Protagonists, Jokes, Conspiracies

(Check out the guy on the end...)

Last weekend’s shows were fun. I wanted a shot at being the protagonist in both shows I was in, so I went out in the first scene both times. Unfortunately both times the protagonist instantly landed on someone else. I suspect that one key to becoming the protagonist is to make a big physical offer as soon as the first scene starts. Andy did that on Friday and Zack did that on Saturday and both pretty much instantly became the protagonist.

I’ve also noticed that both times in rehearsal that I’ve started a scene by scrubbing the floor, I instantly became the protagonist. I don’ t know if that’s further evidence of the “making a big physical offer makes you the protagonist” theory, or if there’s some “Cinderella complex” associated with scrubbing the floor that makes you the protagonist in that instance.

But Monday, I was talking to Susan, who had heard all about Friday’s show from Tara and Susan pointed out something that had never occurred to me. I have developed a rather specialized niche during long form of becoming the protagonist of the B plot. I’m not who the show’s about, but I’m frequently who the side plot is about.

On Friday I was a bee keeper/heroin dealer who kept coming up with ludicrous conspiracy theories as to why the bees were disappearing. Christian, playing another bee keeper, and Tim (as puppet Larry) playing a hick farmer, and I served as the “clowns” in a very Shakespearean-like plot for the show. It was great fun and I spent the entire show setting myself up for a joke that I was able to land the punch-line for right at the end. It was the longest I’ve ever knowingly set myself up for a joke. Odd, but very satisfying.

What was the joke? Well, you had to be there, but… basically I kept coming up with outlandish reasons the bees were disappearing. The real reason the bees were disappearing, as endowed early in the show by Amy, was that aliens were taking them back to their home-world where bees originated. So when my character found out aliens were taking the bees, he said “that’s the most ridiculous thing I ever heard.”

Here’s brief summaries of the shows:
Thursday: To Be or Not To Be
When Greg (Dave) moves out of his apartment to pursue his dreams of being an actor, he leaves his room-mate Billy (Zack as puppet Dungeon) behind. But a Kent State Shakespeare Festival production of Hamlet teaches Greg and Billy that there's more to life than video games and acting exercises.

Friday: To Bee or Not to Bee
A group of bee keepers, led by Kevin (Andy) go on a mission to discover why all the bees are mysteriously disappearing. Along the way Kevin meets Patricia (Tara as puppet Petal), a young aspiring bee keeping student, and they fall in love. But when Kevin finds out Patricia is really an alien being sent to collect all the bees to return to their home world, what will he choose? To bee or not to bee?

Saturday: Monster Steps
Eustace (Zack as puppet Dungeon) leaves home to use his geology degree in the mines. He falls in love with worker's rights activist Kelly (Amy) and has to come to grips with his own self image as he prepares to a Monster/Human relationship. Can they ever work? If you were at the show, you know.