Australian Production

 _Synopsis

^{_{This is based on a true story. The narrator, a young unemployed bohemian actor, approaches the audience and treats them with actual chewing gum to be consumed. Then getting on the stage he starts telling the story he experienced on the last bus while going home after seeing a play. One actor plays the various roles in the story about a drunken labourer getting into the bus and telling his story. At first no one in the bus cares for the drunken labourer and so gets the driver to stop at a night cafe where he buys the passengers coca cola and cigarettes. Then the whole bus becomes a mini party in a flash.}}

^{_{Boarding the bus again the drunken labourer proceeds to tell how his young son disappeared in the 1989 civil war and how he and his wife searched everywhere for him but were unable to find him. In desperation, the labourer’s attractive wife enlisted the help of the chief minister to search for their son only to find herself in the clutches of the minister. The minister keeps his wife who went to him looking for their son and gives the husband money for himself and his children whenever he visits him.}}

^{_{Gradually the man loses his will to live, starts drinking, and no one can help him. Upon his final visit the minister hands him a large amount of money and is told never to return. It was from this money that he bought the treat for the last bus. Then he throws away the rest of his money before being left on the side of the road. The people in the bus, including the bus conductor and even a monk, pick up the money.}}

_{^{After the story is told the actor says how he spent the money which he picked up: some money to buy some Mc meal and some to have a woman to sleep with, some to produce this play of the story, and the rest to buy the audience chewing gum that they have been eating. He also announces, as he leaves, that his play is transportable for Rs 5000 and gives the audience his telephone number.}}

Cast Actor:  Chris O’Neill Stage Manager:    Emma Lockhart-Wilson Lighting Operator: Sean McInnes Backstage Crew:   Nicole Austin                             Steven McLeo                             Sean Serpa Special Help: Janys Hayes Project Cordinator: Anne-Louise Rentell Translated by Stage Theatre Group & Philips Hinton Written, Designed & Directed by Dhananjaya Karunarathne First performance was on 26th of  September,2007 at the Bruce Gorden Theare, ( IPAC) Australia. (As part of the Merrigong Theatre Company Independent Producers Program)