portugal for his Frize campaign. Internationally though, he’s known for much different reasons and in quite different circles. He generally talks about it in the second part of his shows, when people ask him questions about his work and creative techniques.

Sometimes he does stand-up comedy, which can be quite funny and appealing as he has a very interesting approach to it, encouraging (or should I say forcing?) the public to intervene throughout the show, and intelligently linking these interventions, in very coherent and improvisational ways. From what I’ve seen, sometimes it’s quite a hard thing to do.

But I’m writing about another type of show, the one he does on the street… or rather, that he does in streets all over the world. This is called “O Palhaço Escultor” (The Sculptor Clown) and here’s how he describes it in his MySpace:

“Translated as The Sculptor Clown, this interdisciplinary work is the one-man equivalent of “Wallace and Grommit”. It’s a visual treat for all the family that will never cease to entertain and amaze. Akin to your favorite silent movie, expect with an elaborate language of facial expressions, the telling of (convoluted) tales filled with immortal love, a full entourage of discombobulated feelings and all the mishaps and mayhem that accompanies the beautiful evolution of life.”

This description could be seen as exaggerated (with references to silent movies and all), hadn’t the show been that good. And who knows me the least, knows how much I love the “clowns” from those movies, people with a lot of dignity and, generally, the same amount of misfortune and a bit of clumsiness. Because of that, I really hate when people compare all sorts of characters with them, up and down, when there isn’t any resemblance what so ever, and no reason to do it. But that’s not the case here, I don’t think, I find it to be a very appropriate comparison. It’s not cinema, obviously, but the clown is, for some reason, quite cinematic.

He also pays a tribute to cinema in general when doing his small “movie”, picking up some classical plot twists and recreating (very vaguely, obviously) scenes from well-known films (like the scene in Indiana Jones, with the guy that does all kinds of gesticulation with his blade, and then Indy just shoots him).

I’m always amazed, when I see stuff like this, by what we’re able to say with facial/body expression and some props. Some people are quite brilliant using those tools, and Tochas managed to create a very cranky, bossy but adorable character, without looking like an imitation.

This is the show he does during festivals of street theatre and similar ones, and, like in stand-up, there’s a lot of interaction with people watching, but always without talking. He chooses “volunteers” that play parts in a story that he conceives… and an important ingredient for having success is whether these “volunteers” are collaborating interestingly in the act, or not. Naturally, a lot of improvisational skills are needed, but also, a lot of supposedly improvised bits are actually not so, and therefore are previously rehearsed to perfection.

Besides Pedro’s talent to express himself without words, he also combines it with the sculptured balloons (the ones that give the clown his name) that help bring that extra tear to our eyes, after so many laughs. Oh… and he also mixes a bit of juggling (and very well done, I must say), because the clown starts his act actually as a juggler. Man!, the guy really does everything, and plus he has a very good attitude towards life, with lots of Carpe Diem in the middle… he’s definitely my hero! (I guess those Curto-Circuito’s appearances can be forgiven)

So, who knows?, maybe some day I’ll also be in some unknown street, making people laugh, or at least smile (which sometimes is so much better), and spreading Charlie Chaplin’s words “a day without laughter is a day wasted”.

From what I’ve noticed, Pedro Tochas is always traveling, always in different places in the world, so it’s quite possible that he’ll be coming to places you’re close to. I strongly recommend that you watch at least one of his performances, if you have the chance. You won’t regret it, I’m sure.

Just to finalize the post… yes, sometimes being a theatre’s room assistant does pay off, and more than just money.

P.s.: And by the way, the awful play is called “Duras: ela disse” (Duras as in Marguerite) or Secretos, I couldn’t quite get it, and the theatre company is Eclipse Arte. My advice to you is run the further away from it you can, if you’re ever close to watching one of their plays. Trust me.

Isabel
Monday, April 30, 2007