This Is Your Captain Speaking

It's a musical, revue, part-panto, a play, part-movie and a lively piece of dinner theatre. It's enjoyed wonderful success by all ages in all locations - theatres, halls, classrooms. It's actually a three set show but you don't change the set. You move the audience. It's simple. At first your audience arrive in the airport terminal. This could be the foyer of your theatre. Here they check in, inspect the "shops", hire a cushion, meet fellow travellers and are entertained by some interesting characters. It's all scripted but with such close contact, your actors will need to be a little flexible.

Next it's on to Customs [could be part of a corridor] where your audience must pass through the metal detector and have their personal luggage inspected. Again it's tightly scripted with small comic scenes. All good fun.

Finally everyone moves into the plane ready for the flight of their life. Your plane could be just a large room with benches or individual chairs. There's no need to make a low roof although many groups do. The cheaper the better. You see you're flying with the world's worst airline and the crummier the set the better.

Lots of funny possibilities. You could offer two classes of ticket - first and economy but have the first class passengers up the back. You can name a destination, the more exotic the better. One group advertised the show as being a flight to Paris, France. The crew wore berets and spoke with terrible French accents. You'll almost certainly find that the audience will enter into the spirit of the show demanding better seats, more food, etc.

There is a scripted play which takes place on the plane. It involves many things some of which you can re-arrange e.g. if you have some talented performers you could include them in the floorshow on the plane. Floorshow? Yes, you see the in-flight movie breaks down and the crew have to make do. One passenger has 4000 slides of trees taken on vacation. Why not show these to the passengers! You get the chance too to make a local video. One of the passengers has been to see the sights in your town or suburb and here are the results. This is hilarious as your audience see themselves and their town on screen.

Some of the passengers include the short-sighted pilot, an overbearing parent, a mother-to-be, a priest Father Forgive-Me and a drunk who firmly believes he's on a train.

You can include a singalong and special items as mentioned previously. When it seems the plane is running low on fuel, something drastic has to happen. Passengers are asked to complete a will which bequeaths their underwear and spouse to the person they name on the form. Just when it seems the plane is heading for Disaster, a most unlikely pilot emerges and everyone is saved.

This is Your Captain Speaking has been staged with terrific results by all age groups in Canada, the USA, UK and Australia. The meal you serve can be BYO everything to chicken in a basket to a full sit down three-course slap-up feast. Captain is a great way to raise money. Take off today.

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