I rode my bike down to Pumphouse theater for the Endure: A Marathon of the Mind. I had no idea what this was going to be, but I was intrigued. I hoped it really wasn’t a marathon, otherwise it was probably a bad idea to bike there.
I did not have to actually run a marathon. In fact, it was mostly lying down.
Endure: A Marathon of the Mind
Although I did not get a sweatband, I did get a racing number.
Marathon race number
It was a pre-recorded audio piece narrated by a woman about her battle with loneliness both in training for and actually running a marathon as well as in life. Fortunately they had some media players ready to go as I missed the instructions on getting my own download. I sat on the ground, closed my eyes and hit play.
Marathon players
I did not sit for long. I found myself stretched on the grass, moving with the sun to stay in the shade of the trees overhead. I listened as the narrator talked about endurance, resilience, determination and transformation.
After it was done, I stayed looking at the sky through the tree branches for a moment. When I returned my iPod I asked author/performer Melanie Jones about the show’s inception and unique delivery. In contrast to the usual presentation, the Choose Yer Own Endure was abbreviated and static. The audio we were listening to is one component of a play staged outdoors while both performer and audience is in motion around St. Patrick’s island. In the full show the performance is delivered partly live and partly via iPod. The CYO audience did not undertake the 5 km walk/run that the regular performance included but instead got to lay down under a tree. It is not often that a play is site specific, and that intrigued me but the story itself was interesting and well paced. The audio was well executed technically, the spoken words were clear and the music was well produced. The tempo and tone of the soundtrack appropriately matched the story. I was glad to hear that this was produced from an AFA grant. When I got home I traced the link so I could download it and listen again while I was riding my bike. Check out the Endure a run woman show.
From the CYO site:
Endure: A Marathon of the Mind
Run a marathon while lying down. No pesky training, effort or active wear required. Choose Yer Own-branded sweatbands and towels provided, but bring yer own headphones if you are squeamish about that kind of thing.
When did this happen? Saturday August 13, 2011.
