parcanboy

Cinders On Ice - part 6 (Sydney pt 1 Aug - Sep 2008)

2009-04-23T00:50:00.006+01:00

I'm sold, convert my cash to aussie dollars and move me to Sydney, but let me live in the gym first - the boys are well fit! and I like the city too!

So some facts and figure first, we are here for four weeks, hand have three different hotel rooms across two chains - me thinks there was a booking error somewhere. My usual roomie and I started off in an apartment, then after four days we moved to Star City Casino, well to the hotel and an individual hotel room is no where near as good as a two bed apartment. Anyway after another four days we moved again, into the apartments at Star City and they were probably my favourite for the whole tour.

So we opened the show in Sydney and that was all fine and then we came to the end of our first week, did the Sunday shows and were in the bars by the harbour for 7. Which is early enough for you still to eat, but late enough for you to think you have eaten. I left at about 10ish and went back to the apartment picked up some food, ate it and went for a power nap, I was desperate to get a night out, even if no one else was up for it.

I woke up at 1am, gutted! Had I missed any chance of a night out, well only one way to find out. A quick shower, ran my GHDs through my hair and I was ready. I think roomie was amazed I was not only going out to find the queer end of town in Sydney on my own, but the fact I wasn't letting oversleeping stop me.

And off I went. Oxford street had the feel of the gay bit of town, but felt a bit dead. Okay it was 2am on a school night, but its gaydom, when had that ever stopped us before. I went into Stonewall for a Sweet Sherry and got chatting to some guys and found out where to go. And off we trotted. I was getting worried, although there were people milling around the door and although I could hear some tunes it didn't have that buzz about it and the air smelt fresh, not like a club. I had only taken my aussie mobile, so that ruled out texting half the world if it was crap and I was bored. Still I paid my money and took my chance. We wandered up the stairs and in front of me was a wall of glass with one of those automatic revolving doors in the middle. I duly entered and then the doors allined and I was inside. I felt like Lucy must have felt when she went through the wardrobe.

The smell, the noise, the boys, THE BOYS!!! the tunes. This place has all the makings of a good night out. And so I danced and drank and I drank and danced and no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get a smirnoff ice. I asked and still got smirnoff black. Not that I cared one jot. The only gay on the ice show (bet you thought you'd never hear that one) had somewhere to dance!

And so the night went on and bits get hazy and the tunes got better and then all of a sudden I was awake in the apartment and supposed to be on a coach in half an hour to take us to Star City. Not only were we moving hotels, we were doing it on our day off. I slumped into a corner of the coach and zipped my north face up as far as it would go and hope this combined with my sunglasses would obscure me from the rest of the company. It didn't.

By the time we got to Star City (twenty minutes if that) I was tired and dehydrated and knew only one thing was likely to follow. Then the word comes back down the checkin line, none of the rooms are ready, what fresh gay hell! So I gave up and sat in a corner till the rest of the company had checked in. I was in no rush to move. I sauntered up, filled in the form, asked where we were leaving bags and when my room would be ready.
"Oh no Mr Parcanboy, your room is ready. Would you like your bags taken up?"

Jackpot!

Naturally I declined the offer of my bags being taken up. The five minute wait for them would upset me as it would be another five minutes when I wouldn't have been in bed. A short sleep and the world was a better place. I woke up about late afternoon and looked to see what delights the minibar had. I wanted a bacon roll and they had none, so I had a cup of tea and a nice long shower - I know how to live! By the time I was out the shower I had a message waiting on my aussie mobile.
"Do you want to meet up for dinner?"

Cinders On Ice - part 5 (Adelaide - Aug 2008)

2009-04-23T00:25:00.005+01:00

So you might have guessed that I wasn't overly impressed with how things ended up after my chat with my boss, but I wasn't really sure where to go with it. He hadn't interviewed me so I could hardly say he misrepresented the job.

