Oh gosh! He thinks an alien is coming out of my body!
That’s what I thought when I noticed an audience member’s gaze. He must know that something is wrong with me. I was on the stage of my solo show, “How To Be Japanese: Your Normal Is Not My Normal” at the Fanatic Salon Theater. After 10 minutes in, my prop, which was tucked in my top, started falling down…like an unknown creature. Every time someone’s gaze became fixed on me, I thought they “knew.” I kept asking myself how to solve the problem.
The fake glasses are already down to my belly. It’s only a matter of time till they’re going to fall on the floor. Should I take them out? Then what? There is no where to hide them on the stage. How many people know that something is going on? Everybody!
Eventually, I found an opportunity when I sat on the black cube. I leaned forward, took the glasses out, and placed them on the cube. I was proud of myself, thinking my movement was so smooth that not many people had noticed. Then, there came the next problem. The prop was sitting on the cube…like an elephant in the room! I was horrified with the thought of everybody wondering where it came from and what kind of role it would play in my show. Distractions were the last thing I wanted to create. I needed to lose that prop fast without making a scene. But where and how?
Then, a solution popped into my head! I can drop it to the hole of the black cube. To make sure, I simulated different scenarios in my head and analyzed them from different angles, but it seemed as perfect as it could be. There was no time for hesitation, so I executed the plan. Fortunately, everything worked out as I envisioned.
All the crazinesses happened while I was performing on the stage as if everything were going perfectly. I’ve had 3 in-person solo shows so far. Visual, sound, content, and interactions—each show had something different. And every time, big or small, there were unexpected surprises like this prop incident, which were nerve wracking at the time, but now, they are fond memories because of you. My storytelling journey wouldn’t have been this much fun without your support and love.
So…THANK YOU! (mic drop)