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AmDram - not as dramatic as you think |
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Tuesday, 24 February 2009 09:49 |
It's been a busy old week for me, and there's yet more to come regarding "treading the boards". Last Thursday I attended a reading at the Priory Theatre, Kenilworth for "Tom, Dick and Harry", a British farce with an extremely small cast which I had read through on my own a couple of times before and found exceptionally entertaining. The character I intended to read for was "Boris", an East European gangster and people trafficker who interjects himself into the comical havoc and brings a touch of seriousness to the plot (well, as serious as you can be when you have a 29 letter surname). I was surprised how difficult it was for me to get a decent East European accent on (although I am now taking inspiration from "CompareTheMeerkat's" chief) but I seemed to nail it and was very happy by the time the reading had finished.  I had been in contact with the director before to get hold of the script, and it turns out he'd done some research on me by the time I had returned to read properly. He questioned me on my title wins, experience and overall he was pretty impressed! The relevance of this questioning became apparent later. At the end of the reading, the director informed those of us present that he had another open reading on the Sunday, and then he would be making a decision regarding the casting. He also asked me to stay behind so he could have a word afterwards. Hmm.. As it turns out, the director had been talking to another thesp director about me, whose own play had had a last minute drop out. As a result of this, I was being asked if I was interested in performing as “Taff” Evans in “The Long, the short and the tall”, a WW2 stage play of some seriousness and most definitely of note (check out the movie cast list!). I left my details as requested and rode off from the Priory feeling like I’d made an impression, if nothing else. Friday night brought another opportunity as the Criterion Theatre had an open night for new members. I, as you would expect, assumed that this would be a wander around the theatre, an introduction to the staff and a warm welcome. Mostly true, but with some pressure added to that to become a member (for £20, ofcourse). As my local AmDram theatre, I have put my name forward to help out with the sound and light, but none of their productions are grabbing me yet. The sound and light is a way to keep my oar in though, so I’m going to leave it at that for the moment. What interested me most throughout the evening, though, was a passing conversation from one of the staff to another of the staff which went something along the lines of "We never get reviewed for the local papers. Nobody seems to be bothered to attend.". Hmm... Monday afternoon arrived in a haze of sleepiness and post-break lethargy; luckily an email also arrived from the Director of “Tom, Dick and Harry” with some good news. I had been selected to perform as “Boris”! WooHoo! Not only that, but although the other mentioned Director had recast the role of “Taff” Evans, he was wondering if I would be good enough to do the fight choreography for in “The Long, the short and the tall”. What a superb opportunity this is for me, and one I would never have thought would arrive so fast. It’s all dropping into place nicely – a small part in a farce (which already has three nights sold out) to get the taste for how it all works, plus a backstage role I would instantly be comfortable with.  This coming Saturday, I'm attending another audition - in the smoke this time though. It's for a new quiz series to be shown on Sky in the Autumn, and has really tickled my fancy, so to speak. It's interesting that there are two "roles" available for contestants, and I know which one I will be going for. Hopefully, you'll be seeing more of me on television come August time! |
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Assignment One returned... |
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Thursday, 29 January 2009 14:12 |
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Finally (not through the slowness of my tutor, more comparative to my impatience), I got my Assignment One marked and returned to me. The feedback was positive, but reserved. In The Writers Bureau blurb, they state that they tend to be kinder at the start of the course, and get more critical as the course progresses. Essentially, my tutor thinks I should read more and stay more concise in my wiring. Nothing ground breaking, and to be honest, was about what I expected. It was nice to get my first module completed though and I now look forward to Assignment Two, where I have decided to do the operatic version of Naked Lunch. It's going to be novel, if nothing else... 
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Looking forward to Assignment 2 |
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Tuesday, 09 December 2008 09:44 |
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 I've always prided myself on my grammar. I am, to the point of frustration, draconian with punctuation and layout. Module 3 of the Writers Bureau course has absolutely rocked my world though, and my smugness in perfection has been shattered, for which I apologise to anyone I have incorrectly corrected.
