April 2013 to March 2014

Oh dear.  Almost a year since my last post.  So here goes with a show by show summary:

April  2013
Talks at Sutton Arts Theatre, Stratford Lite WI and Packington WI.
Loved all of them.  Sutton Arts Theatre - wonderful place - would love to work with them again.  Stratford Lite.  Quite a lot of people turned up.  Far more than I was expecting.  Lucky I'd rehearsed.  Packington - gave the talk in the undercroft of Packington Hall, a private mansion north of Coventry.  There were deer in the park and a wonderful mix of WI members in the undercroft.  The President and Secretary of the WI did a double act that made most other comedians look boring.

Double Booked at Hill Ridware.  I like Hill Ridware.  Been there twice now and this time I was given a raffle prize.  Bath bombs.  As with all bath bombs they are gathering dust.  Same show at Festival Centre in Drayton - the smallest WI Hall I've been to.  Went fine and the lights didn't break down this time, which was a bonus compared with my last visit.

Home Truths at Heron Theatre, Cumbria.  Big occasion.  Second performance of the double bill which is Double Booked and Something Fishy.  Took all day to get there and near disaster when lights went funny and the electrician was on Windermere - i.e. right bang  in the middle of the blinking lake.   All part of the fun of rural touring.  You don't get this in London.

Something Fishy at Kettering Arts Centre.  I don't know why but I never look forward to performing in a church.  However, this one worked really well.  The vicar's wife knows how to set up a theatre and their sound and lighting worked a treat.  Good audience too.  Wouldn't mind going back there.

Something Fishy in Abberley.  Oh Abberley!  You never let me down.  Always a top audience.  But the steam driven lights have been condemned and Marcus, their maker was nowhere to be seen, which was a sadness because my memory from previous visits of my retired techie John nudging ancient Marcus to prompt every lighting change will never fade.

May
Talk in Shipston.  Big mistake to go and look around the shops before the talk.  Spent four times my fee in about half an hour.  Talk in Wellesbourne.   Funny performing to friends and neighbours.

Ten Days in Byfield and Sytchampton  Nice to be in two new venues and a while since I'd done Ten Days..  still love that show.

Something Fishy in Olton.  Love Olton.  All for Children of Chernobyl - one of the best charities I know.

And then a mistake - the regional final of Britain Does Variety.  WHY do I do these things?  Some experiences are best left not had.  Best forgotten.

Back to familiar ground with Double Booked in Kings Bromley.  Second smallest village hall I know. Dressing room is upstairs next to the men's snooker room.  Kind of odd but love the people.

Then the third Home Truths performance at Artrix and an auspicious first meeting with Tom Jude.

June and July
Nice show in Shrewley and nice talk in Lillington (highest quota yet of midday audience falling asleep) but more to the point, rehearsals started for HOUND DOG.  New play, cast of seven, including husband, best friend and her son, techie's ex boyfriend.  My directing debut.  A true-ish story about my rescue of Juno the Greek harehound.   Big, big challenge and all in order to go to Edinburgh Fringe in August.  A few wobbles, of course, but overall a good experience and the Wellesbourne debut went well.

August
Mad, mad August: me performing Double Booked and Something Fishy on alternate days at Pleasance Courtyard.  Everyone else performing Hound Dog every day for first 11 days at Sweet Grassmarket and then son Ralph and his company performing Daughters at Space at Surgeon's Hall for final week.
Result:  5 star review for Double Booked - great.
Slightly disappointing attendance for Something Fishy: a mistake to bill it as a sequel
Audiences grew in size and appreciation for Hound Dog and decent 3 star reviews.
Daughters -  3 star ratings didn't match wording of reviews. Amazing Edinburgh performing and directing debut for a 17 year old.
Cost - through the roof on account of Juno (the Greek harehound) destroying the house we rented.  Post show party was brilliant fun.    Great to spend so much time with so many young people.

End of August - so knackered decided was going to give it all up.

September
A couple of gentle talks to remind me that I do like performing.

October
Lots of Double Booked - Gosford Hill,  a Live and Local performance and a memorable day performing in aid of Vanessa Rose's charities at King Edward's School Birmingham.  They raised £7k. Just shows.

November
Largely taken up with my tour of Lincs, Notts and Leics with my lovely techie Ellyie Mendelsohn.  Oh we did have fun.  Every audience was wonderful and every B and B was individual, slightly wacky, clean, comfortable and unforgettable.  Loved every minute.

December
Memorable for the tiniest audience ever:  11 people and some had to leave in the interval because they were too young.  But despite that it was still a really nice evening for some reason.  Can't work out why because in a way everything was wrong: the venue, the audience, the lighting.  Still think back to it being a good night.  Weird.

Sadly though, my dearest techie, Ellyie Mendelsohn left to take up the next stage in her career.  She has been brilliant.  Probably made about 2 mistakes during the entire time she was with me.  Taught me all above Judaeism, the fear of spiders, gluten intolerance and how to be quiet and get on with it when something is difficult.

January
Talks in Halford and Wellesbourne and Alderminster.
And the beginning of FASHIONABLY LATE.  Despite my predictions that Something Fishy was the final Ruth Rich episode, this is the next one.  But it's different: principally because after a few rehearsals I realised it cried out for another performer and James Goldsworthy is performing with me.  (He played Jack the dog in Hound Dog).

February
Performances in Bromsgrove (nice), Bedford (very nice - a two-nighter), Playbox Theatre (really nice), Braintree (guess what, nice) and Leicester (poor audiences but I liked the venue).

And here we are in March.  Surprise surprise.  I have lost my voice.  It is staging a quiet protest at the amount of work it's doing.  But it'll have to get its act together because there are more shows to do in March including the first ever public performance of Fashionably Late - proudly sponsored by the Arts Council, R Locke & Co and Lodders Solicitors.    Rehearsals with James are hilarious. Rehearsals with James and Tom the techie - ah yes, Tom Jude has filled Ellyie's big boots sensationally well - are cripplingly funny.  Can't wait.