And so it begins again. The Play That Would Not Die (I think I might revive it every year, it’s rather fun) is on the move again. Strike, drum!
ITEM 1: Publicity
One of my favourite illustrators (his style is exactly what I wanted from the outset) has sweetly agreed to do our poster design for us (and design my ‘theatre company*’ logo) – so he’s been forwarded a brief and a couple of deadlines. I’ve also asked him in his other capacity on North London’s Fashionable North London scene if he would be up for another exciting side-project for one of our London previews which will be the most challenging thing I have ever produced but is phenomenally exciting and may even pay for our Edinburgh guarantee if I pull it off. (This is Very Iffy, But Almost Possible – always looking for ways to break even)
ITEM 2: Venues
I have applied to my first two 2 venues and am working out the order of preference for the next tranche.
ITEM 3: Oh, yeah, The Script
Mr Maddrell and I are working on The Maddrell Report and The Heenan Dossier respectively – Marchant is working on the ‘yeah I’ll have a think as well’ File. We meet next week/week after to discuss our next draft of the long version – we’ll get the original cast to read it in early March, then we have a couple of weeks of shaping, then I have to do the Edinburgh cut which has to be entirely finalised by early May, then the actual full length version needs polishing, proofing and sending off to print as the full script will be part of our merchandising*
ITEM 4: Directorial Vision*
As a director I want to work more on the AV side of things and the music for this run. With KDC last year I just needed to get 16 people to have fun on stage for 2 hours without falling over or killing anyone, this year I want to prove my actual artistic chops – this does not mean that the fun stops and I start making everyone play challenging drama games, no. This means Even More Fun, But Better.
I went to hear Thomas Ostermeier, Ludovic Lagarde and Simon McBurney talk last night and McBurney pointed out the essential difference between the word for the people who go to plays in European languages – in the UK we have an audience (the listeners) in Shakespeare’s time you would go to ‘hear’ a play (I kept this in mind when writing the first draft of Waleses – that idea of the language being heard) but that in French and German, they are ‘the watchers’ – from that you can sort of extrapolate that what is seen on stage is more important than what is heard in their theatrical traditions. Me, I like the words, I like the text, but yes – I’ll admit that how it’s physically shown has started to matter to me more – it’s my next step up the directing ladder.
So there you have it. Subject to contract, we are going to Edinburgh. I don’t quite know exactly who “we” is, yet***, but I hope I’m not going alone. Doing the whole thing by myself would be exhausting.
*ahahahahahahaha**
**ahahahahahahahahahahahaha
***hopefully many familiar Walesian faces
Asterion Theatre 