The Extreme Staycation

  Location: London, UK  COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown The temperature is still way above average and in London we are praying for some weather - be that wind, rain, something, some relief from the still, hot air. Last year on a day as similarly hot as today I did an improv gig with my group, The Trophy Room. It was in a room which they had tried to air-condition as much as was possible, but still involved everyone getting there by tube so the whole experience was...sticky. Amazingly, there was still a small, but dedicated audience! They weren't going to let a little heat get in the way of some comedy genius...

  Location: London, UK  COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Continuing on my weather theme, a nyone remember the summer of 2007?  Well that was the year that  Umbrella  by Rhianna was number 1 in the UK for 10 weeks.  And all we did was use our umbrellas as it was the wettest summer since records began. I cursed this song at the time as all I wanted was some sunshine and we didn't get any. Then in 2012, I was fortunate enough to take part in the Paralympics Opening Ceremony.  It was a fantastic experience and I got to dance with 200 other people in one of the opening segments to, yes you guessed it, Umbrella by Rhianna. I had to make my peace with the song as it was all I heard for several months and I actually came to love the remixed version we danced to (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Club Remix). We had very heavy umbrellas that lit up and changed colour, hats with lights on as well as mismatched Dr Marten's and the rest of the fetching costum...

Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Love & Information - Part 3 The day after the night before. I had a good sleep which I haven't for the last few nights - all anxiety induced sleeplessness I'm sure. My performance anxieties were less to do with acting or line learning but all tech related - technology allowed us to rehearse together and then perform to friends and family all over the country (who may never have been able to see the show otherwise) but what if it failed?  Luckily, other than WhatsApp going down briefly, we made it. There are always post-show blues.  It's a bit like grief - you mourn for the friends and relationships you have created and for the work itself, the performance or the performing of something you've enjoyed. Reflecting on the experience, I'm so pleased we pursued the production and didn't abandon it and let Covid win.  THE SHOW MUST GO ON. Developing and then playing 11 characters over 2 hours was a grea...

Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Love & Information - Part 2 Performance Day! At 6:30pm the countdown timer started - we'd be going live to the world in 30 minutes!  And yes it really was the world, we had viewers all over the country and abroad. After a minor technical difficulty which was dealt with by producer and tech guru James with utter calm and professionalism, we were live, looking into our cameras and performing our socks off. I was in 11 scenes which meant 11 costume/hair/earring changes for me.  And although I changed my top half 11 times, my bottom half remained in my trackies and slippers which was quite a joy. In between scenes, I could use my own bathroom for make-up and hair alterations and bedroom for wardrobe.  I'd pop down to the kitchen to get my "champagne" for Wedding Video or to feed the cat. So there are definitely some advantages to performing from home. I've performed in lots of places - outdoors on grass...

Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Love & Information - part 1 Dress Rehearsal Day! Tonight was our final dress rehearsal for the one and only Zoom performance of Love & Information by Caryl Churchill. Had we not had the Covid-19 outbreak, it would have been the dress rehearsal as well, but in a theatre and with a cast who had all met each other in real life and stood within a 2 meter distance of one another. However, we didn't want to let a little thing like a global pandemic stop us, so we rehearsed weekly between 1-3 times, depending on the scenes and all learnt our lines as we would have done normally. The beauty of this particular play (50 short scenes) is that it really lends itself to being broadcast.  If you don't know the play, it's a bit like eavesdropping in on conversations between people - like you've just dropped into their bathroom, joined them while they are out for a walk or at a dinner party or in the playground.  Mos...

Location: London, UK COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown The image below is a list of statistics from The Stage newspaper, the figures are from the Arts Index covering years from 2007-2018.  It is pretty depressing reading and doesn't give me a lot of hope for the current government to turn their ideas around and properly fund the arts. The UK is a world leader in the arts.  Our theatres, concert halls, galleries etc are what attract millions of tourist here every year, adding nearly 10% to the UK's GDP. I've said it before, I'll say it again.  What have we all been doing, more than ever, during lockdown?  We have turned to the arts for solace, for entertainment - TV, film, radio, books, concerts, theatre, opera and ballet broadcasts.  Without investment, we won't have these incredible works, this breadth of talent. We need to stop seeing art and entertainment as a frivolity and something that can survive on it's own.  We need to recognise their ...