End

The actors performed their 4th performance September 4 at the Maison de la Culture in Bejaia. Typical N—I called at 8:05 to see how far away she was: “I’m coming! But Taous you didn’t give me a precise time to arrive, you said 8pm.”

So of course rolled her eyes at the idea of warm ups and F apologized for having been a snot at the Ait Smail performance last Friday.

They had a very full house at the Maison de la Culture. It was the first play performed in the new small theatre. Energy was low as well as volume but they have started to own the show, started to be able to move smoothly through it…I feel quite proud of them. They want to continue so I sent Sa home with all the set pieces (there isn’t much) and fabric. We’ll see if they manage to organize themselves. I think they will.

Many poet types, older men generally, have insisted on sharing their poems written in Tamazigh with me, not understanding that I don’t really understand the language. Last night a man brought me a play he wrote in Tamazigh, and another tried to drag me into his office in the Maison de la Culture to share something he’d written with me.

Then there are the folktale purists who come and tell me: “But that’s not how that story goes! That’s not the REAL version.”

We spent a month exploring different styles of play, improvisation and creating characters. We collected about 20 different folktales tales and in three weeks created an hour-long show from three. Lots of wonderful people have popped up here in Bejaia these past few months, I will miss them. I will definitely miss looking at Ymma Gouraya and the sea everyday. And even though they drove me MAD I know in a week or so I will start to miss I, Sa, So, N, A, F and L.

Thank you all for following along on this journey. I’m going on vacation now.