Disaster!
We turned up to the venue of Aquaphonics at 6.00 pm as arranged to start setting up. We’d got the projectors set up, and were just testing the cameras when the manager came in and said: “Look, You can’t do this, because you haven’t booked the venue”. No apologies, or “There must have been some terrible mistake”, or “Look, this is really awkward, but …”.
We spent some time arguing about whether we had booked the venue or not, but it soon became clear that this was immaterial. The fact of the matter was this: The building was going to be locked at 7.30, and the only way around this would be to wrestle the manager and staff to the floor and tie them up. There are sound arguments as to why this would not be a good career move, and the manager is a pretty chunky bloke.
In the end, we made the best of it we could. I turned my camper van into a little tea & coffee booth and handed out the chocolates we’d bought as “thank you” gifts to the would-be audience and musicians who turned up.
This seemed to put everyone in a very up-beat mood, and it wasn’t long before the musicians were setting up in the car park, and the audience settling down in my camping chairs.
We had a bit of a wild and whacky time, “car park jazz” from the musicians, with the live artists in the audience putting on an improvised movement show. We all had a good laugh and a great time … and it seems that outdoor improvisation has come to me, in advance of me coming to it!
The venue is definitely, Definitely, DEFINITELY booked for Saturday coming (17th April) … please let me know if you’re coming as numbers are limited. Also, please bring swimming cozzie, as there’ll be a free-for-all swim at the end …