Oh, and I'm loving being wrong! I am learning an incredible amount on the course already, and it's nice to be actually taught something useful, which is keeping me not only motivated, but is also heaving my enormous ego into check (see - it can be done!). I have to also include the absolutely brilliant Newbie Writers Forum within my praise too, I can't stress enough how nice it is to have some peer support, as well as experienced and published writers giving their honest opinions regarding my writing (amongst other things). For instance, this very website was intended to be the main portal for prospective editors to view my work, but luckily I have now seen just how laid back and informal this site is compared to the sharp and concise websites elsewhere for freelance writers. As a result of this, I am setting up yet another website (I now have three and counting...), which will be at www.majikonline.co.uk. I'll let everyone know how it is developing over the coming weeks and hopefully get some opinions. On the subject of the course, I have been hit with some inspiration these past few days (a lot of it due to the influence of the NW Forum) and am beginning to build up a list of potential articles for me to put forward as queries (a query is a summary of what is in the article, to tempt editors into purchasing the whole article). It's reassuring, in a weird way, to see the list building and the variety of subjects within the list. Boredom is my enemy, and seeing the list fills me with relief that there is no way I could get bored and dragged down into one category of writing. Thanks goodness! I may start writing one of the articles in readiness for my second course assignment, I'm that excited about it. Suppose I should get assignment one out of the way soon... |
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Oklahoma! The follow up... |
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Thursday, 04 December 2008 12:03 |
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 I've had a follow up from the Oklahoma episode. The producer did a mass email out with rehearsal dates (but no times, strangely), and I was somewhat surprised to be included in the list. The question I now have is - what do I do? The rehearsals will take out just about every Thursday from February until June, plus it gets heavier at the start of June for the performances. On one hand, there's no doubt it'll be good experience for me and a foot in the door, but I'm still finding myself niggled by the lack of contact. I suppose a lot of it is ego driven, but I WANT to feel special, to feel wanted, and all it takes is a recognition that I exist as an individual potential cast member. Too much to ask? Apparently so.
Nevertheless, I have replied confirming receipt of the email and have offered to set up a Google calendar for rehearsals as well as a private area on this very site for notes and documents to be uploaded to. I don't know whether it'll blow their mind or they'll embrace collaborative web working, but we'll see... The only question I really have to answer for myself is - can I commit to this 100 percent? I wouldn't like to do it otherwise, as it wouldn't be fair on the cast and management team. Some pondering to be done here, methinks....  Shame I can't be Wolverine :( |
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XBox, and other animals |
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Thursday, 27 November 2008 08:59 |
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 I'm not a huge gamer by any stretch of the imagination - in fact, the last time I was really "into" gaming was 7 odd years ago when I was still working for the NHS and the IT department had a Counterstrike Clan. For reasons which will only be funny to us, it was called Huge Hole - Spank The Monkey - or [HH-STM] for our clan tag. However, I have to admit to finding gaming very relaxing (sometimes, specifically when I don't get "itchy face syndrome" out of frustration) and have been enjoying some games more lately. Here are some random thoughts on those very games.
Fable II I loved Fable and was quite happy watching someone else play as I was being directly involved. Fable II hasn't changed much at all. Still, a strong (if somewhat linear) storyline, some reasonable characters, and a good depth to your own personality. I've done roughly 50-60 hours on Fable II now (yes, I'm aware that isn't long, but I got it on release day and get very little time to play games) but I'm finding myself annoyed with the lack of depth within the game. There's only so many times you can laugh at your character messing their trousers, or go searching for Glaswegian gargoyles on roof tops. Great game, but from the same company that brought me the incredible Black and White, it's all a bit shallow and kiddy for me now. I think a trade in may be due, unfortunately. Guitar Hero: Aerosmith In a fit of niceness (or guilt - I haven't decided yet) my housemate gifted me GH:Aerosmith a couple of months ago, and I've been pleasantly surprised. For some reason, the online reviews for GH:A were a little condemning, and they roasted the track listing almost to a reviewer. Ladies and gentlemen - the track listing is superb, if you know the tracks, and the story is kinda fun. If you want depth in a game, stay away from anything with a guitar :) I don't really do online gaming (it tends to bore me, being thrashed every five minutes) but the two player career is a scream. Highlight tracks for me are Hard to Handle, Rag Doll, Sweet Emotion and All The Young Dudes (Go Bruce D!!!) Bioshock Now here's a game which I never thought I'd get into, despite being really impressed with the demo I downloaded when it was first released. Yes, I'm well aware I'm running behind the pack and this game is a year old now, but for a first person shooter, I think they've hit the pinnacle. The storyline is better than expected, the atmosphere is spot on, and someone has actually taken the time to grant you some intelligence and allow you to apply some good strategies in your gameplay. I can only cope with about an hour playing this due to it's franticness (not a word?) but it's a highly enjoyable hour! My gamertag Never one to back off from a geeky opportunity, I have pleasure in showing you my Gamertag - listing my online "Points" and recent games I've played. Feel free to drop me a message on XBox Live! 
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