Happy New Year!

... a timely welcome as its now nearly February. I've been fairly wrapped up in the festive season - my first in London with me lovely lady - and getting the tour of Henry V - Lion of England on the road. I'm sitting in Sam's Brasserie in Chiswick - a regular haunt for my London jaunts ever since they became one of the first and certainly one of the most stylish places to offer free wi-fi. I haven't sorted out our flat's connectivity yet.

The Spring tour of Henry started really well, with a visit from the Lord Mayor of Birmingham and good audiences at the mac. I mentioned at the time that the presence of the Lord Mayor was a good omen. It was like a kiss from the city. But now the tour goes on. It should pay for itself. But I have no idea what's going to happen financially after that.

Still Grooving...

... but still listening to Coldplay. Trying to find a tour booker. Arranging Print for the performance of Henry V - Lion of England at the mac, Birmingham, on 25 and 26 January. (Tickets, by the way, from 0121-440 3838!)

Fascinating innit! And I'm sure somethings supposed to be happening next week, around 25th December. It'll come to me soon...

A Last Christmas at Chrysalis

14/12/2007 01:48am

I’m moved to blog now, because I’ve had a bit to drink and I've just got back from my last Chrysalis Radio works Christmas party in Birmingham. Or not Chrysalis Radio, but the company that took them – us – over.

All of the Arrow staff and presenters have been made redundant with a weeks’ notice and on Saturday I’ll record my last ever Arrow radio show. And I suppose I’m moved to write because I think it is the last time I shall see many of those people I was with tonight and the night was quite nice - apart from the end. The bash was a free bar and nice finger food and as always, I was struck by the youth and beauty of most of my colleagues. It's ironic that the venue for this last bash is the very same venue where I attended my first Chrysalis radio party some 6 years ago. Many of the regular radio people working on the other stations are sympathetic about the Arrow's mass sacking, particularly as some of the people who have been laid off were the talented management that established the other Chrysalis radio brands in the first place. Some of my Arrow colleagues won’t go to the party because it’s too painful. But I tell myself I have the theatre and I should be magnanimous.

I spend some time talking to a lovely bloke who looks about 12 and does the drive time show on the top youth brand radio station in the Midlands, even though the station plays R&B and he used to work at a rock station. Right on cue, he freaks out and rushes to the dance floor when the party DJ plays Nirvana.

The night finishes and we all move to the main street from the venue and, although we talk loudly about maybe going on somewhere else, it’s not really going to happen for me. So I say good bye and walk to the street. I see a cab and the cabbie opens the window. I tell him where I want to go and he waves me in. As we move off I look up and I see the 12 year old R&B DJ with a girl whose name I don’t know, although she was at the party and looks very pretty, with a long dress and a thin black hair band. I smile at him. He’s obviously looking for a cab too, because he looks at me outside the roadside door and I hear him say, “How did you get in this cab?” We’re moving off, so I think about asking him where he wants to go and maybe we can share. But as I think about gesturing to them and asking the driver to wait, sweet young girl looks at me.

“You smug, fat, fucking wanker”, she intones with a snarl on her face, and flicks me the fingers. My smile freezes. It’s horrible and then we’re gone. I don’t know why I find it so upsetting. I don't know her and I'm assuming she's very drunk. But she doesn't know me either. Maybe it’s a lesson in real life. I’m trying to be nice and honourable about a company that’s just sacked a whole radio station for the bottom line. More profit. Maybe the incident reminds me how fickle some people can generally be. It feels brutal and a mass sacking is brutal too. End of careers. On the scrap heap. How can that girl be so abusive to someone who’s invested so much time in her profession? I imagine, although I think its fancy, that 12 year old turns round and says “Take it easy. He’s a nice bloke that’s been made redundant and why should you feel so much anger about him being in a taxi? There are more taxis to come and we’re trying to cheat anyway by jumping in from the middle of the road”. But I doubt he will.

Around round the corner we stop at traffic lights and I see my boss walking down the deserted street. He cuts a lonely figure and I think about winding the window down and asking him if he needs a lift or wants to share the taxi, although we don’t live near each other. He’s a hugely talented radio programmer and manager, now out of a job too. But I’ve fastened my seat belt and can’t reach the window easily. And maybe he feels like the walk? After all, he’s been full time at the station for some thirteen years of his life. What if he needs some time on his own? I hesitate. That's rubbish. I should just undo the seat belt, wind down the window and see if he wants a lift. But then the lights change and it’s too late. I guiltily watch his retiring back. But then I think, after the incident with the sweet young girl, maybe I’ve been too honourable about too much shite already. And maybe it’s time for me to allow myself to feel put upon and a bit sad and a bit angry and look after number one for a while. So I banish all thoughts of guilt and stare ahead into the dark, cold night and allow the taxi to whisk me home to my new, radio-less life.

