(c) James Bellorini
It’s been an interesting couple of weeks. My partner has MS and has been in and out of A&E a number of times (she’s fine now), which has put a kibosh on a number of plans and has meant that I’ve had to drop a couple of shifts at Bewilder Box. It has meant, however, that I’ve had a lot of time sitting around with nothing to do other than make plans, which has been helpful in enabling me to make progress on projects that don’t require me to be sat a desk.
I had a meeting with the lovely Simon Magnus last week to discuss an idea for a new one-person play. I’ve wanted to write and perform my own one-person play for a while now, and having attended Robert Cohen’s workshop at Hove Grown, I feel that I have a clear structure to work within. More importantly, I finally realised what I wanted to write about. I’m going to hold back on revealing the subject as I think it will surprise a few people and it would be easy to misconstrue in the written word. It was really helpful to brainstorm it with Simon, as I knew he was one of the few people that I’ve worked with that would truly understand where I am coming from. It’s likely to be controversial, and I think when it’s fully developed it will be the perfect play to take to Edinburgh. I’m committing to the long-term development of the show as it’s vital that the message behind it is clear, so again I’m placing no solid deadline on it, although I am tentatively aiming for Brighton and Edinburgh Fringes in 2019.
Speaking of projects with no deadline, I’ve turned my attention back to the How To Be A Man podcast. It’s another project that I’ve had time to think through, and having taken in a range of new podcasts lately I’m feeling confident about getting the format right. I’ve booked the first guest for mid-May, and I’ll be booking more guests over the next few weeks. My plan is to release a number of episodes at the same time, as each episode will be significantly different and I think interest will change depending on the guest and the topics covered, and that’s exactly as I want it to be.
I recorded a new episode of the SussexActors.co.uk podcast with Tom and Patrick from Theatre Nation last week, but I’ve not had time to edit it yet. I’m hoping to send it live at some point next week, time allowing. Recording this podcast made me realise that I don’t really have the correct set-up for more than one guest, so I’ve ordered a new budget microphone that I hope will do the job, and I’m looking into buying a mobile sound recorder too. Obviously there’s a cost to these things so I’m having to do it on a piecemeal basis, but once I have the correct equipment it will not only make the whole process a lot easier, but it will also allow me to record interviews on location, instead of squeezing people into my bedroom next to my drying undies and the mountains of unsorted paperwork. If you find the website and podcasts helpful and you’d like to speed up this process, please head to the Patreon page and subscribe from just £1 per month – every penny is helpful.
Amazingly, despite my not attending a rehearsal for two months, I have a show tonight. The Health of Nations takes place at Onca Gallery in Brighton. It’s the latest in a series of improvised town-hall style debates, and this one focuses on a stretched NHS hospital that needs to cut at least one of three services. These events are always lively and fun, and I’ve yet again got another great role to play. I can’t say too much without giving anything away, so do come along tonight – it’s just £5 and a great pre-Fringe warm-up.
Speaking of Brighton Fringe, my photograph is now on display at Brighton Station. The fantastic James Bellorini has put together a wonderful exhibition featuring a range of performers with a strong history with Brighton Fringe. The irony is, of course, that I’m not involved as a performer this year. Although that is a shame, it is nice to be available for paid acting work rather than profit-share, and I’m looking forward to enjoying it as a punter this year. I’ll be doing a bit of writing for Fringe Review, but other than that it will be nice to be able to sit back and enjoy some shows for entertainment’s sake!
I’ll probably blog here about the good stuff that I end up seeing too, so watch this space…