Mal MacKenzie

I was hit by a car.

Well. Not exactly– I hit a car. With my body. And my bike. It was their fault. To make a long story much shorter– I got doored.

This is what getting doored means: (image credit to a great article by 99% invisible about “the dutch reach”)

I was riding in the bike lane when  a motorist opened their door into my oncoming inertia. I did some sick ass flips in the air probably (still waiting on the dash cam footage) before coming to rest very forcefully on the ground. 

Getting doored is a common accident for cyclists– one of the most common in fact. I am incredibly lucky my incident ended in injuries. Often, these collisions result in cyclists being thrown into fast moving traffic and can prove fatal in such cases. 

Now what in the road, rage, and rubber has any of this to do with Roadkill Bambi?

Besides the obvious irony of writing a play about an inescapable traffic crash then being involved in a crash myself; Roadkill Bambi asks our audience to consider the destructive relationships we have with products and staples of modernity.

For the character of the Deer– your fourth wall breaking guide through the play– this manifests as an addiction to cigarettes. I would like to argue that for many in the west (and the USA in particular) we are in a toxic relationship with cars. 

How many people do you know who have been involved in a crash of any kind?

How many people do you know who have been injured in a crash?

How many people do you know who have died in a crash?

If you answered zero to all of these questions you are in the minority. 

Driving a car is one of the most dangerous things we do, statistically, and many of us do it on a daily basis. As my accident makes clear, as well as the 7,318 pedestrian traffic fatalities from 2023, you can’t opt out of this danger by opting not to drive either.

Every day humans the world over wield these weapons without a thought.

There are so many reasons why the issue is more complicated than personal choice, as with most choices under the shadow of late stage capitalism, the climate crisis, and modernity. But it’s worth pondering.

I hope you’ll ponder the habits you’ve formed, that you’ll check your rearview mirrors before exiting motor vehicles, and that you subscribe to this blog to be kept abreast of all the updates we have coming your way about the show:

Sneak peaks at the rehearsal process for Edinburgh Fringe.

Opportunities to see Roadkill Bambi stateside (woah? Really?!? Yeah that’s right.)

And of course, my incessant musings.

Yours, alive and concussed,

PS. I would be remiss to not use this as a chance to self promote. Despite my head injury I’m still performing! I’ll be playing Macbeth in Mac Beth by Erica Schmidt with Vigilance Theatre Group in Pittsburgh during the month of June. This is an adaptation of the classic play featuring commentary on surveillance, violence, and the way teen girls treat each other. Tickets can be purchased here