Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand I’m back again, from my other show.
It was an absolutely brilliant show about the death of John Lennon, saying that Mark Chapman was a puppet used by the American Government. Controversial indeed, but brilliant. The actors were so good – especially the two playing John and Mark. It got very encouraging reviews from the two newspapers, 4/5 from one and 7/10 from the other. Although at first 7/10 might not sound brilliant, this newspaper gave Hairspray (a professional show that’s probably been in the West End or on tour and was being performed in a full size professional theatre) 8/10, so 7/10 for our first run was brilliant!

Tech wise the first few shows had some BAD hiccups, but after the third it was running fine. I learnt how to put chases to memories too, which is something I didn’t know how to do on the desk in question.

I’ve now got the same post show blues I’ve got after Inconsistent though, I get it after most shows. Really, for a week you’re practically living with a group of people. Some of them you’ve worked with before, like the theatre staff, but there are new actors you meet, and for a week you’re all best friends, you see eachother every day, but as soon as the show is over everything changes. Everyone suddenly snaps back to reality. We all go our different ways, back to our normal day jobs and in some cases, know we’ll never see eachother again. You get really close to people and then they vanish.

I don’t know, maybe I get really emotionally attached more than the other staff because I’m a woman? Or because this is my first year working in a real theatre?  Or because deep down I’m just a big softie? Who knows?

I’ll miss the other theatre staff too, even though we’ll all see each other again soon. I want to arrange for us all to go on a trip or go for a meal or something, but I don’t know if anyone else will be up for it.

Anyway, that’s enough of the rambling. I’ve put some more content up, reviews and photography and stuff. (Hopefully I will have done anyway. I blog before I update, and then usually wander off and do other things.) I want to make a new layout soon, but it’s finding the time. And a lead for my graphics tablet.

Toodle Pip!

x

I’m back.

I don’t know why I started with that. No one knew I was gone, no one cares I’ve returned. At least I have a good reason for my absence though. I’ve been on tour.

How cool is that to say? Really, me, the most boring girl on earth has actually been on tour, with a play. Travelling, staying over, going on adventures in the day, performing in the evening, partying in the night. I know I was blogging about being worried, but I now see I had nothing to worry about. I’d give anything to do it over again and enjoy it more rather than focus on my nerves, but now, The Inconsistent Whisper of insanity is over, and now I’m back to my normal everyday routine.

Just about.

It wasn’t a massive tour, just around the North West of England (if that), but it was such an amazing experience. It’s amazing how quickly you can grow close to people, and how people bond when they’re thrown together. I can come away from it with so many new friends and so many memories, and a muted feeling of pride that I was involved in it, and a feeling of excitement that I might be involved in something like it again. There was talk of the best three plays going to London; I still have hopes for that.
From a theatre point of view, the play was successful. We got really good reviews and loads of positive feedback – most people want to see it expanded, and we had good audiences every night. From a technical point of view, it went really well. Both me and the sound designer got our names in the British Theatre Guide, which I find really encouraging, and I learnt a lot about lighting. I’ve already been asked about another project next year, and I have another show starting on the 16th of August, so I’m looking forward to that.

So, now I’m back to my normal, everyday life. I’m still writing for the magazine (that’s what I should be doing right now to be honest, but I can’t think. I went to see Lightspeed Champion and he was so amazing I felt sick, but it’s hard to put it into words.) Still working for the rugby club and still working in a real job like real people do. Sometimes I want nothing more than to lie back and go to sleep, but most times I am glad I’m so busy, it gives me a feeling of…worthwhileness? Like I’m not wasting space?
I can’t describe myself.

Anyway, before I head back to my reviews, I want to share a conversation I overheard on the bus. I don’t usually hear conversations on the bus, as I have my headphones in, but I caught a snippet of a conversation and had to listen to the end of it.

The setting and….stage directions are in italics.

An immaculate girl walks onto the bus with her friend. She is around 5″6, slim, with perfect skin, hair and teeth. She sits at the back of the bus, taking up two seats, and puts her feet on the seat in front. Her friend sits behind her. The main girl will be known as “A”, her friend as “B”.

A: Yeah, I got my teeth done on the NHS.
(Fair enough, most kids do get braces, contact lenses and glasses on the NHS. I did. That’s what the health service does. It’s not usually purely cosmetic though, if my teeth didn’t get fixed they’d have caused severe problems in later life.)
B: Aww, so jealous.
A: You can get loads done on the NHS!
B: Really? Like what though?
A: I’m getting a boob job done, like, for free, on the NHS!
B: Oh My Gaawwwd! How?
A: Oh, like, I told them I hate my boobs and they make me depressed and that. You have to like, pretend you’re really miserable about it and it gets you down so much you don’t want to leave the house, but they fix you for free. I think I want…double f boobs. I mean, you know, for free like. You do have to pretend

I do hate to be pious, and political and voice my opinions, because there’s nothing worse than having someone rant their view at you, but I find this disgusting.

The NHS provide England with almost free healthcare, and are quickly running out of funding. Nurses, Doctors, Surgeons and auxiliary staff are being made redundant every day because of a lack of government funding. Hospitals are closing down, equipment and research being lost all the time. Despite this, the NHS still save lives and help people through horrible illnesses, cancer, AIDS, meningitis and other fatal things, fatal things which need funding to help treat them, or at least help ease the pain of the poor people who suffer from them.

And she’s WASTING this money on her BREASTS. She must have been no older than 15, pretending she’s so hung up on her appearance she can’t cope, when there are people who actually do think they are so ugly they kill themselves, who get no help or treatment. There are people dying who could use the money to live another day, there are scientists who could use that money to research a cure for something, and instead it’ll be spent on making a beautiful but shallow girl ugly. Obviously, she’s not all to blame, the NHS are ridiculous for agreeing to it, but how can anyone’s mind even come up with that? To exploit a health service which tirelessly strives to save people just so you can walk around in a low cut t shirt and get a few wolf whistles?

Those breasts best find a cure for cancer, because the NHS won’t.