under another sun

A bit of a slow start for Lorraine and I today. Beth and Amy into town to meet up with Sarah and Suzie and Ollie. Lorraine and I, along with Kitty caught a cab into the old part of town. En route we passed a poster for our show. There are quite a few around town, but given there are a bazillion posters and flyers around town it is a drop in the ocean. When you realise just how much of the centre is given over to Fringe stuff, and how often one gets approached with flyers it is amazing. We four went off to see Jane Postlethwaite , who Kitty knew slightly and we saw at the women standup show we saw a couple of days ago. A really entertaining and imaginative show called The House , which had us four in it, two others, a critic and a fellow actor in the audience. Matt, Kitty and I were dragged onto the stage. After this show, and Jane saying she may come to ours, Kitty discovered that her bank account had been hacked in India, and her bank urgently called her. All sorted quite soon, howe...

Flyering. Not flyering is more stressful than flyering, because at least I feel like I am doing something to promote the show. Beth went to an free education session about promoting a show, which laid on by theSpace this morning. I went off for a solo flyering mission. Although sunny, obviously rained when I set to work. I have found my own technique which is to have half a pint of beer first, and then chat to people warmly. Although this is outside my comfort zone, I realised I still have it in me to do it fairly well. People end up asking lots of questions. It is time consuming, but I am hoping a qualitative rather than quantitative approach might work. Beth, Kitty and Matt all flyering too at different times and other places. One woman gave me her card, she is connected with the theatre in Dundee. I also went alone to see the show by the Swiss folks, called Idle Time. It was in German, with plot pointer subtitles. It was very odd, with the cast all dressed in white and lying on ...

Up to a full house. With Sam and Jade in the front room. A large and military style breakfast this morning, cooked by Lorraine and aided by her chief kitchen porter. Beth and I off to the grand meet the press session at one o clock. It was advertised as a chance to pitch your piece to the press. Naively I had seen this as a few minutes to a room full of journos etc. The reality was very different. An enormous queue snaking out of a university building down the street. Once you got inside, having queued for an hour, then each publication had a desk and there were long queues for this. Hours of standing about, but we managed to get to speak to three different publications. After this Beth and I had a much needed reviving coffee, and a diabetes inducing piece of millionaire shortcake. While we had been doing this, Kitty and Matt had been flyering, giving hundreds of flyers away. Home, and we all regrouped, somewhat tired and frazzled. Lorraine, who had been with Sam and Jade, cooked a...

A nervy day before our first public dress rehearsal. We had a team breakfast in the Hideout Cafe a few doors down the street. Into town this afternoon. Lots to organise, and I had to find a local printer and copy lots of press releases, a simple thing but it added to the last minuteness of stuff. Beth, Kitty and Matt doing flyering for the show in Edinburgh. Lorraine and I zooming about dropping flyers and posters off at various Space venues. Then back to Mimi's a cafe near us where I had a steadying half a beer.  Then off in the evening in the bus, Beth, Kitty and Matt flyering outside for a bit too. The weather not our friend today. Really rainy and dreary all day.  I had to calm myself down at one point. I have been doing some meditation again lately, and I took ten minutes out midday for some mindful time. Really pleased I did. Also deciding that whatever happens in our run in Edinburgh, it is a win. So nice to have Lorraine with me at a time like this. So, the ...

Up at an ungodly ten past five, and frenzied around before out taxi came at ten to six. Down to Brighton station, and caught the slow train up to St Pancras. Nice to be doing this commute without having to work in an agency. The train broke down a couple of stops before St Pancras, but this only added a small delay, and we met Kitty and Matt at Kings Cross and caught the Edinburgh train in good time. About four hours and twenty minutes later, we disembarked in Edinburgh. Chatted to Mum and Toby on the train, and texted Anton. A pleasant journey up, zooming through downpours and sunny spells. Amy met us on the platform, and we cabbed to our digs in Leith, an air b'n'b flat at the top of rather posh tenement buildings. A nice smart interior, but the sixty stairs leading up to it, time worn with people's feet. Then a bus to Edinburgh for our tech rehearsal. Collected some of the props we had preordered from Argos first, and had a coffee and a snack. Then to the Surgeons...

