13. Sold Out

When you live on a remote island, you get used to limited quantites. When Christmas trees arrive, you buy as soon as you can, because later (usually by 12/10) they'll be gone and no more will be arriving. If you thought that surplus of turkeys at Thanksgiving would mean you'd be able to buy one for Christmas, you'd be wrong. If you buy a desktop printer in the states, don't be surprised if you can't get ink for it in Saipan. And just because you could get (fill in the blank) last week, doesn't mean you'll be able to buy it today.

Goods that are shipped in are limited quantity commodities--and they sell out. I've been here more than 20 years, and I'm used to this aspect of life. But I wasn't prepared for Friday night's news. I, with daughter in tow, planned on watching "In Transit," the live-theatre performance of original monologues hosted by Marianas Voices. We were told that this theatre, drama, live performance--in Saipan--was sold out!

Saipan has changed a lot in the 20 years I've been here. I wasn't aware of any live theatre then. Thanks to Friends of the Arts, we soon had small productions by determined actors and actresses, but few patrons. The crowds have gotten larger, and most productions now draw reasonable crowds. Mount Carmel School's theatre productions also draw a good crowd (but parents and family come to see their children perform, so there's a customary obligation and natural expectation that there will be an audience).

Theatre, written by people living in Saipan, is much more experimental. Who could predict a sell-out crowd? Friday, we couldn't get in, even when they added chairs and had "standing room only." Saturday, we got tickets, but saw others turned away. It's a phenomenon!

What is truly amazing about this event is that the writers-performers included people from a variety of backgrounds--a Chamorro, a couple of Carolinians, a couple of Chinese, a Filippina, some Americans and some exotic folks whose ethnicities weren't immediately ascertainable. Ages ranged over several decades. The audience was similarly mixed.

And the performances were interesting, thought-provoking, humorous, dramatic, scary, sad, poignant and beautiful.

Wow! It's an interesting time to be in Saipan.