In 2008, I assistant directed an Augusto Boal play (the world English language premiere of said play, but I digress...into self aggrandization, apparently) and was exposed to many different aspects of the Brazilian theatrical culture. On the heels of that production, I sort of kind of desperately wanted to visit Brazil. One day, in front of a few professors and some students, I said as much. Timidly, and with no real conviction, but I DID say it. Within a matter of a couple of weeks, I was being shepherded through the process of applying for a travel grant that would allow me to go to Brazil, introduced to Augusto Boal (then a Nobel Peace Prize nominee) and just happened to find a street map of Rio de Janeiro at a book store on sale. About a week after THAT, I got the grant. I said I wanted to go and, before I knew it, I was going. Brazil just kind of happened to me. I won't bother with a travelogue as I've talked about my first trip to Rio before but, suffice it to say, it was magnificent. I loved Rio more than just about anything.
This year, I happened to read a post on a Facebook page about a South American Improv festival to be held in Rio de Janeiro. On a whim, I replied to the post, saying how much I'd like to visit Rio and be part of this festival. A couple of months later, while eating lunch in Maine, my phone buzzed. One of my lunch companions said "What happened to make you smile like that?!" I put the phone down. "I'm going to Brazil. I get to go to Brazil again." My most recent trip to Rio is another post for another day, but it, too, was magnificent. Life-changing and brilliant and inspiring and RICH.
It seems magical. It seems like all I've had to do in the past is whisper how much I'd like to visit Rio de Janeiro and the universe rouses itself to bring all of its best luck and happenstance to bear. On the off chance that this may be true, consider this my standing whisper, universe: I want to go back to Rio. I will always want to go back to Rio. You just let me know when.