Up fairly early, and Lorraine drove us down to Preston Circus, where Toby Beth and I had some coffee. Lorraine off to get her hair done.  After coffee we went to the bird studio where we had booked a rehearsal room, and met up with Kitty and Matt. Toby was able to at least see a run through of the play before he went. I walked him off to the station in the rain. Fond farewells with my brother and, as always, I was sad to see him go. Then back to the studio for another run through. Lorraine joined us, sporting smart hair. After rehearsal it was raining hard, and Lorraine drove me off to see Anton. We hung out for a while, the kids now back with Anna for a few days. Anton stretched out on his sofa. His work has given him two months off, and he has to steadily pace himself for his recovery, doing more exercise gradually week by week. For someone like Anton, who works hard, and looks after children and so on, this enforced idleness will be a bit of a challenge. The me...

Off to town, after faffing about this morning. Feeling wan and run down still. But eventually girded my loins, and met Beth in town and we went shopping for my suit. Got a smart suit, at a sale, cash price of £260 from the shop I often go to, which passed the Betty approval test. Then, pausing for a cup of coffee, Beth and I went off to The Boots and spent the afternoon rehearsing with Kitty and Matt. Somewhat challenged by the fact that the play, despite being repeatedly cut stays stubbornly at the 55 minutes. Beth and I made some last minute cuts, and the final run through, with these bits gone, snuck in just under 50. Thank goodness. A nice afternoon with everyone, Matt had been working hard  to get everything right, and I was very pleased with him. Home again, via the optician to pick up my new reading glasses. Home to Lorraine, and shortly after Dawn came around for tea. She had some feedback from the children who she had been reading The Second Kind of Darkness to, and the...

Lorraine very tired this morning, so we had breakfast in bed. Then I had to slink off to The Boots for a four and a half hour rehearsal. Beth's good pal Emily gave us some of her time. She has been training to be a voice specialist at Central, and provided us with some good notes on voice, and some other feedback too. I like her a lot. Everyone working hard. To slim A Glass of Nothin g down to fifty minutes, we've had to make a few cuts which, if anything, are improving the play. Another cut happened this afternoon, Beth and I thinking the same thing without even discussing it. Matt the intensive focus of what we are doing, and he is bearing up with great fortitude, and good humour. I felt a slight cringe buying some drinks downstairs, asking for a diet coke, a glass of soda water, and a cup of tea, which the owner gave us for free. He lets us use the room for free, and I like to buy drinks there to payback a little. I walked home to find Lorraine reading The Second Kind ...

So up with the sparrows this morning, the sky still threatening rain. I mooched off the doctors to discuss blood pressure, gout, a persistent ear infection and a weird lump in my chest. Came away reassured, and with a few routine tests lined up. I like my doctor very much, and we tend to have a bit of a laugh. I told him its not you it's me, on my white coat syndrome. Off next to get my haircut as it was suddenly unruly and sprouting sideways like a clown. This dealt with, off to the ideologically unsound Starbucks where I celebrated with large cup of coffee, and fiddled with some poems. Then to Specsavers for an eye test. I need a slightly stronger prescription, but my eye health is good. Together we compared the red photos of inside my eyes to last time and it all looked healthy. Then the difficult business of choosing specs with a woman called Raquel, whose head I did in by rebuffing her suggestions. We had quite a laugh about it. Then a bus home, and I sorted out the last o...

Up fairly early for a Sunday. Feeling pretty sprightly and the foot much better. Lorraine working all day. Beth and I went to The Boots for an all-afternoon rehearsal with Matt and Kitty. A good day's work. The whole thing is getting very close now, only a month to go and still quite a bit of work needed to get up to scratch. Working with lovely people helps. Kitty and Matt really good folks, and we had quite a few laughs. Beth and Kitty a dynamic duo. Matt has the biggest challenge in learning lots of lines and finding his way into the play. Work interspersed with sitting in the garden of the Boots, which was very quiet, drinking soda water. Rounded it off with a cheeky beer with Beth and Matt. Asking Matt about his faith, as he is a keen church goer. Betty off to John's tonight. Bumped into Claudius too, who had popped in to say hello to someone there. Home and Lorraine still working on school reports and so on. Briefly spoke to Mum to organise a nip up to London tomorrow. ...

