For the next three days, I’m going to stand in 30C-degree weather, in a sweat-inducing costume, with layers of makeup on my face, on a main street, with the hope of getting total strangers to crack a smile – or, even, a smirk.
This is my inaugural attempt at being a living statue.
I’m not a street artist or busker. I have no juggling skills. And, I can’t play any instrument.
But I can get people to smile. I love the challenge (and success) of inducing a smile.
Near the end of my medical clowning course (I graduated last month), the teacher put out a call for volunteers to take part in this summer’s Rehovot International Living Statue Festival.
The three-day event in July features hundreds of displays from Israel and around the world.
The annual festival is free of charge. Hundreds of people are expected. And I'm hoping to get as many smiles as I can.
I’m not performing alone. I’ll be in a display with five others.
As American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better."
So, there’s always a first time to be a living statue.
I'm so excited. Hope to see you at the 2018 Rehovot International Living Statue Festival!