However there were more pressing things, yet again moving the show. The out from Melbourne seemed to take forever, but actually passed fast enough and before long we were on a plane to Adelaide. Landed, dropped bags off, slept for an hour or so and went in to pre rig that evening and what a lovely crew they have. Our first wagon to leave Melbourne had made very good time so they had tipped it for us!

After a bit of moving around of house masking (black material borders that the venue have in stock as they are the right width/ length for there venue) and hanging our headers (bits of set that frame the top of the 'picture' as you see it from out front) we were all done for the night, back in the next day and got the rest of the set up and the ice rick mat down for the ice guys to make ice on overnight. Off I went to the hotel, knackered and there I slept till the morning.

There I slept till about 20 minutes after my call. So while recreating the opening of Four Weddings And A Funeral I called our head of stage - who was my boss, but as we had a strange structure to our team it was never expressly stated that he was my boss - who was lovely, said I wasn't being missed and reminded me that for being late I had to buy doughnuts. So an hour late I trotted in, two dozen doughnuts in hand. I think secretly people were glad I was late.

We opened the show, bla bla bla, was all fine. local bar was good, I bought an aussie mobile. really enjoyed having an night in with, with for it, the international edition of The Guardian (I really ab Margo Leadbetter) a bottle of vodka, Tori Amos on the iPod and the longest bath known to man. It was well lush.

I also had a very long - and probably quite expensive call to Senga about work and although I forget what we talked about now, I know it helped.

I've just realised that I've not mentioned WelshLad recently, well we are still together, although this long distance thing isn't easy, easpecially with the time difference. Time shall tell.

At the end of the week we did our usual, it all packed away and a big pile of ice was left outside the loading bay and we were off into the night, off to Sydney - for four whole weeks without moving the show - where two new playmate would join us, but we would loose too two, although we only knew about one at the moment.

Comments and Thoughts

2009-04-02T00:30:00.007+01:00

Another one of these posts about the present day, just slotted in to the retrospective 'history' of my blog.

I had a good bit of a bottle of wine before I wrote my previous few posts (31st March and 1st April) and I got a fair few comments back.

No 2 Lx and I were chatting online just after I posted and he said although funny, cos he had been there, just to remember that theatre is a small world and you never know when someone will pop up and in what capacity, so be careful what you say.

PM left a comment (not on here) "nice read! keep going im likeing" which I read exactly as it was written.

Then I got an email from The Dr.
(You know as only one person follows me on here its kinda hard to know just how may folk are reading this, but I was supprised by The Dr).
Anyway The Dr said,

"Aren't blogs meant to be a contemperaneous record of events not several bloody months later...

The Dr

p.s. be careful what you say publicly re previous employers... everyone
has google now and we certainly google job applicants now to see what
they are about."

All that got me thinking.

I have edited the last few posts and removed some of the more liable comments and will maybe just save to draft my posts when I am on a roll and have had a drink.
"contemperaneous" I had to google that word - I guessed it was conected to contempory. Well okay I am blogging about past events and well tough. I'm getting there and am closer to the present that when I started. But, BUT, B U T who said it had to be "contemperaneous". Its my blog and I'm doing it wrong my own way!
Oh and if The Dr is reading this is a South Wales Letter ;)
Just how many folk are reading this at the moment and are they likely to be regular (if I get to the present any time soon)? So there is a survey in the top right, one question "how likely are you to folllow this blog?". I'd love it if you answered.

Line close at noon on Friday 8th April 2009. All entries made after this may be counted, but who knows. I may use a relative in place of a real winner and prizes may be crap. Straight acting terms and conditions apply.

Cinders On Ice - part 4 (Melbourne - Aug 2008)

2009-04-01T00:35:00.000+01:00

Melbourne
We were supposed to have a 'down week' in Melbourne as it would take a week to sea freight bits over from New Zealand. I never thought about this at the time, but as sea freight is cheap and we were sending some stuff by sea, why were we air freighting the set? Its only occurred to me now, so I never asked. We had added and extra day to the run in Wellington as we were selling so well the box office was struggling to accommodate the punters that needed re-seated from the cancelled performance. Our flights were already put back a day to allow more time for the get out. So that was two days lost. We were starting the get in 8 hours early in Melbourne and there was a days work added mid week. So the 'down week' was vanishing. However after four weeks on the go with no days off it was good to have a lazy two day.

