Prelude to the Trunk

I lived in South Africa for 13 years. I had not been keen to visit that country because of the Apartheid policies of the government at the time. So I was very ambivalent about an offer I had received to be a cast member in a production of 'A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum' that was going to tour South Africa. 'Funny Thing' is an hilarious and successful American Musical, which was also on in London at the time. I was quite flattered to receive a phone call one night, from New York, asking if I would care to be a member of the cast. The show would rehearse in London for four weeks and then in Johannesburg, South Africa, for another two, where it would open.    The leads were from America but the rest of the cast were to be from England. English artists were lower on the pay scale than their American counter parts at the time. My natural inclination was to say no. So I did, (sadly, would have loved to have been in the production). Anyway, I was given a few days to rethink the offer and then to call New York with my answer. When I told a friend what I had done he said I was crazy and that I should go and check out for myself what was going on in S.A., first hand. Then the British theatrical union goaded me to go. They wanted me to send back regular reports on the theatrical problems in that country: how the Blacks were being treated; apropos the seeing productions, and the curse of segregated seating, etc. Sooo. . . the long and the short of it was that I ended up in South Africa, and fell in love with the country from the moment I stepped off the plane. The tour was for 6 months, I stayed 13 years, learning more than I had ever dreamed. There is a lot of story from those years, and I shall drop bits and pieces of it along the way.
'The Trunk', is a compilation of two almost similar encounters I was told about, but the sentiments are mine.