New Blog

The address for my new blog is:

www.mydebutnovelloveconquersall.blogspot.com

Please come and check it out, and post if you want too.

x

Positive Thinking

Last week I attended a kind of audition for another play I'm interested in. It wasn't a formal audition but I spent the whole time reading for a character called Rachel, who was middle aged and the lady of the house. I actually really liked the part, even though I am no where near middle aged! But of course there is make-up, costume...

Today, I returned from Manchester where I had spent an enjoyable Saturday out celebrating my birthday next week, to show my commitment for this role which I wanted. I had already started learning lines for it. At 4pm today, me and this other lady found out our fate. Of course I never got it, was never going to I guess, due to the age. It's pretty difficult to make yourself look older. I guess this is the one time, I'd like to look older. Anyway, I'm human and was understandably angry and disappointed. I have this stupid other character with only 8 lines. I am the far better actress, better stage presence but this other lady received the part. Tough life hey?!

By next week I have to swallow my pride and watch someone else do this role, which I know I could have done better and play this minor character. But rest assured I may only have 8 lines, but they will be the best 8 lines of the entire play. So much for positive thinking; it has merely made my fall harder and much more difficult to recover from.

New Blog

Having finally settled on a title for my debut novel, I'm intending on writing another blog, based on life from my female protagonist, Grace. I need to finish my German course first, and I'm glad to say that my oral is done and dusted on Wednesday. Finally my life can return to writing. 

Anyway, I hope you will continue to follow my new blog as well, and I'm sure Grace will welcome you with open arms. As for the new title...come and see. Hope you like it.

Socks and Shoes

Yesterday I got very frustrated as I couldn't find any socks to cater for my shoe size. I am in the fortunate postion of being tall, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. But my feet are also big too, and that's a problem when buying shoes and even socks.

Over the years I've learnt not to hold my breath when buying shoes. Apparently women don't have big feet so most shoe shop assistants just stare at you, when you ask for a size 8. I was lucky shopping in Sports Direct last week because they could offer me both of my choices in size 8, that doesn't very often happen.

So a few shops can cater for large shoe sizes and tall people, for example Long Tall Sally. Why can they not supply the socks to go with these shoes? Until such a choice is found, my poor feet will have to continue to suffer in socks which are a tad small...

Withdrawal Symptoms

Two weeks ago was the penultimate night of my debut play, 'The Ghost Train.' The whole week of five performances was categorically the best week of my whole life. Honestly if someone had told me five years ago, I would perform on the stage infront of 100 people I would have just laughed. Now, it seems like the most obvious thing to do. The After Show Party was amazing, we had such a laugh on the Saturday night, but on Sunday I felt like a lost puppy. What on earth was I going to do with my Monday and Thursday nights now? Rehearsals had been my life for the last four months. Now I could quite happily forget my lines, and carry on with my life. Only I am now contemplating the merits of acting professionally. Insane? Possibly.

Since the end of the performance I have given this a lot of thought. I haven’t reached a major decision yet, but a few close friends have certainly given me their blessing and told me, they don’t think I’m insane. The difficulty lies in the fact that I don’t think I will be given as many opportunities with my local Amateur Drama group for acting, as I would like. In the next play, I’m prompting which I love. In my opinion it’s the next best thing after appearing on stage. I certainly want to audition for the next play in November, but to act full time would be the most amazing opportunity. More thought on the subject is definitely needed...

Angst at the Dress Rehearsal, ecstasy on Opening Night

After a smash hit of an opening night, for our play ‘The Ghost train,’ I feel it’s only appropriate to offer some idea as to how the dress rehearsal went the evening before. Disaster, is a word to describe it, or at least a word banded about by the cast members after the performance.

I was pretty nervous on Monday night, and we were only performing to a handful of our society members, but at least we could practise before a live audience. On the Sunday afternoon we had our technical rehearsal and there was no time for a complete run through, so Monday was our last time to iron out any snags.

The first Act was pretty good I thought. At least my major scene went well, which is of course most important. The first problem was the lack of a ‘body’ outside the waiting room door; essential to the plot of ‘The Ghost Train.’ Credit here has to go to the men for some genius ad-libbing. Given the fact that the ‘body’ was the Assistant Director’s husband, this didn’t go down very well. Indeed afterwards we all said that we saw smoke coming out of her ears, and could imagine the telling off he got when they got home.

I unfortunately got prompted, which infuriated me; number 1) because she has a reputation of being a much too enthusiastic a prompt and number 2) because had she given me another 30 seconds I would have remembered my line, thank you very much.

At the beginning of Act 2, my character begins by trying to light a cigarette. The props (a cigarette and some matches in an authentic 1920s matchbox) were going to be passed to me through the ticket office hatch by the stage manager. With the eventual arrival of the ‘body’ at the end of Act 1, she was on her way to me with my cigarette and matches during the blackout between acts, when she fell over the ‘body’ and couldn’t get to me on time. When the lights appeared there I was sat on a table wondering how I could fake smoking with no matches and no cigarette.

