This coming Saturday the boys will show all the people what they have prepared the last few months! Please take a look at the trailer of the show and the announcement of the Festival!
TRAILER
ANNOUNCEMENT
POSTER
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Shopping for costumes in San Pedro Sula.
Of course they all want to come to pick out there costume, because they want to look superfine, especially for the girls in the audience…
It feels a bit like a schooltrip! We were dropped off at the Mall of San Pedro Sula. The guys were very excited, they love this mall, everywhere BurgerKing, PizzaHut, shops with clothes of known brands as Adidas, Tommy Hilfiger, La Coste etcetera. It feels like we’re shopping in the USA instead of SPS, recently announced as one of the most dangerous cities in the world. “I’m sorry guys, but we’re not going to find affordable costumes over here” They try to convince me in vain that it’s best to buy their clothes here. We’re laughing because we all know it’s not going to happen that they will perform in a Tommy Hilfigher trouser and a La Coste shirt in a performance about streetchildren!
Then the quest really starts. San Pedro Sula is big and busy and the shops are in different parts of the town. I don’t know my way around here so I’m depending on the knowledge of the boys. Almost everyone has lived here on the streets of SPS before coming to Pronino. We crisscross town in a taxi, until finally we find a shop were we find costumes.
Only Brayan wants a shirt from a ‘better quality’. He’s very engaged with his appearance. I strongly have the idea he’s dating a girl at the moment, although he always denies he’s talking with his ‘novia’ on the phone, “It was my mom!” Wich would be very awkward phonecalls if they were really with his mother ; ) . We’re having lunch and heading back to the parc, where we’re supposed to be picked up in 20 minutes. During the walk Brayan and I are arguing about the shirt, while Luis Reyes all of the sudden points out a streetcorner.
“Look Mariel, I used to sleep there!” Again I’m stunned. The contrast at times can be so enormous. At times you almost forget that you’re working with former streetkids. One minute you’re having an argument about an expensive shirt, and in the next breath they tell you about their incredible history of street, drugs and violence.
The parc of SPS is crowded like always. It’s the home of many; venders, secret lovers, shoe polishers, political activists, prostitutes, drugaddicts and other dodgy figures. I feel that the boys are watching out for me here. They know this parc better then they should…
“That man is selling fake dollars” “She’s a former Mara ” (a gang-member) and they point out her tattoos “Look Mariel, she used to be man before she became a woman!” “There I used to do drugs since I was 6 six years old” “That man is a male prostitute” “He’s selling drugs” “When I was sleeping there I remember I was so hungry”
Jairo walks up to some prostitutes. “Jairo, what are you doing?!” but he doesn’t answer me. When he returns I ask him what hell he was doing! “They were my friends! I used to live here just three months ago and we hang out together”
I remembered Jairo had just arrived at Pronino a few weeks before I arrived in Honduras. One of the first things he said to me was that he wanted to perform in the play and if he could have the script so he could start learning his lines. Altough he was still very instable and a ‘run-a-way’ we gave him a leap of faith to participate in the play.
“Mariel, why don’t you buy us pizzas at PizzaHut?””Yeah! And we want cool sneakers as well or else the whole costume is worth nothing!” “Mariel, I really want that expensive shirt or else I don’t want to be in the play anymore!”
What can I say….sometimes the contrast can’t be bigger with these boys
So we have been filming, interviewing and now we have also been editing.. Considering that some of the participating kids never touched a camera before, can hardly read or write and find it difficult to approach strangers on the street, I’m quite proud to present their first two short films. These are still exercises, the real films will follow soon..
The only thing that is certain over here is that everything can change in a blink of an eye.
And that at times, makes me feel more Dutch than I imagined and certainly makes working here interesting…
After two months, I finally hope to have a rehearsal schedule that won’t change day to day, because of school, lack of communication, other events, sudden change of plans, logistic problems.
After two months, I finally hope to have a group of actors that wont shift anymore…
After two months, I finally hope to have an appointment to record the song with the band and that it won’t be cancelled like the 8 times before…
Despite all this, the performance is getting more and more its shape. The boys are very eager to play and perform and are doing really great. Although their attitude can also change in a blink of an eye. The smallest thing can change the atmosphere 180 degrees. This can be a change of line in the script, repeating a scene when they don’t feel like it, a phonecall from a girl that they can’t answer during rehearsals…Fortunately I can smile about these things and make a joke about it to break the ice, but it’s really can tests one’s patience at times.
Most of the time we have a lot of fun together and if you see them on the stage, giving everything they have, so generously, you can’t help loving them…
They were even begging me to have an earlier try-out then planned and promised me to work very hard and learn all their lines by heart. How can you refuse that!
So next week we have a try-out for the smaller kids of the foundation and we’re really looking forward to it!
Even though everything can change here with a blink of an eye, I learned that in one way or another most things work out in the end. Not because of the great planning, schedules and looking ahead, but because of the amazing ability to improvise, to be flexible and by taking things as they come in the moment.
The boys from the documentary course take their new learnt skills to the streets of el Progreso:
The boys from the filmworkshop are making great progress. Now that they know how to use a camera they’ve also started interviewing. First around the homebase at las Flores but soon, still a bit nervous, around the streets of El Progreso. Rodolfo interviewed a streetvendor who just like Rodolfo used to live on the streets. Hopefully the others will also master their nerves and approach the people they would like to talk to.
Here a short impression of the first interviews..
“Can call my mother with your phone?”
We’re about to be live in a local televisionshow. I took Jairo, one of the boys of the play with me to tell about the performance. He’s a bit nervous. “So am I! At least you can speak good Spanish!” We’re laughing together.
We try to ring his mother to tell her that Jairo is about to be live on Teleprogreso! She’s not answering so we’re sending her a message. It’s actually not the first time he’s trying to call her with my phone and that she’s not answering. Since three months now Jairo has returned to Pronino. He used to live in Pronino for quite some time, but took off one day. He left for his family and the streets. But now he’s back. And although he’s what they call ‘instable’ and can be running off again any time now for the streets he has a big part in the play. A leap of faith from Pronino and me in this boy. Jairo loves acting and he’s great at it!
The live show turned out great. Jairo was amazing, spontaneously he took the microphone and kept on telling enthusiastically about the play and its theme; important choices we make in live and the importancy of following your heart.
“You we’re great, Jairo!” “You we’re not that bad as well! Can I try to call my mother again?” She’s not answering… ”Come, let’s grap a good cup of coffee and a donut, we deserved it!’
Together with Hanneke, Michiel and three other boys from the foundation Pronino who also were great in the live show we’re going for a coffee. We’re walking and laughing and all of the sudden Jairo points at a street corner. “That’s were my father got killed” I’m a bit shocked because it was very much out of the blue. “He was in a car accident?” “No, they killed him, he was involved with drugs” Jairo is smiling at me “He took some wrong decisions!”, referring to the theme of the play, and runs off a bit to his other companions. “Come on, hurry up, this way!”