The next day four of us had a forgettable day at a haulage depot looking at air-freight pallets. DULL DULL DULL, but needed doing.

That night we were invited to the Edward Scissorhands end of Australia party (they were the show in before us at our next venue and also being a UK show a lot of our guys knew their guys). I had a good long call back to the UK to The Dr (an hour and a half, that was expensive) before I headed over to the party. I was feeling pretty fed up and disalusioned. I couldn't say that I was working out with the scope of my contract or that my contract didn't match my interview, but my interview didn't match my job in practice. There is obviously flexibility in our 'standard' job title, but as a rule of thumb theatre departments become more focused on their area of responsibility the bigger the show and bigger the company. We were a sizable show and sizable company and the thing that had been discussed before I signed didn't paint the picture I was looking at.

However once I was off the phone and at the party I soon forgot about all that for the night. Really late on that night I was at the bar, turned and next to me was a dancer I knew from the UK, our dance captain from panto. What a lovely supprise. So we chatted away and I made a twat of myself. I asked if he was dance caption on Scissorhands. No he was Edward. Well I always thought he was good.

We were off the following day off and then back in to fit up again. The week went okay, the venue management were trixy and we were filming the show for the DVD so it was a long week, however it was all right all in.

I spoke to my PM towards the end of the week about being hacked off and feeling cheated, kinda went like this.
- I was interviewed for ASM/ book cover and would 'help' with exceptional moves.
- I've not seen sight of the book and am doing every and all in and out.
- I have not had time to do my primary job properly IMHO, we even had to get a prop buyer as I was struggeling to get time to prop (and as an ASM thats a big part of the job)
- I feel that the job I interviews for and accepted are not what I am doing
- I took the job for the book cover as it gave me progression and I'm not getting any.

And the answer came, 'you should never have been interviewed for ASM / book cover as there is no such job, it was always Technical ASM.

Bugger.

Cinders On Ice - part 3 (Wellington - Jul 2008)

2009-04-01T00:05:00.001+01:00

Wellington
We arrived at the hotel in Wellington for 14:00 and had to be at the theatre for 18:00 for a 4 hour pre-rig. We weren't supposed to be in today, but management was having a panic about the show fitting up in two days, well given how long it took to get it out and all the problems with flying the wonky set you can see why.

I had got up at 11am on Sun, was working till 9am on Mon, had a couple of hours sleep on a plane, a bus, and a few hour in the new hotel before heading in for 6pm. By 11pm I was in one of those quiet, contained moods - the ones that you can manage as long as no one says anything silly, like "I don't know what all the fuss is about". However we were all shattered, so we kept the banter light and gave each other space.

Getting the set up in Wellington wasn't so bad, at least we had done it once. It still flew like a bag of shite and was a pain in the arse, but no worse than we expected. The ice rink was another mater.

To have an ice rink you need to keep the water frozen. To keep the water frozen you have lots of tiny little pipes that run at the bottom of a kinda pond liner. Those pipes have antifreeze, glycol, running around at -8 to -15 depending on what we need (-15 to build ice, -8 for skating). We would finish the first day of the get-in by laying the ice-rink mat (the tiny tubes) so that overnight our ice technicians could build up the ice mm by mm.

Overnight a pipe ruptured and the glycol, under pressure, spread rapidly. (When we first come up to pressure we watch carefully for bursts in the mat, but once we have been up to pressure for a bit we kinda assume it all good). However the mat spring a leek, which from above looked tiny, but a lot of glycol spread rapidly. It was found and plugged, but the full extent of the leak wasn't realised.

We came back in the morning to slush and as time progressed things got no better. By lunchtime we were talking the slush out, washing the rink and all our equipment down and preparing to start all over again. There was just too much glycol mixed in with the water for it ever to freeze. The evenings show was cancelled and we made the national news.

