Part 1
Dr Frankenstein's Travelling Freak Show
WEEK 2
So, we played Chapter Arts, Cardiff, last Thursday and Friday. Dan Young our tech dude made the whole experience an enjoyable one and we spent three days in the venue re-working and moulding the show for it's next leg of the tour. It was our Welsh debut of the new version and it was an experience to be remembered.
The first night (the Thursday) we played to an audience of just under 60. The mood felt tense, the show felt weak, the energy felt low and things didn't click and flow with their usual irate, frantic fashion. The show felt like it bobbed by, like a duck kicking legs amidst a sea of sand. We didn't feel it, and we wanted to apologise to our audience in some senses. We were reviewed this night by Y Cymro, so we'll see how that goes.
The second night however, we bowed to a standing ovation. It's such an awesome feeling, and I use the word awesome in it's purest form, and it makes me wonder about what conditions we need to pull it off to a standard we're happy with. After all we're 13 individual minds (the band, the actors, the technicians) working simultaneously to make this experience work, and I think that's prone to error occasionally, but the second night we felt a melting of enjoyment and perception, and bowing felt great...
... Because when you've completed the hard task of writing, directing, producing, acting in and wearing any other stage-theatre-cap you possibly can as a four person crew/cast with a budget of less than £1,000 (that's total production costs and initial publicity) it's important to not only relish in the reward, but also think about what it means to be producing work that people seem to connect with an enjoy immensely, without the luxury of huge budgets, runners, assistants, producers, sole directors, dramaturges, and funders. It proves that it can be done, and I know the counter question/argument "Should it be done?" exists, I know it does, but I think ultimately it can't be answered.
I think theatre makers are always divided by this idea, my girl friend feels that all people present and participating should be paid, and that that is important in order to ensure the success of theatre as an industry which pays people/professionals what they're worth because they're worth it and it's their livelihood, but then my argument hangs in the area of; if people are willing to do it and are passionate and can find the means then they should. I know there is no wrong and right, and ultimately it's not that much of a ground breaking issue, but I do think about it.
AAAANYWAY!
We're off to Exeter to The Bike Shed Theatre tomorrow for a Monday Night Extravaganza!
Then we're in Bristol for two night at Bierkeller Theatre. Tuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th.
Then we're in Manchester at the 3 Minute Theatre in the legendary Afflecks Arcade on Thursday & Friday 16th & 17th.
Part 2
Life Inside An Igloo
The Beginning
I'd say another important impetus for us to create work is chucking ourselves in the deep end. I remember when we were starting out, we'd book gigs with no actual show, just a title and an idea and then we'd know that we have to make it or fail.
Well, I've gone into the deep end alone it would seem. I will be performing Life Inside An Igloo at Newport's Big Splash it's a children's theatre piece that I've been thinking about and drawing pictures for and writing ideas down for about a year now, and Big Splash seemed like as gooda time as any to jump into it, so today I have been at our space in an abandoned MFI in Newport, making, creating, wondering and trying things out.
The Big Splash is going to be full of all kinds of wonderment (check it out here: http://www.newport.gov.uk/theRiverfront/index.cfm/category/39/) and tickets for some stuff are 50p!!! 50p! You can see ten things for a fiver! If that's not a whole load of bang for your buck I don't know what is, besides which, most of it is free! It's awesome, spectacular fun for all the family, so if your a loner or a mother of 14 there is something for the likes of everyone. CHECK IT OUT!
Also, this is a little hello to Lauren Williams Mum. I hear your an avid reader of our Blog! So hello to you!
Mucho,
Justin
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