All in all, maybe it wasn’t as bad as the cast had thought. Certainly the directors were pretty happy with it, leading me to think, which play had they seen?

As everyone says; a bad dress rehearsal means a great performance, and that was certainly true because last night couldn’t have gone better. I received my cigarette and matches on time, because I decided to keep them in my handbag. If you want something done properly, do it yourself. Applause well deserved for our cast members. Bring on tonight people, and let the applause ring out merrily once again.

Frustration at Rehearsals

I know you’re all wondering how my rehearsals are going, and with less than a week to go until our performance week, I’m pleased to tell you all they’re going well. On Monday I forgot a line, said the wrong one and then the rest of the scene died because I couldn’t stop thinking about the mess I’d done. See that’s the perfectionist in me just dying to escape. A few weeks ago I let my frustrations gets the better of me, and really let fly at a rehearsal.

I was rehearsing my major scene in Act 1, and it was not going to plan. My character, Elsie is angry with her husband, they’ve just had a huge argument. The scene must have been run about 20 times, and during that time, apparently everyone but me knew best. Even some of the backstage crew who were watching. Anyway I was ok, just frustrated and hot. David, my husband, showed me what he thought the director expected and unsurprisingly he pulled it off extremely well. However, let’s not forget he has been acting for 10 years! The rest of the cast who were watching said he did a great job and that he should get the part. Now joke aside, you can understand how that made me feel. Cue a little swearing and me marching out to the toilets. I was very, very angry with everyone...

However, the positive from this was that when we ran the scene again I performed it so much better as I was angry for real. I think David was surprised! I know the catalyst for my anger so I’m going to run with it now

Penultimate rehearsal tonight, and now the nerves are really affecting me, although I am excited for next week.

Help would be much appreciated

I have a massive plea to all you up and coming writers out there. I hate titles and I want to think of an appropriate one for my debut novel. Would you mind telling me your opinions on these two titles please?

1) 2 years, 2 people, 2 different lives
2) The Rich, the Coward and the Determined

While writing this post, I've thought of another possible title so can I trouble you for more thoughts on this one pretty please?

3) The Rich, the Coward and the Brave

Adios for now. Love to everyone x

Define ‘lunchtime’

Having too much time on my hands, I frequently eat lunch in Café Nero in the centre of town. Their hot chocolates really are too good to resist. Yesterday I arrived halfway through the possible lunchtime rush, so imagine my surprise finding the majority of the tables taken up by customers having only ordered a coffee. It was lunchtime. Where was their lunch? I felt pretty stupid being one of only a handful of diners at 1 o’clock. Finding out that another of our restaurants in Stafford had indeed recently told customers that unless they were eating between 12 and 2, they had to sit in another part of the restaurant, I allowed myself a small smile. How many of you have entered a restaurant and struggled to find a seat because all the tables are taken up with coffee drinkers? Be honest now, hands up. I have! It is very frustrating. Perhaps the increasing obesity problem in our country is having more of an impact than we originally thought. All things considered, I’m going to stick with a wonderful quote that my best friend told me yesterday; ‘coffee is the new lunch.’ Perhaps…but lunch will always get my vote.

The one positive about being ill

Happy New Year to everyone, hope you all had a great Christmas. I had a cold before Christmas and sadly suffered another one after New Year. My immune system took a huge hit, and I normally pride myself on my healthiness. Having never had sinus problems, I was surprised and annoyed to find out that my cold also wanted to invade all the pressure points in my head. For the best part of a week, I suffered from a dull ache occasionally a sharp infrequent pain across from forehead, and aching ears too. It was a few days before I succumbed and started to dose myself on paracetamol. Sleep was torturous, having more than once been woken up during the night with a sharp knife like pain through my skull. Just when I thought that things couldn’t get any worse, I lost my sense of taste. I would have happily put up with the head pain, if I could have tasted my food, well maybe not, but the thought was there.

Now a week on I can taste again. I only lost it for a week but I can assure you, it felt like an eternity and the positive, it has made me appreciate food again; particularly cheese, bacon and chocolate, my favourites. I feel much better now, am pleased to report I’m painfree which makes rehearsing for the up and coming performance of The Ghost Train much more enjoyable. On Monday declining the paracetamol I had pain above my right eye the entire night and by the end I had had enough, frustration had appeared coupled with a huge dose of irritation towards my fellow actors and I wanted my bed. Tonight, the old me will be back.

One last note, sinus pain is far more than a headache as I gently pointed out to my doctor on Monday evening and anyone who has suffered from it, will testify to that. Here’s to being healthy.

Have a great weekend everyone.

x