The next evening we had a show and by the end of the week we were packing it all way, however it was all being broken down to air-freight on pallets. We split the get out up - Bob and I went home after the first half hour of the out and came back in the morning. The rest of our team worked overnight with one team of locals getting the ice rink out. When Bob and I returned the ice rink gone and they had made a small start on the set.

We took over and with a fresh team of local staff got the set down, broken up and onto the air-freight pallets. Bob was calling the shots and I was mostly scribbling the pack list (when you have nine massive piles of set on wheels and it all looks the same knowing exactly what is on pallet one of 5 is kinda good) and making sure all the bits that had to go in the rigging cases was put away properly so we made things as easy for ourselves as possible.

The rest of our team came back in that afternoon, by which point we were finishing off getting the set palleted and loaded onto the wagons. Within two hours we were all done and were sharing a beer with the local guys in the dock. Beer always tastes better after a lot of hard work.

We weren't flying the following afternoon so made the most of our remaining afternoon and evening. As we were heading from one bar to another we bumped into some of the guys from the theatre we had been in all that week and randomly ended up in the crew room at the sister theatre to the one we had been in. A few more beers, some random bloke on a guitar and a smoke and the world was looking rosy and the sky was getting light.

The next day we flew to Melbourne.

Cinders On Ice - part 2 (Jul 2008)

2009-03-31T23:00:00.001+01:00

Auckland continued
We started our first week unpacking the airfreight. All the set was flat packed , as we would need to do for air-freight moves - all in 3x3m blocks on pallets (normal theatre flats at 5,6,7 meters tall won't fir on the cargo deck of a plane. Me thinks the plane needs redesigned). In case you were wondering an air-freight move is a lot of work.

I'd been told once we arrived that I would be building set, as there was no one from the creative team in Auckland yet, not overly impressed, but can an ASM really say no to their PM and as we didn't have an SM to head up the Stage Management Team or a Company Manger that had a theatre background, who could I actually go to.

The build was agonising. There was no one from the company that build the set (and this was no small set, it was $500 000 worth), but also the half million set was a crock of shit.

The 3x3m frames were clad in timber and then went to a different company, the scenic artists to paint. The set was painted laid out on the floor, rather than built in the scenic studios(I think this was done as the set would be flat packed for air-freight to New Zealand, so it saved time). So the set was air-freighted out of Melbourne having never been built. Can you guess whats coming?

So we start putting the set together. Now to bolt it all together it was laid out flat and the markings were married up. One piece it would be marked left to right, A to B, the next B to A and so the madness continued. Once each piece was built it could be flown. Then we could guess at if that was a piece marked A to B or B to A, and take it back down and start over. (Remember no one there had see it and with the best will in the world A4 scale plans only help so much, it is a bit like a giant jigsaw puzzle). However more alarming was that the set didn't hang straight.

The company that built the set hadn't cut the timber cladding flush to the frame - schoolboy error I would say, but then I'm no set builder. As each edge wasn't flat there was no hope of anything hanging straight. We ended up with 80% of the set hanging on the piss.

So they flew someone over to Auckland from the set builders and well the up shot was it was fooked and there was really nothing that could be done to fix it properly (sending it back to have the timber cladding cut flush was not an option - we didn't have time before the show opened for all that carpentry and if it was all cut flush the paint effect would need touching up or completly re-doing, adding more time. We were left with half arsed fixes for months to come, but really there was not much that could be done without canceling part of the tour or swapping the set for a 'stunt double'. The other problem we had with the set was that it was just so damed heavy - several flats were a 14 man lift (normally it would be 2 or 4). We joked that there must be plutonium hidden inside as lead wasn't that heavy.

So we finally opened the show, having got through a process that was so far removed from theatre it was unreal. Most of the information and requests to the prop buyer for set dressing and proppage was nothing more than guess work on my part: either there was a clear breif, but it didn't match the period style or it was a wide open breif with no detail. I resigned myself to the fact that if there was an explicit request for something that was wrong then if thats what was wanted then thats ehat I would pass on to the prop buyer, however if the info was wooly then I could tell the prop buyer what was correct for the period. Fortunatly for me the designer knew the route of this trouble and wasn't on my back for it - we could have a bitch and stitch about it.

