The Youth of Yesterday
My day job is Audience Development at a smallish but well-respected regional theatre. ‘Audience Development’ means telling people who don’t want to go to the theatre that they do, really. If I say so myself, I’m pretty good at it: my persuasive Irish genes are hardly dormant, and as Mario will tell you, I like … Continue reading
Fight for Your Fringe
I know that the last time I wrote two blog posts in a row I was extremely apologetic, and that I gave Mario tacit permission to hit me with a cereal box as recompense for my blogging gluttony, but this time I don’t feel so guilty. This is for two reasons: firstly, I am “the … Continue reading
This…is…SPA- er…EDINBURGH!
“When one scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another.” That quotation is from the 2007 version of Mansfield Park (starring Jonny Lee Miller and Harold Pinter. ‘Nuff said), and although it is uttered by the most vacuous character in the whole thing, it’s been stuck in my head ever since I first heard it. I … Continue reading
‘Twas the Night Before Rehearsals
It’s terrifyingly easy to forget how much you love something. Mario and I have spent eleven months planning, plotting, scheming, Skyping, emailing, wailing, waiting, debating, tutting, talking, meeting, marketing and, whenever possible, consuming coffee. And all of it has been building up to one thing: tomorrow. All of the late nights poring over the script, … Continue reading
Channel or Tunnel?
How much should your personal life affect your creative work? It’s a tough, meaty, chewy, get-bits-stuck-in-your-teeth kind of debate, but it’s one worth having, because it’s never going to go away. If you are a creative person in any capacity whatsoever, and you also have a personal life and a history, then at some point … Continue reading
If Music be the Food of Love, then Stuff Your Face
If you have seen any of our plays or heard us talk about our work, then you will probably be thinking that the title of this blog is somewhat inappropriate, given that we, er…well, the truth is…well, if you must know, the thing is that we… we don’t use music in our performances, alright?! There, … Continue reading
Rock, Paper, Shreddies
I feel a certain amount of Catholic guilt about doing this blog post, because my childhood ethics tell me that it is, quite simply, not my turn. I did the last post, ergo it is now Mario’s turn to take to the keyboard. If I had taken the toy from the cereal twice in a … Continue reading
Go Plug Yourself
For the fourth and final year of the course, Drama students at UKC choose a specialism to work on, and they can choose between several areas: Contemporary Performance Practice (CPP), Directing, Design and Creative Producing being a few examples. Mario and I chose Directing, and the rest, as they say, is Media Studies. Or something. … Continue reading
You Got Somethin’ To Say?
“Whose turn is it to write the blog?” “Yours, I think.” “Right.” “D’you know what you’re going to write about?” “Er…yes.” “Really?” “No…” That conversation pinballs between myself and Mario a lot these days. This week, it was my turn to think of something profound and witty to write for the blog. Despite the fact … Continue reading
Empty Photo Theatre 