Before Chaos - The Paper Zoo

There I was in London playing Tarra in the ‘Paper Zoo’. The ghost that haunted our theater was rather cheeky. 

Imani joins Geoff in London for a unique theater opportunity, only to be set back by the pandemic. But that’s not the only setback. When she emerges from the London Tube at Regent Street, Imani receives a phone message from America and learns that her mother is dying. Imani flies back to Connecticut to see her mother for the last time.

Geoff and I were already in a taxi when I realized I had left my phone on stage. When I got my phone, I had a text message from my dead father.

Geoff's humor often diffused stuff, a bad pun to smooth over budding cruelty. He did not like actors. With ‘lockdown’ and the ever mutating nature live theater, the opening of the Paper Zoo became more unpredictable. 

We filmed our online performance of the ‘Paper Zoo’ with cell phones. 

“I don't think tigers want to be seen. Lions. They're different. They're proud. Tarra did not like the sun.”

“Hello, Imani. It's Enid. I'd rather not say this on a message, but with the time difference in your work, I'm not sure when I might physically reach you. I'm afraid I have some tough news.”

Imani was in a clothes store, she broke down in the blurring radiance of a Hawaiian Sunset. When she stopped crying she had no memory of buying that cookie Hawaiian outfit.

“My mother is dying. I have to go back to Connecticut.”

Actors:

• Imani: Gwyneth Mackenzie
• Marco: Jonathan Medina
• Geoff: Kenny Ricci
• Nurse: S Vlahos
• Augusta: S Vlahos
• Onstage Actor: S Vlahos
• Imani’s Mother: Anindo Marshall

FX Sounds courtesy of Freesounds.com:

1. Marco’s Theme: FoolBoyMedia “new York jazz loop” 347848
2. Geoff’s Ringtone: jgreer “calling you”555699
3. Geoff Theme: anechoix “Game Music, jazz loops, jazz loop 3”
4. Mother Theme: Kai Hansen “Kalimba-song” 24515
5. Father Theme: cunningar807 “Sad Violin” 377258
6. Plane: tim.kahn “plane flyover takeoff”199263
7. Connecticut exterior: Allirog “crickets and whiny insect” 456821
8. London Taxi: Kyles “Uganda, communal taxi” 407104
9. Sound in empty theater: _isragallo_ “Silence_movie_theater” 514305
10. Footsteps: wolfdoctor “Lots of Footsteps” 555116
11. Keys: sKydran “Key Noises” 131437
12. Soap theme song: DDmyzik “Fairy Logo” 476707
13. Theme song for Paper Zoo: pogmothoin “hesitant mysterious glockenspiel tune” 401674
14. London Underground: InspectorJ “London Underground, arriving” 401989
15. Mango store: azumarill “Websters department store” 330543
16. Kennedy Airport arrivals: jjamespacap “car horns Morocco” 268015
17. Thunder and Rain: FlatHill “Rain and Thunder” 237729
18. Car driving up Hill: deathicated “South Africa” 137978
19. Oxygen Machine: Nixeno “hospital room” 417957
20. Screen Door: snardin42 “Screen Door Opening and Closing” 45643
21. Lawnmower” alinistcog “lawnmower–drone” 125784
22. Butterfly at screen window: Yuval “butterfly wings” 198818
23. Party: thorvandahl “Small Party Walla” 77003
24. News Theme: chimerical “Countdown News Intro” 107330