What Are We Doing Here?

Date: 11/08/11
Author: Peter

Edinburgh’s lost some of its charm for me.

This could be a result of the heavy non-stop rainfall (dampening moods), the mixed reception to the play, or cabin fever at spending so much time together. Will I commit a murder? It’s a distinct possibility....

Ok, it’s not as bad as I’ve made it sound. As someone used to the lovely warmth of the south (Bournemouth, I promise never to curse your stuffy days and cold nights ever again), I’m not built to last in this sort of environment. It’s no coincidence that the sunnier days of the last week or so have been amongst the times I’ve enjoyed here the most. If we didn’t have to go out and flier every day, the rain wouldn’t be so bad, but an hour or so of being soaked to the bone and rejected by nine out of ten of the people you thrust a piece of paper at to the tune of ‘free comedy play at 4pm, ‘Killing Bill Gates’!!’ does grate on you a little.

Yesterday we had to cancel the show due to another performer having pulled apart the sound system at some point earlier that morning, and had to turn over twenty people away. Despite being a little disappointing, this was probably for the best, as it gave us an hour to rehearse some script changes. Taking in audience response, we’d decided to cut down on some of the more vulgar jokes (better to get no laugh than the occasional small laugh and offend someone), and twist about the lines to help with pacing.

A few weeks ago, before the Balham performance, Josh wrote an interesting entry on how reviews/instant audience reaction might affect his view on the play. After being criticized for our acting, pop references, style of humour, choreography, characters and pacing (not only by the critics) I now know what he meant. Is the play actually any good? Or does it just not appeal to the more theatrical/arty types here at the festival? After all, we are listed under ‘theatre’ rather than ‘comedy’, between a production of ‘King Lear’ and the works of Brecht or some other major practitioner. After the brilliant response we received from our friends in Bournemouth, we may have over estimated the reception we’d receive up here. Perhaps they were just being kind? Or maybe they were the precise audience who would definitely get the references and enjoy the ‘real-time’ structure and blue humour? Who knows, but, as predicted by our director, these are elements I’ve come to question in the last few days.

I’m not sure I should be posting this online, I mean, this blog is meant to be a place to big ourselves up and sell the show. If it gets removed you’ll know I got in trouble. But I think it’s more interesting to be honest and attempt to dissect how I (and perhaps the others) are currently feeling about the entire situation, than to smile and pretend that everything is dandy. No-one’s fallen out, we’re all still enjoying one another’s company (as far as I can tell) and I don’t think anyone feels as if they’re wasting their summer here. Perhaps a bit of space will be a good idea in the next few weeks, but we’ll see.

With about sixteen more shows to go, things can only get better right?

My work ethic is non existent, my appetite is more irregular than ever and I seem to be flipping from full-grinned happiness to the depths of depression by the moment (may even be evident in this post). Oh well, grin and bear it Peter, grin and bear it....