The PWB Show: First stop Vijayawada

During our first month in Vijayawada we had ample time to perform our new show. The first 3 shows were with SKCV where our teaching projects were spread over 3 locations: The drop-in center (a night shelter for street boys) and the boy´s and girl´s villages (a home environment for those ex-street kids without any family support). After our enthusiastic reception on Kudlee beach, Gokarna, the team entered these new shows with bundles of new energy, and this certainly paid off. The kids responded with high energy clapping, squealing and laughter throughout the shows, laying a good foundation for our workshops to begin. With many different stages of varying sizes and obstacles, the PWB team managed each show with true professionalism.

The drop-in center provided the first show for the team and this went off without too many hitches, and managed to pull a few random kids from outside the center, into the audience. The show went down really well despite a slow start in audience participation, by the end we had a couple of standing ovations for the fire. We were then invited to eat with the boys, they were full of smiles, appreciation and couldn’t wait for the workshops to start. At the boys village the team were treated to a green room with fan and leather sofas! The constant topping up of snacks and chai meant the show began with great energy on a rather large caffeine high, despite a few performers still recovering from the long train journey and their first round of delhi belly! The girls village was the show that provided a little more time for some pre-show clowning. This involved some nifty hat tricks from Andy and Mike, followed by balloon modeling and general comedic interference from the rest of the crew. I think the staff members also enjoyed being singled out in some clowning from Dave. The girls also provided a copycat for Olly during the show, providing lots of audience participation and a slight challenge for the authoritarian figure of Police. All shows were left with a buzzing audience and much enthusiasm for the upcoming workshops.

Whilst in Vijayawada we were also invited to perform extra shows for a larger organisation called Care and Share. We were given a tour of their bakery, nursery, school and extensive grounds. Our show was incorporated into a show the kids were performing for some of the initial sponsors. It involved traditional indian welcome dances followed by other acts such as group songs oriented around community and hope, built up a nice crowd for the PWB main act. Issues with the provided soundsystem, after hours of adjusting to make Celine Dion as loud as possible for pre-show entertainment, made an interesting new challenge for all performers as there was no melody to take our cues from! We quickly changed back the the good old PWB amp, and the show continued. Mike and Jemma seamlessly presented a beautiful two-high with fire staffs for the first time on tour, receiving a huge applause from the audience. With ample space the fire skipping rope was perhaps the safest we had done it, apart from the slippery paraffin soaked floor on which we were jumping… A panting and exhilarated PWB crew then sat to watch the end of the children´s presentations. Much to the delight of the team, the next song was a Micheal Jackson tune- Heal the world. A much enjoyed karaoke session! The team were treated to a meal with parmesan and beer after which we bundled into the Care and Share bus, most of the team were asleep within 10 minutes as we made our way home.

Halfway through the month the team were asked to perform at the local school where we were living in Gollapudi. This gave the team a great chance to give back to the local community and bring smiles to another 1,500 kids, parents and teachers. Apart from initial confusion from the soundsystem the show went smoothly, with extra space to play with and 2 levels to arrange the fire show there was definitely more space for creative improvisation. The audience, although restless, increased in size as the performance continued. At the end team members had to rush forwards to protect the flaming lighting bowls at the front of the stage as excited children rushed forward to shake hands and ask for autographs. Each member of the team was bombarded by many kids and staff in the dark, making clearing the stage a little bit of a challenge. We were treated to a traditional Andhra Pradesh dinner (renowned for its spice), where Livi learned the hard way how to distinguish chilies from peppers.

Our Final show was performed at Care and Share´s home for children affected by HIV / Aids. We began with a short workshop in the midday heat, we were surprised at how quickly the skills were being picked up and the attention and enthusiasm shown by the kids. This could have been due to a english medium at Care and Share or the children´s prior experience of interaction with Italian clowns who also had volunteered at the center before. This made the performance more intimate, with a real sense of the crowds emotion throughout the show. However, this show had many challenges. Being down one member of the team meant a quick run through of changed audio cues and re-write of the club stealing routine before the show. Eluned and Livi loved showing off their improved level of juggling skills since writing the show in Gokarna and pulled of a pretty seamless routine stealing clubs from a rather confused clown (Dave). The audio set up seemed at first sight to be better than the previous show; all parts of the soundtrack were audible and only a couple of wires to deal with at the sound desk. Partway through the show, many members discovered their use as a grounding rod for the dodgy electronics and that bare feet was not an option for operating the sound cues.

The show that the PWB team has created feels like an unfinished story, every time it is performed the space for improvisation grows. As the crew live and train together, not only does the performance itself get tighter but new ideas are also invented to fit the new level of skill being developed whilst in india. The journey has not finished yet and during the Varanesi project we hope to fill it to the brim with excitement and joy, both for performers and audience.

– Livi