Kim's funny Busyness

Thomas Lyons

Having an address in Billis, Cavan can be a slight hindrance if you have aspirations to become an astronaut. Because when NASA eventually do get around to offering you a spot on the next space mission they may inadvertently send the letter to Billis, Virginia.

It’s an honest kind of error, but one that may see you trapped in a never ending cycle of office administration. This is just one of the lessons to be learned from Busyness by Kim McCafferty.
An allegory of the modern workplace Busyness kicked off Culture Night in Cavan town as four acrobatic performers tumbled, bounced and somersaulted the story into life. The performance was a contemporary circus, dance and comedy extravaganza created by Kim especially for the playground at Con Smith Park.  
In Busyness we are introduced to four office bound employees who go through a chaotic day at the office that involved acrobatics, gymnastics and a lot of laughs as we track them from being rudely awoken in the morning by an insistent alarm clock, right through to a rather hedonistic after-office blow out. 
Between sunrise and sunset the 30 minute performance touches on a wide range of experiences for the protagonists; from the highs of Employee of the Month to the low as of an unscheduled encounter with the law.
As would befit a show that took place in a playground there was a sizeable contingent of young people in the audience. Viewers of all ages were captivated by the experience. The athleticism on show and the coordination of the troupe as they bring McCafferty’s story to life is astonishing.
Kim lined up a thoroughly professional company in Ali Stanger, Henrik Gard, Tony Mahon and of course the lady herself, who displayed an impressive gamut of facial contortions.
Commenting on the show the creator said: “The idea for this show has been floating around my head for over two years and thanks to the kind support of Catriona O’Reilly and all at Cavan Arts and Culture Ireland I have been able to bring the project to fruition. It is brilliant to have something like Culture Night. There is no way I could have staged it without Catriona.”
Kim may not have achieved the NASA dreams of her character in Busyness, but she did produce a show that is out of this hum-drum world.