13 classmates, a script, and an empty theater dominated my week following Spring Break. With our meager props, ideas, and hard work, we transformed the rented empty theater into a set, even constructing a curtain, in about 6 hours. Together, we became characters as diverse as Rosenbaum’s typing monkeys and Trotsky as we went onstage on Thursday for opening night. It was a smashing success.
The play was “It’s All in the Timing,” six one-act plays written by David Ives, modified by SAIS’s Rational Actors to be appropriate to our audience (mostly SAIS’ers but open to the public). For example “You’re in a Philadelphia” became “You’re in a Bologna.” The plays are all comedies, some darker than others, and all very detached from reality- perfect for stressed grad students. My role was Dawn, a shy, stuttering young woman who falls for a con to learn a new language called “Unamunda.” In our play, “The Universal Language,” I was fortunate enough to act opposite a professional actor. His natural talent made learning lines comprised of a gibberish language much easier. Because the production was made up of six individual plays, it worked perfectly for busy schedules. Everyone was in a play with one or two others and could rehears their little play as their time allowed and the whole group only had to get together occasionally to put them all together. We worked under the direction of Johanna, one of the best friends I’ve met here. She’s German too, so there was no room for mistakes or tardiness! She whipped into shape a diverse group made of people who haven’t acted since high school (like me), pro’s, and those who have never before stepped onstage.
The first night went flawlessly and we all celebrated at a bar afterwards, basking in opening night glory, and enjoying some chocolate (it totally goes with beer!). The second night had a hitch or two but the audience never knew that some people left out a few lines. Before each show and at our group rehearsals, we learned to let our guards down around each other by screaming, doing animal impressions, and meditating as a group. The result was people who, after spending every waking moment for the past week together, were able to completely let loose and work together to put on a production that reflected the genuine affinity we had for each other and for the show itself.
The other plays were “Sure Thing,” which found a couple in a café who can't quite connect until the end. The same scene set itself over and over with the ringing of a bell until the couple gets their timing just right. Next was “The Bologna,” where two friends exist in alternate worlds where one has everything going her way (she’s in a Los Angeles) and one can’t get anything she wants (she’s in a Bologna). In the end, she learns to embrace her current metaphysical locale and finds it’s not so bad. Also, “Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread” was a surreal act in which simple lines are spoken, then at the ringing of a bell, the same lines are repeated in a sing-song manner over and over until the bell again brings the group back to reality. "Variations on the Death of Trotsky" boasts different scenarios occurring if Trotsky didn’t realize he had an axe buried in his skull (well, smashed actually- you can still see the handle), and finally, "Words Words Words" examined the interactions of three monkeys given typewriters to see if they could produce Shakespeare.
After closing night, we had to strip the theater and afterwards, headed to a dance club to boogie our little butts off. Italian men (who, I am sorry, don't deserve at all their debonair reputation) tried to be part of our group, meaning we didn't close down the club but still stayed a good while. I had forgotten how much it takes to do theater, but it is completely remunerated in the bonds you forge with your cast members. You all suffer together from stress, anxiety, you help each other with lines and direction, and all share the jubilation when all that hard work pays off. Saturday had us all feeling a bit empty as we didn’t know what to do with ourselves (and knew that it was time to hit the books again- eep!). A cocktail party thrown by some friends helped with this last night, and today Student Government is hosting an International Food Festival. In a rare act, I will not be cooking anything for it, giving myself a free pass after the last week plus the 5 hours I will spend setting up the event today.
Believe it or not, I only have three academic weeks left and then two weeks of finals! The time here is winding down eerily quickly. The springtime sunshine makes it hard to want to concentrate and gelato beckons constantly! Hope you are all having a wonderful day, wherever you are!
How does one begin to sum it all up? To put it all in perspective, to look at it from the outside and appreciate it as a whole… I simply can’t. I’m part of the whole. I can leave and try to start anew… but I am this past nine months and it is me. I will always be in Bologna and the city, SAIS, the people, the food, the laughter, tears, panics, and hopes will always reside within me. 
Until about 5am we kicked off the new day dancing in the 80’s room, everyone just letting go and going making the most of this once-in-a-lifetime experience. I can say I danced with one random dude who works at the IAEA, whose name I’ll never know. One of the band leaders, about 60 years old and resembling Kofi Anan, got up on the bar and danced for us. Taxis took us to our hotel rooms for a few hours of sleep. My roommate and I spent the morning watching Darkwing Duck dubbed into English.
