It's enough to make you weep!

I've spent most of the day scanning production photos to upload to the Maverick web site. It's been strangely moving. Looking back at 13 years of actors, directors and technicians, all working for very little money in the upstairs room of a pub that no one had heard of.
The one picture I find particularly moving is a photograph of the original PALS cast. It's not a set up, but a photo that was taken at the end of an actual show. And the tears are real. Every night, without fail, the cast were crying for real. It was dynamite. In the small upstairs room of the Billesley Pub there was a unique, raw collective outpouring of grief and emotion from every audience. PALS is about 4 kids growing up in Birmingham. I won't give the end of the play away, because it's obvious we've got to do it again. The only time I've experienced that collective power has been at the end of Les Misereables and maybe Blood Brothers by Willy Russell. Good bed fellows for PALS, me thinks!

Kind of makes all the aggro worthwhile, dunnit!

Sob!

Can You Hear Me Mother?

Things have been a bit busy. I've been Mr Radio for the last 2 weeks on The Arrow, filling in for Dave Hickman on the afternoon show. Holiday relief. The money's a bit of a relief, I can tell you. Every little helps...

I interviewed Black Sabbath this week - or at least the reincarnation of the band, post Ozzy, 'Heaven and Hell', with Ronnie James Dio and Tony Iomi. I felt I did badly, but the guys were great. I'd not prepared enough. Like, have I just spelled their names correctly! The lack of preparation was not completely my fault, but I'm the one at the sharp end, so no excuses Hennegan.

Chastened by the experience, I made sure I was more on the ball with my second interview this week, with the band Ash. Much better, Nick. And although Tim Wheeler and Mark Hamilton are now living in New York and Richard McMurray, the drummer, is now living in Edinburgh, they're good mates with U2 and I can report that music from the wonderful island of Ireland is in very good hands.

I had some very friendly phone calls from Arrow listeners throughout the UK and although it curtailed my time on Maverick, I have to say its been quite enjoyable.

And we are advertising on the website for the new 'Henry V' team. Although the website is still not finished, I think I shall let people know of its existence. Start the ball rolling if only slowly!

Rock On!

Hoorah for the New Maverick!

Apart from actors and directors, only myself and John Slater have worked in any way 'full time' on Maverick. The lovely Carol Edwards did our books for a short time before her job got in the way and there have been numerous and very wonderful volunteers taking various roles, but long term there has only been Slates and me. And now there's only me, mainly because of the crippling economics of presenting truly accessible, intimate and AFFORDABLE theatre - and paying everyone a living wage. Maverick never really paid a living wage. We just tried to do the best we could, balancing, as I misquote Hamlet, 'delight and dole' and hoping that one day the funding bodies would get what we were trying to do and rush to the financial rescue. Sadly, although vocally supportive, they never really did and although occasional drunken vitriol at the injustice of it all would grab us on a night down the Billesley after rave reviews, I commit almost heresy here when I say I can't really blame them. The arts after all, is your money. Public funds. They have to be very careful with it. And we - or at least I - just were not smart enough to get our concept over to the funders in terms they might understand.

Which means I'm personally a bit pissed off by the Govt raiding the lottery for the Olympics. But that's another story.

I hope the New Maverick (blimey, I'm sounding a bit like the Government meeself!) will change its fortunes soon. Watch this space.