So, what an exciting week!
I had visions of looking like Richard Chamberlain in The Thornbirds (One for the oldies!) turns out I look more like Father Jack in Father Ted!
Let's start at the very beginning , a very good place to start (see what I did there with quasi religious references!) OK - so last Friday Martin (Australian colleague, coarse but smart and entertaining) had been approached to be in a movie - recognising his limitations coupled with a man with an IMDB entry on his doorstep, declined but offered my services. Duly accepted with no audition needed - they've obviously seen my work, a rehearsal was arranged for this Monday with Lily and the rest of the crew. All I knew was I was playing a priest and had about four pages of monologue.
They picked me up at school and off we went to Sichuan Film and Television University, about 5 minutes away in a Tuktuk. They had virtually no English and although my proficiency with Chinese numbers is impressive, it's a bit of a conversation limiter - I did count the steps up to the theatre out loud which seemed to give the impression that I was a native speaker - the truth quickly became apparent as I used the phrase 'Ting ba dong' repeatedly (It means I don't understand....I still don't)
Fortunately their English teacher arrived and she was excellent at both Chinese and English (handy lady to have in a tight spot!) She explained almost everything! Turns out I wasn't about to make it big in the Chinese Film world, well not today anyway! These students are training to be hosts, perhaps to work in TV or radio but also as wedding hosts for which there is a huge demand in China. I'm still not quite sure what a wedding host is but they speak very loudly and quickly and, I think, manage the wedding a little like a production. The students had been tasked with creating a wedding and my group ( you see how quickly I become part of the team!) had elected to go for a Western wedding, or at least their version of it. I was of course the key role of priest and token westerner to add authenticity and, i like to think, a little glamour.
As you can, no expense was spared on the bride's dress, mine I fear was about 10 kwai on Taobao (a bit like a Chinese ebay/Amazon) You can see also the set was mainly a projection of a church and a lot of balloons, so pretty much like at home!
Anyhow, the bride, groom, father of the bride, two best men, matron of honour, page boy and chorus?, all played their parts beautifully and weren't too overshadowed by Barker chewing the scenery with his best 'Man of God' work to date. I gave my character a back story, I'm all about Stanislavsky and 'The Method'. He'd come to China as a missionary to spread the Good News but lost his way a little and was pimping himself out to unsuspecting Chinese families for an outrageous fee to feed his alcohol and hamburger habit. I think the subtleties may not have completely hit home with this audience but there was certainly an acknowledgement that they were in the presence of a trained and beyond merely competent thespian!!
The Bride would insist I was so cute, sadly she is now "married before God and all these witnesses here present" so that's going no further. Just kidding Mrs Barker!
So, yet again, my encounters with the Chinese people continue to delight and impress me, they are just fabulous and so generous and warm. I would encourage any of you not yet in China, to come and meet them - I promise you, you'll look at those Chinese tour groups differently!
Martin and I are meeting them for lunch next week, I can't wait!
Later peeps!