Up and enjoying breakfast this morning. Lorraine, getting towards the end of the school year, had lots of work to get on with. Meanwhile, Beth and I jumped into a taxi and headed off to the Station where we bought some coffee. I took Beth's case as she didn't have enough hands to smoke a cigarette and drink her cup of coffee and pull her case along. To the Boots, where we hung outside for a moment with Matt, and Kitty arrived full of her usual positivity and cheerfulness. Matt is an old friend of hers, and she teases him mercilessly. It was happy afternoon, with lots of laughter. Kitty remembers her part pretty much perfectly, as does Beth. So most of our effort is geared towards getting Matt up to speed. We are doing things differently, and it is making us see new things in the play, which is fun and keeps it fresh. Then Betty off to John's and then up to London to do the showcase early in the week for Vagabond Skies. I mooched home through the park, and arrived home aft...

Heard from Mum this evening that Barts had released Mason back into the wild, much to everyone's surprise. Mum said they had ordered some Chinese food, and Mason had eaten it as if it were a feast. Messaging the Tobster too. Lorraine into school this morning just to do some filing, and returned home with more presents and cards. I did some bits and pieces, trying to press on with my own stuff but finding my brain a bit awol. Was offered a chunk of freelance work in January, which I have tentatively said yes to. But otherwise it seems my neurones and synapses have called it a year, even if I haven't given them permission. Betty cooked up a top supper of stuffed chicken breasts and roasties and we had James and Kitty around. Dylan forgot to come. But we had a good laugh nevertheless, and watched We Three Kings , which we had manage to film with a rudimentary camera. Also the first five minutes of A Glass of Nothing , before the camera died. Kitty just getting ready to move up...

Less nervy today, although naturally nerves started at around 5pm. A taxi with James and Lorraine to The Marlborough, which was packed and had people conducting some kind of a Christmas Gift auction downstairs. More people tonight, and the room felt very full.  Catherine and Tanya and Steve Cartwright, Rosie and Innis were all there. A big day for Beth as Gary was there with Sophie, having been unable to see her during the Festival.  Emily and Eliza, two of her university besties came too. John came tonight too. The show went excellently. Less nervy than yesterday, and always fascinating to see how different audiences react to the same play. They really tuned into the dark side for the final section of A Glass of Nothing . Beth really on point tonight. Spectacular. Very proud of her and Dylan, Kitty and James. I couldn't have asked more of them, and they consistently did better than I imagined they could. Sad that we were done after just two nights. I have to get my thinki...

A bit of a limbo during the day. I slept this afternoon for an hour, and otherwise pottered about not doing too much of anything, other than wasting time humble bragging on Facebook, in an attempt to get more people through the door tonight. Lovely Lorraine arrived home early and she, James and I cabbed down to The Marly for six. Dylan, Beth and Kitty already there. Lurked in the green room a bit, and then as soon as we could get into the theatre, boshed in and set up rapidly. Bloody great white flats left in the room, and we had to dissemble them with the help of Marly folks before the seats could be done. A bit of nervous hanging around beforehand. Went to sit in the bar, nursing a half-pint. I met Ptolemy who Beth has taught, and had brought a posse of his drama A level class with him, having seen A Glass of Nothing earlier in the year. He congratulated me on the writing, and Beth says he can recite bits of the play. A very promising 16 year old I think, who clearly has marvellou...

Bit of a free floating day today. To the gym this morning to dispel tension, which worked but made me sleepy in the afternoon. And spoke to Mum, who said Mas was feeling a bit more himself, and they are talking about moving him from intensive care again soon. Otherwise a bit of tinkering with things to do with the play. Beth in bed most of the day. When James came we set off for the Marly in a cab. Nice Pakistani cab driver who I ended up discussing Pakistani politics with. He is optimistic about the future, which is good to hear. Did the tech rehearsal tonight, suddenly lots more real once the stage lights and sounds were sorted. A solid tech, Jessica, who new her stuff, which helped. Being on a lit stage really brought out the energy in Dylan particularly. He is such a natural. Beth conserving her voice. Lorraine came tonight too, and her presence was really welcome. Touching how much strength Beth derives from her being there. Lorraine thought We Three Kings was good too, and ...

