tsunami and shows

[em]

i, like many others have wanted to help thru practical action the devastation in tsunami stricken areas. But many people have travelled over to try and help rebuild communities and have found themselves working in the morgues as it is too early still....

Then i thought well what building skills do i have over locals, i could not offer much more than manual labour....

then i realised that in a month or so's time, if not already, the depression thru loss of life, homes, business, will hit hard....

so hows about us gettin over there when things have settled a little, gettin the costumes on and entertaining our little arses off for as long or as short a time as we can spare...

Now i am posting this as i have no contacts apart from Dick Finkel in any of those countries, (by the way, have we heard from him yet???????)
It will of course have to be self funded, but short of just getting on a plane maybe we could do a little research and find out what is most appropriate...people are too raw still at the moment, and lots of kids are in massive trauma still.....

Am i barking up the right tree here, or have i voiced a plan that is already in the offing...

I'd be up for it....but it could be something that doesn't happen for 6 months.....i dunno.....

what do you all reckon.....

xxxxxx

[jester]

I used to think that entertainers were superflous waste of resources. I used to think that they need medicine, doctors and food and blankets.

I was wrong. People need to sometimes put aside the devastation and the grief and the struggle, and just momentarily enjoy themselves, laugh and be entertained.

Children need joy and fantasy.

If you are going over there, prepare a plan, find out where to go and who to entertain. It's no good going over and entertaining the tourists (which can so easily happen from what I've heard.)

I think that's a great idea em. I hope you can get some project going.

Good Luck with it.

[em]

who

i guess it would be helpful to find out who would be interested and at what level, bearing in mind that we are striving to work for locals therefore not in english....visual, musical, workshoppy type stuff?
x

ps Dick finckel......where is he???????

[Scot Free]

from the clowns without borders website

"Clowns Without Borders extends our deepest sympathies to all those affected by the Tsunami. We wish to go to the areas with performances, however we must wait until emergency needs have been met and it is appropriate to offer laughter. We will be in contact with NGO's working with emergency relief to determine when and how we can help. If you wish to donate funds towards our future efforts, please do so specifying that they are to be used for our Tsunami relief efforts."

check 'em out here

[le pire]

Think globally, act locally

Check with your local charity organizations about benefit events for the Tsunami where you might wish to donate your performance. There are a LOT of these going on.


etienne

[jester]

This isn't the time to do benefits in my opinion. The money is going in, people are donating.

In a few weeks when the media start to talk about it less, that is the time to do benefits. In a few months and later in the year, when people are forgetting it is important too.

[Famos Bramwells]

There is no bad time to do benefits, though I do agree that 6 months from now is when people should think again. We just did a day at Covent Garden, street performers and musicians and raised over £7,000 which was fantastic. People should definitely wait for a while before going over with the idea of entertaining, or if you do take a whole load of money with you to spend while you are there. And to repeat Em,has any one heard from the Finkelmeister?

[jester]

You are right

You are absolutely right Famos. There are no bad times to do benefits. We should all do as much as we can whenever we can.

And well done for helping raise so much money in Covent Garden.
I salute you.

I've started another thread you might want to look at called "The Devils Benefit." Its a bit cynical which is why it doesn't belong here.

[le pire]

There is an article in todays New York Times about how aid evaporates when a disaster fades from the media:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/11/international/worldspecial4/11aid.html?th

I agree that six months from now (and 6 years from now!) people should be made to think again. However, human nature being what it is, people tend to give $$$ when it is immediate, right here and right now.

I've been contacted by a community organisation in New England that is putting together a fundraising event in March to raise money for the disaster relief and I will be doing a performance. If anyone else in the area would like to participate, please contact me.


etienne

[Lynneski]

Long live the Finkle

Paddy,
Em's question was answered by Taxi in another thread - he's heard from Dick, and all's well as can be expected in Hua Hin, a goodly bit north of where the most severe damage occured.

X's,
Lski

[Famos Bramwells]

How very marvellous.

[AJJames]

Em,
good one for starting this thread,
Toni and I would be interested in being involved in some kind of benefit/relief project. theres a link to "the serious road trip " on that clowns without borders website.(nice one scott , ) lets contact them and see what they say, i know a street performer Tim Wooliscroft who went to bosnia or kosovo with them.
I'l speak to him see what hes doing. hes in bristol i think.
good one paddy and the covent crew, thats a staggering sum to raise , power to the street.