Sunday 15th early morning (too early)

The moment the reading started, the storm arrived, so loud that it drowned out the actors’ voices.
The kid sucked Gloucester’s eyes out. Without the slightest awareness of the reference to Blasted. A few moments later he left, feeling dizzy.
The lightning ripped the sky to the East. In the West the sun announced its intention to set. He watched it all from the safety of the sea, treading water as the heavens did battle.

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Saturday was a long day, which began at 11 with the Lear workshop, looking at Gloucester’s blinding and finding of sight. Two fairly enjoyable hours, with 25 seemingly enthusiastic students, and my Spanish bearing up. Including in one of three groups an improbably sexy Gloucester, maintaining his/ her dignity as his/her eyes were stamped out in spite of flimsy defences.

After the workshop, F, A, Karina and I all made our way to V’s. I spoke briefly to V’s architect father about the building of Barrio Sur after the abolition of slavery, as well as the Moorish influences on Uruguayan architecture, and would have happily stayed chatting but we had to leave for Omar’s house in El Pinar, a 45 minute drive away.

Omar’s house is everything you’d expect. A beautiful modernist box, made out of breeze blocks and wood. High ceilings, a big stove, and one of the most comfortable sofas in the world. He said he also had remote controlled central heating, which he could switch on when he was half an hour away to ensure the place was warm when he arrived home in the Winter. He has a big hound of a dog, and the house is two minutes walk from the beach.

We did a bit of work on 4, but there wasn’t time for much rehearsal, before we began the reading of 1,2, and 3. On the drive down it had been fiercely sunny, the temperature in the 30s. But a storm was building and almost immediately we began the reading it broke. Lashings of hysterical rain repeatedly savaged Omar’s cube, the din peppering the reading. Omar and Karina returned from the supermarket on O’s Harley half way through 1. In spite of external sound effects, 1&2 went well, running at just over an hour. The whole team (Claudia, Cecilia, Omar, Francisco and Karina) watched and were enjoying it. Until we got to the third act, when everything fell to pieces, both V&A losing their lines, the scene feeling like it would never end.

After the reading, Omar took me to the beach and we went for a swim. The storm had passed over, but it was still going for it over to the East. Francisco took photos of the actors for the poster, which we discussed afterwards. Omar got the asado using whole trees for wood. We ate salad, roasted peppers stuffed with two types of cheese, chorizo, morcilla dulce and morcilla salada, and, of course, asado. At one point, later, I lay on the hammock on the porch, watching the stars and the wind in the trees. Omar told me there was a plot of land for sale next door – why didn’t I buy it and he’d help me build the house. I’d never need to get out of the hammock ever again.

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In the Spring and Summer, Omar wakes up in the morning, puts on some trunks, jogs down to the sea, goes for a leisurely swim, comes back, showers, gets dressed, has his café con leche, smokes a joint, and – ¡Pah! – he’s ready for the day.

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