Before the Coronavirus Pandemic changed my life beyond all belief, from 2015 to 2017 I lived my life in Wuhan, China. Wuhan will be featuring in this 'It's Showtime' theatre/performance blog series for starters! I am ready to take things back to China but for now I'll reminisce. From Guanggu Square, an acrobatics showdown and two Children's Day hosting gigs! Beijing's next!
My love affair with Wuhan started when I moved to '光谷广场', that ever-changing area of development gave me the chance to see that a place can serve a performance element. Each weekend allowed me to see the immense crowds of people who were simply going about their lives, the plot was 'life' and the cast were the 'community'. The scene of that show served a backdrop full of energy and life, with traffic whizzing around Guanggu Square's roundabout 24/7, it was nonstop! When the sunset after each day, the neon lights of 'World City Plaza' and the overlooking towers would shine bright, never a dull moment was permitted. My daily commute to my kindergarten took me on the buses from Guanggu Square, the characters on the bus made my journeys. When the traffic would usually come to a standstill on the way back to my stop near World City Plaza, I remembered the wine on a Friday night from the centres Carrefour would quell any stress. With a lot going on, Guanggu Square played out like theatre!
What was for dinner? Just downstairs from my then residence '尚都', I had the pick of the bunch when 'street food' was what I fancied eating. The noise had me deafened the first few times, as time progressed the food became easier to order because I could speak more and more Chinese. The scene set around the street food stand overlooked other informal food outlets, peoples movements were so well choreographed, it was like they were the ensemble but Guanggu Pedestrian Street was the name of the show! Gradually, my set changed with a new apartment on the opposite side of the complex. My new 'dressing room' of some sorts allowed me to feel more comfortable within the crazy nonstop show, of course Guanggu Square wanted to have the leading role at all times! Sometimes the curtain call means something different in a 'theatre setting', making my reprise in 2018 allowed me to slip back into my role but with Guanggu Square donning a slightly different costume. Serving a new energy, the show carried on! 太棒了!
During 2016 whilst living and working in Wuhan, China, I felt as if my life had been like my own full-action movie with a myriad of twists and turns. Feeling a renewed sense of freedom, heading out to Han Street along the Chu River had me looking at the Han Show Theatre. What was that Chinese red lantern-like theater hiding behind its impressive exterior? I wanted to find out! Booking my ticket for Wuhan's Han Show experience, during that 2016 time I was fronted by the newly built Han Show Theatre, like never before I found myself staring at such a fancy theater arena-like space before. No kidding, Wuhan was about to treat me to my first of many shows. Taking my seat at the Han Show that 2016 evening had me excited, the lights dimmed to reveal a deep red colour, what on earth would I be watching? Amazed by some kind of 'Cirque du Soleil' acrobatics spectacular, no expense had been spared to put on that Wuhan show! Audience participation? A lady was invited onto the stage but her ability told me she was part of the cast?
With pyrotechnics galore used, the set changes were centralised around the middle of the arena-like theatre, I was impressed! Using water during the show was a fact, my eyes saw many splits and tricks performed with underwater acrobatics amazing the crowd in a synchronised fashion. No, my ticket didn't cost me the earth! Remembering if I can, my ticket set me back a small amount around 300 RMB? It was a few years ago! Created by 'Franco Dragon', the Han Show has become one of his most iconic pieces of performance art! Yet more splits and tricks? Yes, I was left dumb whilst I watched the swimming trunk wearing acrobatics dive from the roof into a pool of water without any fear. Money well spent, if you ask me! During a night-out in Wuhan the following year, myself and some friends ended up meeting some of the performers in a Wangjiadun East based bar in Wuhan. I didn't find myself attending another show after the Han Show in Wuhan, life was so full of everything else, I felt like the show had been worth watching!
From living in my own musical extravaganza in Wuhan, sure the Han Show served something spectacular, but was I ready for my own hosting gig? Work for me in Wuhan, China for the best of my time saw me working as an English Specialist at a certain kindergarten. As Children's Day rolled around in 2016 I was approached by my principal, she wanted me to co-host the parent-viewed show alongside 'Mikki' who was one of the English speaking Chinese teachers. I was handed the script on the first day of rehearsals with much anticipation, I wanted to do a good job for the parents! No, my hosting role wouldn't just be me speaking in English, I had to master quite a bit of Chinese because the principal had suggested so. I hosted alongside four of the older children, they had a lot of lines to learn whilst they were also in other parts of the show. If the kids could remember their hosting lines and their other parts, I had no reason to be nervous! I did not! 2016's Children's Day show went without a hitch! What would 2017 be like? I'm a host!
2017 would end up being my final year at that Wuhan based kindergarten, meaning that years Children's Day show would also be my last. Would I be hosting in 2017? Yes! Would I need to put a performance together? Well, that was the original plan but the academic leader made sure 'I Am The Music Man' dancing English show looked better than my attempt. I am a theatrical person, do not get me wrong but teaching is as far as it goes! I am just being honest! Dancing and singing on stage with the kids was an absolute 'hoot', alongside the hosting it felt like the performance for me to bow out. More Chinese was added to my hosting reel, I had much more confidence with my Chinese speaking because for the first year I ended up being the only foreigner on campus. I chose to learn the language fast! Being the actor, my own moment of 'It's Showtime' allowed me to live out my hosting fantasy whilst getting paid for it! This pandemic has given me some extra time to be thankful for such memories that were made in China! 谢谢!
非常感谢!
Joseph Harrison