The Extreme Staycation

  Location: London, UK  COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown The advert below came out this week and sent the internet into meltdown. At a time when us artistic folk are feeling a bit taken advantage of and undervalued, this was the cherry on top. The advert was ostensibly to encourage young people to think about applying for jobs in cyber but all it did was to underline the idea that jobs in the arts are frivolous and not "proper" jobs.  This came the week after we were advised by the government to consider re-training. Without the arts, we would all be poorer - culturally, emotionally and as a country, financially.  The arts are what has kept us all going during this unending pandemic and anyone who claims otherwise is a liar.  If you have watched TV, a film, listened to music, read a book, looked at any art - you've enjoyed the fruits of someone's labour, often many years of study and hard work. The arts should never be seen as "not a viable job". I w...

Location: London, UK  COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown Another one bites the dust - Cameron Mackintosh has announced that Phantom of the Opera, which has run uninterrupted in the West End for 34 years will not return in 2021. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/news/phantom-of-the-opera-west-end-tour-closed-cancelled-ticket-refund-cameron-mackintosh-a9643116.html One in two people in the UK go to the theatre every year.  And more people see live theatre every year than go to a football match and yet football seems to have been fast tracked to starting again.  I'm not having a go at football (especially as Arsenal are in the FA cup final) but when are the government going to make a decision about theatres?  Without dates, plans can't be made.  The deadline for decisions about pantomimes, which often provide regional theatres' with the majority of their funding for the year, is fast approaching. Oh yes it it.

Location: London, UK  COVID-19 / Coronavirus Outbreak Lockdown My tweet about watching Hamilton and re-creating the west end at home went a bit viral yesterday which was quite exciting!  It was re-tweeted by @HamiltonMusical to their 1million followers and it was quite fun watching the little "like" hearts clock up. In case you want to see the tweet, it's below!  (this is likely the highlight of my week...) Miranda Colmans @mirandacolmans Level 1: Recreating the west end/broadway at home Curtain up 7:30 Time for @HamiltonMusical on @disneyplus Ice-cream at the interval I LOVED IT SO MUCH ALL OVER AGAIN! Oh @Lin_Manuel you super talented man And I miss theatre #Hamilton #HamiltonFilm

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 In a week, I will be taking part in a play, performed via Zoom, live across the world! (potentially) It's been quite an experience rehearsing for a play, sitting at my computer, in my house, with the cat occassionally for company (I think she wants to be in it, she is a bit of a drama queen). I am looking forward to it and everyone has been working so hard - all the actors and our tech team - to make it the best we can. My biggest concern is anyone having tech difficulties as for example, my WiFi occassionally decides it just doesn't want to connect to the computer, so fingers crossed that won't happen!