Friday, July 24th 2009—Sunday, July 26th, 2009
Friday started out about as ordinary as you could imagine. I slept in, it was a little overcast, and I was still procrastinating on the fact that I had two 1500 word papers due the next week, despite the fact that I had to go in at 11:30 to talk to Caoilfhionn about mine.
After my meeting with Caoilfhionn, I caught the 1:00 shuttle into town. The Galway Arts Festival was coming to a close, and I knew this would be my last chance to go and look at the art exhibitions. And, since no one wanted to come with me (including Abbie…such a disappointment to Dan Schindler), I went by myself. There were a few different galleries housing works, but the majority of them were in the festival office itself.
So I headed there. The ground floor featured two artists, mostly abstract painters. Though I normally don’t like that sort of thing, I actually really liked one of the artist’s work, and had not the smallest of his paintings been 600 Euro, I would have liked it a lot more. But the real moving part of my trip to see art was the exhibition on the first floor about child soldiers. About six or so photographers had collaborated on the project, photographing what were sometimes very graphic scenes of child soldiers in Vietnam, Ghana, and other countries.
After a quick souvenir trip, I headed back home. Later that evening, Abbie and I went to go see Furioso, a production by the Australian company Circ. It was movement-based theatre…kind of like Cirque du Soleil except without all the spectacle and flying about. My favorite parts of the show where the part with rope work (where they tangle themselves up in it…you know what I’m talking about), and a trapeze number with the two women of the company that was just breathtakingly gorgeous.
Saturday, I had grand plans to get up early and go to the library to get books for my essay. My body, however, decided to sleep in. By the time I got ready, I was able to catch the 12:00 shuttle into town to visit the market. Though I was originally planning on going by myself, I met some of my friends on the shuttle and hung out with them. I was only at the market for a short while, however, since I was determined to see the matinee of Midsummer despite the fact that it was sold out.
I arrived at the theatre a full hour ahead of curtain, hoping there would be at least one last-minute ticket available. They had two. So I happily shelled out the money for it and waited around until the house opened. I think that may have been the best money I have spent thus far in my trip because the play was absolutely phenomenal.
As they had done in Merchant, the cast created all their own music, singing, playing instruments, and in this show, blowing on harmonicas and creating a really creepy and ethereal feeling. The play began in a very CSU Chico Night Music-esque way with the cast of characters dancing around in a blue mist as Puck handed out various items of costuming and bade them to assume their roles. It was the exact same cast as Merchant and it was interesting to see the differences in character roles. Puck, for instance, was played by Jessica, Antonio moved to Bottom, Shylock to Oberon, Narissa’s husband to Hermia, the Duke to Helena, etc. etc.
The play used the element of magic throughout the performance, performing slight-of-hand tricks such as making a character appear or reappear as if by magic. The entrance of Oberon and Titania was particularly fantastic—they had been sitting on two benches over the entrances of the stage on either side, shrouded by cloth the entire time (even in pre-show). And though I knew they were there, it was still amazing to see them revealed.
The ending scene with the play-within-the-play just got more and more ridiculous. Portia went on to play a mechanized sort of Wall (with sound effects). Puck doubled as Moon, and was hilarious as he furiously drug his dog (on wheels) around, getting it tangled around other characters and finally turning to it and yelling “SIT!”. But Bottom/Pyramus’s death scene took the cake. While stabbing himself with a plunger (supposed to be his sword), he got a little too in to it and the rubber end flew off and into the audience! It made it all the way back to my row, and at the urging of Lysander, the guy on the end of the row threw it back up on stage where they quickly put it back on with “in character” mutterings about how no one noticed.
I don’t know how much of it all was planned (certainly not the plunger bit), but I was nearly in tears by the end of it. Helena looked almost like he was going to break character a few times. It was a truly wonderful play and I’m so glad I was able to see both of them.
Sunday once again started out with the notion that I was going to do my paper…and once again it didn’t happen. Instead, I went with Scott and Baby Niall to go see Harry Potter (FINALLY). I won’t bore you with discussion of the movie since none of you live under rocks and have therefore probably seen it. But I will just say I was significantly less disappointed than I thought I would be.
While walking back, Galway decided once again to begin pouring and I got soaked…not good because I had to go see another play in about an hour and a half. So I booked it back to Corrib Village, changed, and then practically had to run to get to the church on time (I know, that sounds so cliché, but the performance—a staged reading—was really in a church). It was a bunch of people from the Druid reading excerpts from Synge’s life and writings…and I feel like a terrible person for saying this, but I was actually bored out of my mind and fell asleep. Please don’t judge me.
Afterwards, I went out with a couple of people to get crepes, because I was starving and there’s a delicious crepe place on Shop Street, before going to the King’s Head. I was pretty tired and decided to go after about two pints and Baby Niall, forever the gentleman, walked me home.
And that concludes not only the Arts Festival, but my last weekend in Galway. Terribly sad, I know.
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