Dan and Dave on the road again and our first show today. What a brilliant little school in Bremer Bay, great children and staff. Exciting to be working with the over creative (how does anyone have that much creativity in their soul) Dave McCleery and watching the magic around the room happen again. What a talented, fun group of young people we worked with today; loved every minute of it.
So much happens in a show, but today something happened for the first time. I had what must have been a dyslexic moment, explaining to students how I’d gone blind in my left ear while Dave had gone deaf in his right eye, when we were little. This brought the laughter house down again, but this time accidentally. Loved the moment, might keep it in the show.
We left on a great high, got picked up for speeding and copped a $300 fine on a nice long stretch of road from a friendly policeman driving a fast car who looked about ten years old, while excitedly talking about how well the show had gone, and how good it was to be back on the road again.
Arrived quite slowly into Esperance and have two shows tomorrow, two more on Thursday and two on Friday before heading back to Albany on Friday, just for the day, before heading to Bunbury on Sunday. One show and one day at a time though.
Wednesday 27th July:
Two shows today at a south west Primary School today. The more I do this the more I have a deep respect for teachers and the job they do. They don't do this for the money or the prestige, so it has to be a commitment to make a difference to children. Because it is such a huge vocation to be in, teachers are often vulnerable and under immense pressure. I'm mentioning this now because the shows today were brilliant, and both the students and teachers were wonderful to work with. However there are always children that you know are getting a rough deal in life, they are in every school, and when we meet them there's often a heart stopping moment when you just want to rescue them from their lives.
We had a very interesting full-on school, and I feel exhilarated and shattered. The shows went brilliantly, so many kids from low socio economic backgrounds, very needy, desperate for attention. Really bonded with one little girl who I discovered later spends most of her time in crisis care. They didn’t want us to leave. You can make a difference in a short period and it can be lasting, but we often find kids we want to save from their lives, but have to just
move on. It can be emotionally draining. I have developed an immense respect for teachers and the job they do.
We had such a laugh today, and I know some of the children we meet are desperate for that one on one attention they rarely get anywhere else. It is always hard to leave them. However teachers deal with this situation every day, and must get emotionally involved in their students lives on a daily basis. They also need to stay detached as well, and how they do both these at the same time I don't know. The more we tour, the more respect I have for teachers and the vocation they have chosen.
The children today created some wonderful artwork and stories, and as a group they were great to both work with and perform too. Laughter is infectious, and children laughing fit to bust for long periods shifts the energy in a room so anything and everything seems possible.
The show is always about creating self esteem, self confidence, resilience and living a life we love. It is a big aim, creating all this in an hour and a half show, but we get there by using irresistible creative writing and cartooning techniques that always captivate and inspire. We have as much fun as the audience, and we never know what's going to happen next.
A teacher came up to us today, bubbling over with excitement about a young boy she works with who has autism. He reacted during the show in ways the teacher had never seen before, and it was very exciting and moving for us to realise the impact we were having on him. We are often told that something in the show gets through powerfully to children with autism, and this is humbling.
The opening today, from being trapped in a cave with a bear to becoming a baby and toddler again, had me in stitches as well as I kept seeing the faces in front of me. I kept a straight face throughout, even though I kept spluttering inside. Laughter is so infectious and I am not immune. There were two children to my left who had the most delightful giggles, and once they started they couldn't stop.
This tour really is a roller coaster every time. Once we hit the top and roll over the edge, there's no stopping and the ride is entirely unpredictable. No wonder I have a tingle of nerves and excitement before every show on every tour.
