One of my most favourite pieces of theatre this year was Drive With Me, written and performed by me and directed by Liz Mills. I not only loved doing it, I loved doing it at The Alexander Bar, loved the extraordinary responses I had to it, critically, but especially personally, and I totally loved being on stage in front of tiny full houses, receiving the love and warmth of shared work. I particularly loved being able to share my writing of this piece.
One of the most dangerous and exciting theatrical things I did this year was I Could Go On, three nights of me performing solo improv. Did everything work? No. Did some things exceed expectations? Totally. But I loved it. (I was held by director and gorgeous friend Candice D’Arcy).
One of my proudest moments of the year was the reading of my play Clouds Like Waves by friends and brilliant talents Jaci de Villiers, Tandi Buchan, Nicole Franco, Heather Mac and Charlie Keegan. They made me see how much I love this play. They were awesome and awe inspiring.
One of my absolute delights this year was directing Lynita Crofford in Violet Online. What a sexy little experiment that totally paid off in deliciousness. (opening at the Kalk Bay Theatre on 26 Jan for a 2 week run).
My big and enduring theatrical love affair was my industrial theatre road show for Engen. Honestly, after 10 years they just get better and better, and I love my cast, client and audiences deeply.
One of the last favourites of the year was the total joy of directing Nicholas Spagnoletti’s Drowned Bride. I was as off the wall as I could be, and I was allowed to be. What a gift, I tell ya.
My most outrageous theatrical project was coaching and directing a group of bankers to re-interpret four fairy tales and then perform them competitively. They were inspiring, hilarious and the best teams ever. They taught me so much.
There was more. All of it, in fact. But these were my favourite favourites. Thanks to all who help me do exactly what I love.
I set about taking the nuts out and within seconds my hands were coated with very impossibly gooey pine sap. Sticky, brown, sticks to everything sap. So I asked Big Friendly to google for the best way to remove pine sap from skin and within nano seconds he had found a few options on the magical internet. I decided to try the first one, because it was one ingredient, I had some in the cupboard, and it promised to take 30 seconds.
Big friendly gave me a tablespoon of peanut butter (Black Cat crunchy if you must know) and I rubbed it into my hands for about 30 seconds. It felt fantastic, and smelled amazing. And then I washed it off. That is it. Peanut butter took off every last sticky blob of pine sap.
Which is why I love the internet, and nature, and peanut butter. Best internet solution ever.
A gift was passed my way. Nicholas Spagnoletti gave me his brand new short play to direct as part of The Anthologists, a tiny run of three plays taking place at The Alexander Bar from Monday the 8th of December. The other two are plays written and directed by Candice D’Arcy and Louis Viljoen, so expect different, unusual, crazy. Amy Wilson and Adrian Collins are in all three (how is that for a challenge?) and Brendon Daniels appears in Fundamental, Candice’s play.