Wednesday 31 March 2010

Oh, a five minute break? Cheers.

It's a busy world, theatre. I'm not complaining much, it's just that I've barely had ten minutes since Thursday to sit down and relax - and it's Wednesday today.

With various raves and rig sessions, all in lovely sunny (not) Croft, it's been a mad couple of days. However the lighting for the show is almost good to go, and rehearsals are coming along nicely - still shoddy, but it's the first time we've done it on the stage and to be honest these things are expected to a degree.

Had a nice few days with Harvey, at varying levels of intoxication but it's been great. And Ryan too, in an odd way. He punched me in the face. Hard. Mehh. I did however get interviewed for Radio Leicester, which will be played next Thursday - listen out for me kids!

Life goes on, and whilst we've got few days before the curtain goes up for the first time, I'm feeling the excitement already. Long, hard rehearsals are paying off and we're getting somewhere...

Get your tickets - www.croftplayers.co.uk!

"You know you love me"

Thursday 25 March 2010

Decisions, Decisions...

The title for this blog is quite possible the most popular ever, especially if you read some of the word vomit that I do. Some people seem to think that their life should be posted upon the Internet every single day, and whilst this gives them some odd sense of self satisfaction, to be honest, nobody's reading. Or watching, if you're completely mentally deficient and record video blogs.

Today has been a long, bust theatrical day. 1:15pm, I hosted the Jaffa Cake eating competition which would have been fine if I'd remembered where I put the Jaffa Cakes. Meera, who was running the event, got a bit miffed at me, and gave me evils as I cheered on some chav to scaff a pack of Jaffas in 2minutes eighteen seconds. This was followed by a quick jaunt to the Library to print of some floorplans for the Croft Show.

Then maybe a lesson? Fourty minutes which the Neeson film Taken in RE, then to the auditorium to help last-minute rigging for the Talent Contest.

Now, school Talent shows often get a lot of stick for, simply, being shite. But you never get that at Lutterworth - because we do actually have talent. And this show ran a lot better than last year, we all enjoyed it more. However it was backbreaking with just Taran and I backstage, and I was hosting it as well. We remembered the old theatre adage that we'd certainly spouted last year...

Never Again.

But all in all, it was a fantastic show. I kept switching ties throughout the show through three colours to see how many people noticed. Not everyone. And my procrastinating skills are ever increasing, after looking at my watch with thirty minutes to go and no acts left to perform. A hasty and hushed conversation between Taz and I backstage was seamlessly interrupted by a by standing guitarist - "Mate, have you got a wireless pickup?" What stood here in a suit and tie? Feck off.

The beautifully talented Becky Orton won, and if you've never heard her music get your ass on YouTube now. The rest of this post - in fact the entire blog - is garbage compared to her.

It comes back to decisions. Those artists made a big decision to get on stage in front of 230+ people. Tomorrow, I have to tell a girl that she bluntly isn't wanted at a party we're throiwng this weekend. Sunday, I have to decide a safe way to rig the auditorium for the Croft Players show.

Every single action we take is a consequence of a decision - and nobody has time to waste in making them. Anybody who watched Married Single Other this week and last will know what I mean. Life is simply too short. Ask anybody who's lost a brother, a sister, a best friend. They'll tell you exactly how short life is. Some people never get the chance to make the decisions you don't even bother worrying about. Some people are taken from us too soon, and it is impossible to predict who is next.

We can't make the right decisions all the time, and in theatre and photography you can learn the most by making the wrong ones. But some are simple. Some are so dead straight and obvious that making the wrong one shout raise huge mental flags. Some wrong decisions could cost lives.

And nobody can play Monopoly with that sort of currency.

Peace.

Friday 19 March 2010

When A Plan Comes Together

It's that time of year again when our scripts are engraved into our heads, dance steps are rehearsed and rehearsed again, and every Tuesday and Wednesday night is lost to the theatre.

Polish your dancing shoes, kids - Croft Players return.

Producer Janice informed us last night that we have six rehearsals left until we get an audience is...just six. Wow.

I know Scene One. I know Scene Six too - that's only one line. But the introduction of dancing has really thrown any coherent memory of song lyrics, and yet again it's hard to find that balance between right steps and right words. As I said on stage last year, "Oh, Bollocks...."

I made a bit of a cock up - the phone number and Sat Matinee time on the posters were wrong. It actually got me down last night, since they've been printed, laminated and distributed. Fail.

Let's hope there're no such cock ups on the programmes, hey...

I'm also designing, rigging, colouring, focusing and programming the lights this year - and it's looking quite good, to be honest. Always nice to have that little bit extra, you know? This is our 35th anniversary show, and it'd be nice if we managed to do it well...

However, we are rigging the day after Hannah's birthday party. That'll be interesting!

www.croftplayers.co.uk

Saturday 6 March 2010

Kids: Don't drink.

Here's a bit of advice from Uncle Bidz, children.

Don't drink.

Not when you feel like this afterwards. However, at least I could walk and I didn't pass out on any pavements or anything this time!

Mummy is making me some eggs and soldiers. I need more tea. I reckon I also need sume ibuprofen and more sleep, but oh well...