SHOWTIME- The Countdown To The Big One

The following is an article written by Frank Taters and will appear in next month's edition of "Figure It Out Later" Magazine.

For me, Christmas came early this year. Heading into last weekend I had nothing to write about for next month's magazine. The only thing I was working with was a farmer from Tuscany who had one eye and had never heard of the internet. As I was getting ready to go home for the weekend, my boss approached me and asked if I would be interested in doing a piece on an upcoming theater show in Italian but done by American students. It was a topic I had never done before. One that could bring in some new readers and give me an opportunity to use my English.

I contacted the director of the program of these American students and he told me that I should email a young man by the name of Ari King. I was told that he was the only male in the class and that I could probably get the most out of my article through him. Ari emailed me back almost immediately and told me I could come over to his apartment on Tuesday and shadow him until the show began that night.

I rang the doorbell of Ari's house on Tuesday and before I even thought about ringing it a second time, the door flew open. Ari greeted me with a handshake and welcomed me in. He quickly offered me a beverage but I declined. "You sure? I got water, orange juice, tropical fruit juice, Coke, wine, Rum, Sangria"

He then showed me his apartment which is inhabited by 4 other guys. I asked to see his bedroom to get a feel for who he is and what kind of things he likes to do. Several newspaper clippings were cut and taped up on his walls. Shelves that normally hold books but, for Ari, now held shoes. Posters of his favorite basketball team" the 'Golden State Warriors', 'The Sopranos', a map of Florence, and of a Coca-Cola wrapper with Santa Claus on it all grazed the walls.

At this point in the day after asking him various questions from his hometown, to his school, to his hobbies, it was time to go to the last rehearsal. As we took the bus to the theater I asked him to explain the plays and what I was to expect. "Well, I don't know whether you should expect that much" he said. "We are doing three short plays. The first is about these three guys who are trying to convince three daughters to let them talk to their rich father. The second is a play in Venetian dialect that is about a hustler trying to get people to place bets. And last is a poem that I don't really know what exactly is going on"

The look on Ari's face appeared to be that of worry. It seemed that it was lacking confidence. He didn't know whether or not he and his classmates would be able to pull it together and do these three plays. The last couple of rehearsals had been filled with long pauses and massive stutters. "Hopefully" Ari said while taking a deep breath, "we'll be alright"

We got off the bus at the main Piazza and walked a short way to the theater for rehearsal. I sat in the audience as Ari and the other students went through their plays. There was some serious miscommunication and missed-lines. The play in the Venetian dialect appeared to be proving the most difficult. The words and pronunciation is starkly different to the normal Italian language.

After 2 hours of rehearsal and 'do-overs' the class was dismissed and the only thing left to do was come back tonight at 8 and get ready for the 8:30 show. Ari and his friend Robin, a girl from Ft. Lauderdale, went to a nearby supermarket to get some lunch. I asked Ari how he was feeling about the show and he replied: "Not too much you can do at this point. I know my lines so I'm okay. I'm about to get this wild boar salami, some cheese, bread, and Ritz crackers and have a great, relaxing lunch."

That seemed to be a hint that there should be no more discussion of the plays. At this point, after about 3 months of practicing, there was nothing last to do. Tonight was it. I told Ari I would see him after the show and in the meantime I would wonder around the city of Bologna until it was time to go back to the theater to see the finale.