The last performance of ‘How to Write a Tasteful Novel’
I was particularly nervous about this one, because it was being videoed. As usual, I walked to the Pirate Bar, but a block or two away, I took five minutes to chill.
I stayed chilled on stage, and slowed down some of the moments, adding pauses to get the best effect from the lines. I included all the ad-libs that I’d incorporated into my previous six performances.
One good thing about performing at the Pirate Bar is that I got to see people’s smiles and attentiveness, even when they weren’t laughing, though there was plenty of laughter as well. In a lot of venues, the performer is lucky to see one or two faces in the crowd.
And what a crowd it was! It was a dry, balmy evening, so we could open out the side of the bar and let in more people, who otherwise would have missed the show.
Here are some of the pics from afterwards:
Sonia and I first met when we were in high school and have reconnected over the last few years.Cesar helped teach me Spanish, and saw some of the results that night.Vincent and Fiona studied Law with me. At last year’s Law School reunion, I told them about the show. So happy they were there!I used to work with Tamara. Wonderful to see her again.Steve and Graham have been such enthusiastic supporters of my creative endeavours.Age in descending order. I was born on 11 April. Harsha was born on 12 April. Meg was born on 13 April. All in the same year.Dave (in the centre) was not born in April, but his mother’s name is April, and she went to the first preview with him. So Dave is one of the people who saw my show twice.Kathy has been to all three of my shows at the Pirate Bar and always says such nice things about them on Facebook.Cousin Jennie drove from down south to see this.Justin and Chris are from the gym. My Sydney flatmate introduced Meg and Jon twenty-two years ago … they’ve been married for the last twenty.This was the first time that Justin had seen me perform.Kate, another first timer, took to the show, and was a hoot to chat with afterwards.An example of the smallness of Perth. Sonia took along Mel, who in turn is friends with Bridget and Graham.Bridget and Graham saw my show last year, and I was so glad they came back!The same applies to Joyce and Angie.Angie was the first to book tickets for any of the performances.Steve and Allan … I loved Steve’s New York subway t-shirt. It’s a transit system I’ve never quite understood. Will have to study the shirt in more detail.Aaron, who’s videoed all my shows, with skill and clarity, and always enthusiastic and supportive to work with.Matt (on the right) is from C4 Concepts. They’re the graphic designers who came up with the pixelated book cover.
