21st Birthday Celebration Season!
"The first production opened on 2 June 1985 , with the eight team format. Thirty-two players, a compere, a timekeeper and a musician comprised a cast of 35 -an astonishing number in anybody's language.
I remember waiting nervously in the well -named vomitory. Huddled in the semidark, I saw several famous faces turn a light shade of green as each team entered to a terrifying roar from the audience who had paid four or two dollars and wanted blood! Like Christians to the lions we ran down the vomitory on to the stage.
The atmosphere was electric. No one knew what was going to happen. None of us knew what we were going to say or do. We would simply improvise!
I was so scared I only recall two things from that night. Our team, the Southern Cross All Stars, did a fancy entrance involving silver stars and aluminium foil knives, choreographed by Julie Haseler. We sang the anthem, recited the commandments and took our places on the benches. By this time the audience was frothing at the mouth. One by one the captains went to the stage for the tossing of the coin and the calling of the game.
I don't remember what we did out there but I do remember we won. That week I received my first Theatresports payment. Mark-Owen Taylor, Dean Carey, Julie Haseler and I split the winning cheque. We each received $2.68.
The following week we returned to defend our position. We played one game at the end of the night and were honked off. For our efforts we were publicly pied."
Text by Lyn Pierse - "Opening Night - Origins, Rituals and Traditions" – Theatresports® Down Under.
Copyright extract from Theatresports Down Under by Lyn Pierse, reprinted with permission of the publishers Improcorp Australia and ish group. Contact sales@ish.com.au for further information on this book.
|