Bollix...

...they're closing The Arrow radio station. Sacked again...!

PS Drive around listening to Coldplay. It's that kind of day.

Contracts, contracts everywhere...

A bit of a panic this week. And as usual it's lack of dosh. Although it's not a blind panic, because if I can get through to February, the income from Henry should pay for itself. But there are some outstanding bills from creating the show that should have been paid by now and haven't been. As usual, I'm having to fund Maverick Theatre myself and the unexpected lack of income from my failed London contract has left me short, to say the least. It's not nice to be back in the place I found myself during the Billesley Pub Theatre days - broke and constantly begging favours and forgiveness.
So as usual, I try not to dwell on the unpleasant and focus on what I can do about it. I actually have a three year plan that should make Maverick a fairly major player in UK theatre. But it all depends on having the money to allow me to execute that plan. I've done a business plan, which has drawn wry, sympathetic smiles from the odd business type I've shown it to. I look at some of my urbane Oxbridge mates and decide to once again blame my council estate roots and upbringing. It's a useful device, being a scrag end in a world of prime steaks!
I decide to read my interview in Arts Report again. It was conducted on-line, but it's not vanity that draws me to it. Not at all. But I noticed when I first read it that the very form of being interviewed by a proper journalist makes me feel somehow proper. Not some stupid aging git with wild, pointless ideas sitting at a computer in the back room of a scruffy house in Brum, but a 'real' person, with a real career, living a full life. There. I feel better already. Now to return to my 'career' and the pile of contracts I've not yet returned for the Spring tour of Henry V - Lion of England.

And talking of interviews, here's one that appeared in the Brighton Argus about Henry. I'm not too sure about the kids thing, but Henry's always been attractive (and occasionally scary) to the young. And it's a great image of Ed. If you can't read it, I'll try and post a bigger copy on the website, www.mavericktheatre.co.uk

Henry V - Lion of England. The Movie! (sort of...)

Hoorah! Me first video! This is very rough and is my first attempt with a little mini DV camera I got back in August for my birthday. Spot the not so deliberate mistake in the opening caption. November 2008? I think that should read 2007.

I've also found an editing programme on this computer called ULead, and as it's free, I've tried to edit with that. If you know any other or better free editing software, please let me know.

I've always been taken with the drama and power of the visual image and, indeed, wrote a storyboard for a film version of Henry V - Lion of England back in 1993. In 1997 (flippin' eck, TEN years ago!) I made a short film for ITV's First Cuts called 'Boy, Girl, Boy, Bike?' I may try and get it up on here, although it was made in the days before Digital media and I think I only have a VHS copy, so I'm not sure how the technology works. It's about 12 minutes long and is a sweet rites of passage tale with the lovely kids who were involved in my production, 'A Ghost of A Chance'.

This little film looks backstage at Brighton and is, I hope, a bit of a teaser for our Spring Tour, which is going ahead despite funding problems. Myself and Deborah, our part-time administrator, are going to pitch a bank for working capital, given the excellent tour Penny, the booker, has arranged for the Spring. It's a bit more urgent for me than anyone else, as my house is on the line! But somehow I've managed to survive this long and my plans for the next 3 years will mean Maverick will be in a very strong position, if I can just get through the next three months...!

Early morning. Nearly

In an attempt to get into the habit of blogging more often, as an archive of what Maverick is up to, I'm going to be a bit less candid and guarded, I think. Right. So. Here we go then. Let's hope Birmingham City can hammer the Villa at Sunday's Derby. There! How's that for controversy!

Elsewhere, Lou (Stage Manager) and Ed (actor) arrive an hour or so ago at The Elgiva Theatre in Chesham, Bucks, to find that non of the lights for Henry V - Lion of England have been pre-rigged, which adds about three hours to the time it will take to get the theatre ready for the show tonight. I'm not sure who is at fault, but I must find out. Not to point a pointless finger of blame, but to make sure it doesn't happen again. On Sunday we are in Brighton and have a matinee, so I must make sure Brighton pre-rigs, or we won't make the first show!

I'm orf meself to Chesham later. I also intend to see a lovely friend of mine, who I worked with at BRMB Radio. She has five boys. Or at least had five boys. She's just lost her youngest son in a tragic accident. It would not be prudent to give details, but it puts no pre-rigged lights into perspective. The poor, sweet girl. I wish I could make it all go away for her, but I can't. But I really wish I could.