Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Remember!!!


Umm...an early morning blog. Not sure about this one it feels wrong, like i've got to much time on my hands.

Still "use this power for good" the voice in my right ear hole keeps whispering. That's considerate. I couldn't handle it shouting at me right now.

So lots to do today. I've got to adapt The Jungle Book for the Key Theatre summer school, whilst i'm there i should have a think about staging it. I've also got to stage The Wizard of Oz. That's for Dubai summer school in a week and a half.

Then on Dubai, I'd like to sort through some play ideas. If I can go out there armed with several outlines for a rep season I'll be happy.

I need to have a serious look at A Christmas Carol. Martin hasn't said no, but I need to re adapt to create our version.

I need to organise our first workshop at Sedgehill school, that's if I can get through to my contact there.

I should speak to my agent, I suppose. (He's a good guy really.)

So i'm gonna get on and let you know what's done and what isn't later on. So have a great day.
Smile at least your not in Big Brother.

MC

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

This is a convince job.

Ok, the boss has begun the wheel turning to sit Carol out. I understand his reasons, i don't agree but there you go. We all get our ideas shafted at some point. Interesting that the day he put forward his concerns, I get offered three jobs at once.

Now it's all about knowing what we are talking about, and presenting the right suggestions. He hasn't said no. Yet!!!!

Sarah Tipple is very interested.

With her on board this could be a winner. The time to be planning is now.

MC

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Devising

Well i'm devising again. This time with some year eight and year nines. They have never met. There was a stand of on the first day. Transition and the right to be somewhere is the topic. They are nice guys and I think all will go well.

They have just started me thinking of Carol. A Christmas Carol and what do we as a company want to get out of it. Still at base is reputation, but our ideas that we believe in have to feature in a major way for an adaptation. What can we bring that is new to a classical text.

Answers on a post card please!!!

MC

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Proposal had gone in.


Picture from left-right: KevinWatt, Mr Brad-Leigh and Bristol Old Vic himself Hillda!

We've sent in a proposal to Martin at the Theatre. We seem to have all of a sudden gone very formal. Don't get me wrong I think that's a good thing. If we want the company to move forward we're going to have to learn many different ways of communication.

I'm thinking of taking a short break out to visit London Zoo, there I intend to observe the monkeys and learn about body language. Thing is, they are behind bars so will they behave differently? It would be interesting to see if a monkey in a zoo behaves in any way similar to an inmate at a prison.

Still I'll keep you posted on that one.

I'm also trying to get this week of workshops up and running, I think it will stand us in sterner stuff than we already wade in. And it will be great for the theatre with 'Journeys End' coming up.

With regards to the proposal I suppose all we can do now is wait. Kevin did have the thought that 'A Christmas Carol' might take box office away from the main house panto. My opinion is wouldn't it be great to fill both spaces.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Moving on.


Right well, I've had a semi day off. So today I've been thinking a lot about the next six months. There is a lot happening. Some stuff in the pipe line. Some that are just ideas at present.

The biggy is our own adaptation of Christmas Carol. I'm not sure that our boss at the Broadway wants us to do it.

That's just a feeling I get.

I think the problem is 'Someone Who'll Watch Over Me' sent us down the road of 'good at gritty drama'.

Neville was a completely different challenge. Props, the set, playing a married man with kids (that was just me.)

Now the run was a struggle, and due to the lack of an audience our confidence probably did begin to dwindle. That can leave a taste in the mouth. For anyone working in the building. But because we're not buzzing and literally running down the stairs screaming "let me on the boards I'm going to rip this play up tonight, they will not know what hit them." Doesn't mean that we've lost interest. It doesn't mean we're not suitable for anything other than dark.

What it means is that we were learning. Playing a comedy like Neville's Island to an audience of six is a massive learning curve.

Do you rein it in and get the audience to believe in these characters 100% with a natural performance, thus making them laugh at the situation and the way the characters deal with it.

Or do you, send it up slightly. Thus making the audience laugh at the characters, and making them relish in the situations they get into.

The answer is, you can do either. Sending it up worked for us in Dubai. Cheap bastards I hear you cry.

Sod off! They loved it and they wanted more. We did our jobs. And I'm convinced that we found those performances through four weeks of hard graft and invention at The Catford Broadway.

(Well plus we had a director with vision, and a set fit for town. Not to mention our mate George.)

Anyway.

On the marketing front we are learning as we go. We have to, we started this as jobbing actors. So we can only get better at it. Our ideas a worth trying. Nothing is a wasted effort.

Catford audience didn't want to see Neville's Island, that was true. And to get people into that building it's going to take the right play. I agree.

Maybe the studio will not respond to seasonal programming either. (Having said that our boss did say he saw the worst version of Christmas Carol down there and it did a great box office.)

We just want to try.

We never wanted to label ourselves.

We've just come back from the Pulse Festival in Ipswich with our first devised piece. We wanted to take risks to see if they would work. Some did and some didn't. Now I think we've got a great platform to script and write a play. Based on what we found out.

Granted the Catford Studio isn't a place to take risks. Not when your out looking for reputation.

We just want to see if we can bring something new to a trusted classic, and get a closer handle on the audience. Hard work were expecting.

But we're up for it. I think the last six months have proven that.

MC

I need a swim.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Cranberry went.

Cranberry juice played to a near full house last night. And we won.

I think it has an after life and will return but in what form and who will be in it?

Cheers Phil, a great performance, impro is hard and nerv racking. But I think the structure was sound and helped us with our funny and entertaining clowns.

A day off. Na!!! Christmas Carol maybe!! Time to move onto something new. learning as we go is great even if I am skint, tired and look like ****!!!

MC

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Smell the summer!

I got it in the neck a bit, I've not writen anything for a while. I suppose it looks like we've ditched everything mid production. Well that's not the case. We've been working so hard that the last thing on my mind Is writing techno bable when I get in. Still it doesn't take long to write a couple of words does it.

It's been a tough three months, it's all been documented. So expect more info to follow.

We nailed Neville in the end. Dubai was a great success. We made lots of friends and hope they are all well.

Cranberry Juice has now played to an audience and we think there is work to be done on it for a small scale tour. Bits worked very well other bits didn't. But i'm proud we took lots of risks, and added to our already ballsy reputation. Mind you writing a play about binge drinking has now meant that i don't care if i never see another alcoholic drink as long as i live.

During Neville's month in London it got offered a transfer to Upstairs at the Gatehouse in North London, so we are obviously doing something right. We couldn't move it in the end as dates didn't fit. Still it's a contact made.

We've also been approached by a producer in The West End to get our vertion of 'Someone Who'll Watch Over Me' into the Jermyn Street Theatre. That could be good.

We've successfully broken in a regular Stage manager. Thank you for all your hard work Andrew.

Now boy's Peter and Darren, what can i say about you! I think the proudest thing myself and Kev have taken from this is that we have an eye for casting. You were ace in your jobs and not bad company either.

Fondest memory. Darren Hill 3am skidding into the lounge in his pants and tshirt. Showing us his belly before returning to his room for bed time. I think it was his way of saying good night.

Thank you guys for helping us get there in the end. I know it was tough but i've learned a lot from you. So cheers.

What's next, maybe Scrooge, or an adaptation of it. We need a box office hit.

That's it for now. Thank you if you have supported anything we've done from the beginning to now. See you on there.