Up early and doing few bits in a somewhat unfocused fashion. Then the afternoon spent in our last rehearsal in the Duke of Welly, before walking across town carrying a hatstand, (kindly lent us by the folks in the Duke of Wellington) down to the Marlborough. A supper of sorts in Starbucks, because it was near and we needed food, then a first dress rehearsal in the Marlborough. Spoke briefly to David and Tariq who were both there. First time I'd been in the theatre there for some time. The stage has been enlarged, and the old sticky carpet taken up and it's come up trumps. A good rehearsal, and we finished up at 9:45, and had a quick drink downstairs in the Marlborough's bar with Beth and James, having a wee in the urinal of the gender-free toilet. The Marlborough is mainly a lesbian pub serving vegan food, and has a good atmosphere, but I can't help feeling a bit of an interloper there sometimes, but I must remember this is the third time I have written stuff which ...

Lorraine and I had a late breakfast, with Beth and James arriving in time for toast. Phoned Mum who said Mason had been taken back into Intensive care, which was somewhat concerning. When I called her in the evening, however, she said that he was noticeably better than he had been. A cab into town, and Lorraine and I did a smidge of shopping, before I joined the others at The Duke of Welly, where I had to collect my computer and simply come home again, to transfer the show playlists onto the laptop, and then return. Had good day's rehearsing, and it was generally quite fun, if a little gruelling. Kitty had been filming all night, so was a bit shattered, but did well nevertheless. Everyone else firing well. We Three Kings feeling much better now. Ended after six and had a quick drink under an electric bar fire in the beer garden, watching the James and Beth smoke. Nice chat with the owner, and I thanked him again for his kindness in letting us use the rehearsal room. Turned out ...

Up for toast and lots of coffee, and hung about with Mum, who was taking calls and did a couple of emails. I did a spot of hoovering before we went off again to the hospital. Somewhat to my surprise we found Mason much more alert today, his voice stronger and able to speak in sentences. He's far from out of the woods yet, but it was good to see him a lot brighter. The sister talked to us before we went into the ward, saying he'd been saying strange things about California, and the pacific ocean and so on, and they wondered if this was normal. We assured them it was. I left Mum and Mas in the ward, and went to meet Betty on the platform at Farringdon Station. She'd been up to Mill Hill to have photos taken at an extras agency. Slow train to Brighton, then once in the home of the seagulls, we bought some Japanese style takeaway, then rehearsed A Glass of Nothing with Dylan and Kitty till 9:30pm in the Duke of Welly. Everyone a bit low energy, and it was hard work. Managed t...

Coughing through the night, chest infection still annoying, though I felt a bit perkier today. I love this time of year, and lots of interesting stuff is happening. To have the wind taken out of my sails by a stupid chest infection is a bore. Beth hacking too. And worse, Lorraine starting to cough too. The day interspersed with bits of freelance to do with homelessness. Wrote a bit about Gilgamesh on my other blog, and tidied up something for Lorraine for the parish magazine. My great get the bloody poems out initiative, is still going well. I got my second response from my salvo, from Jeremy at Frogmore. It helped sitting next to him at the Poetry Book Fair, and him telling me he liked shorter poems. I sent him some short ones, joking about my cunning, and I'm pleased to say he took  Touchstone , a poem about Moulin Huet for his spring issue. Two from two so far. Better not start crowing yet though. At half four, I walked down to The Duke of Wellington for rehearsals of A Glas...

Lorraine up at six and I made up to have breakfast with her downstairs before she went. Quite handy as I had to send some stuff off on the job I was doing for my Chiswick pals just after seven. Lots of work first thing, and then a steady stream till mid-afternoon. Finding the prospect of everything else in the world frequently more enticing than sitting at my desk. Walked down to the Duke of Wellington town this evening, to rehearse We Three Kings this evening, met Claudius who happened to be downstairs in the pub, and has returned from the US looking fit and well. The rehearsal focused on the last section of when everyone's on stage, and Beth and the others sorting it all out and beginning to get it blocked. Though a bit tired this evening, it was energising to be with the gang again. Saw a bit of James being Balthazara the cross dressing King, and this will work nicely I think. The next few weeks look dense with rehearsals. After a quick wetting of the whistle, James drove...