Wow! This isn’t a post - more a blog entry. But. What a first working week of the new year! It looks like 2019 is almost sorted then! Not sure where to start. Bit pleased. And a bit scared. Yep, definitely a bit scared. At my age!!
Last Saturday I was followed around by a TV crew from the biggest Arts programme in Brazil. They are doing a half-hour feature on Literary London, and it turns out we’re going to be their main ‘hook’.
Monday. A top promoter phones me on the day the Edinburgh Festival booking opens and says “Same venue as last year?” Huh? Last year was really tough. I hadn’t really thought much about going back. But then a voice, which I later realise is mine, says, ‘No, we need a bigger playing space than last year. I’ve got this comedy about 4 kids growing up on a council estate in Birmingham. It’s called PALS. And I think the same four actors should perform in a new version of Romeo and Juliet too, because it’ll be rough, violent and sexy and increase access to Shakespeares and there are some (very) tenuous similarities with PALS. No.. I .. er.. I haven’t actually adapted R and J yet. But we should do them both in rep too, one performance every other day like we did last year with Henry V - Lion of England and Hamlet- Horatio’s Tale. There’s a pause. “Can you afford 4 actors?” (No, of course I can’t, says this voice in my head, but I don’t speak those words) The promoter continues “And a comedy set in Birmingham? Birmingham? Nothing is set in Birmingham today apart from the Peaky Blinders and that’s mostly made in Manchester” I bristle slightly on behalf of my home city, then realise he’s probably right. But I’m determined to bring Birmingham to Edinburgh. That was on Monday...
Tuesday, I worked out that taking Birmingham to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was going to cost £30k. Yep. Upfront. If it works artistically, the subsequent tour will take 24 months to repay that amount. We need donations and sponsorship. And then...
Wednesday. A lovely bunch of people at the biggest kept secret members club in Soho ask me to head up a new literary festival. When’s the best time, they ask. October. 14th. Fits in with all the national festivals. I know this because I’d done a lot of research last year because I wanted to do a literary festival in #Fitzrovia but couldn’t find the funds. Companies might sponsor Soho easier than Fitzrovia, but it’s still going to cost around £20k. In sponsorship. Because we need Childrens’ Poetry, a new book written by anyone who wants to have a go based on 24 hours in #Soho and ‘Poetry Commandos’ in the streets and restaurants. As well as the usual festival stuff. They look at me and nod sagely. “That sounds good. It'll be tough, but we should be able to raise that. You can now officially be our Creative Director.” Wow! A title. Sadly, it won’t help pay my bills much, but it’d be SOOOO great to make it happen.
Thursday - I’m approached by a new theatre company about directing a new production. It sounds really interesting, and a good fee, but I think the dates will clash!
Friday - we agree to take on a new tour booker to sell Maverick’s productions nationally. I instantly decide that is what Maverick is going to do now. We started to do this in the early days. But then the job in Birmingham in the ‘90’s was to create an environment for a fringe and then bring in new audiences to that fringe, which I think we have done. The job now will be to bring new audiences into theatres. Which I think we can do.
Next week..?