Not the greatest start. However we opened and played and then it was time for our first move. Set would go by road and we would fly. In a production meeting I found out that I was working the out, again what could I do, bottom rung to most senior member of staff on tour and no HoD to fight my corner - I was also half expecting it. The first move is always horendus and we had discussed 'exceptional' moves as likely needing more help.

So I spent my last Sunday in Auckland doing a show at 15:00, by 17:30 we were starting to get the set out. I got the props packed and then was dragged to the set. By 09:30 the next morning the set and ice rink was loaded, the last wagon was jack-knived on hill getting out of the theatre loading bay, but we were off. (He had recovery on the way and there is a touring principal that once the doors are shut its the drivers responsability).

We had to be out of the apartments by 10 and on the coach by 10:30. We all were still to shower and pack, oh and sleep. Safe to say we were not checked out for 10. However we were on the coach by 10:35. A bit of sleep on the way to the airport and then straight to the gate and curling up for a sleep at the gate, by the desk - hopefully no one can miss me there - and then more sleep on the flight to Wellington.

Opening a show is always hard work, but this was taking things to new extremes.

Cinders On Ice - part 1 (July 2008)

2009-03-29T00:01:00.013Z

Now some of you may read this post and realise that I have mentioned these things before in my blogs of last year (that's where the links are pointed), but those posts are a bit crap. They completely fail to mention the ongoing problems at work and the dots aren't that well joined. However I think I can now include The Great Schism and all the other bits. Are you sitting comfortably ... then I shall begin.

Flight Over
So after an unsettled night (its a common trait of mine the night before) The Dr picked me up and took me to the station. I got down to Heathrow, checked in and got myself airside at T4. I planted myself in a bar, got some dinner and played the waiting game.

First to call was the DSM (Deputy Stage Manager), we spoke earlier that day and she was now through security. As we met up I got a call from our PM (Production Manager) and we all got together. PM had already rounded up No2 Lx (Deputy Chief Electrician), Master Carpenter and Technician.

After a few beers it was time to fly. We headed up to the gate and got settled in for a long flight. After supper the cabin lights were turned off so we could settle down or if not there was an endless supply of tv and films on the seat back screens. I got a little sleep and over breakfast got chatting to the lassy sat next to me. (I was sitting separately to everyone else.) She was an Australian engineer returning from Frankfurt and after a few tips about where had the best wineries she offered me her pass for the Qantas Lounge. She had bought a single use card, hoping that she would be able to use the BA lounge at Heathrow on her outbound trip, but hadn't been able to (Qantas and BA do share lounges - she wasn't some crazy lady).

At Bangkok we all met up in the bar and killed an hour or two, before we were ready to continue to Sydney. By the time we got to Sydney I felt minging and was less than impressed that we would have to go through security again before we would be allowed in as transfers. However once we got through and had a wander it was fine. The guys planted themselves in a corner and investigate breakfast. It was 6am Sunday local time, but our bodies were screaming that it was Saturday evening. I headed off to find the Business Lounge.

After a run in with a Qantas employee who had a foul attitude I was let in. (The one off ticket was fine, but the fact that my ticket to Auckland showed that although it was a Qantas booking, our carrier would be another airline that they route share with. I kicked off. "I have just flown from Heathrow with you, all my flights are booked direct with Qantas and I will be flying with you 11 times in four months". Not to mention Qantas sponsor the show. Her colleague took my ticket, smiled at me and said "Mr parcanboy, turn left as you enter the Business Lounge and you'll find the showers at the far end. Don't hesitate to ask if you need anything" She got a gold star and probably wanted rid of the smell.)

After a shower, clean clothes and lots of tea, toast, fruit, wifi and more tea and toast I was feeling much better. I headed back down to find the guys, who weren't feeling quite as perkie as I. We headed for the plane to Auckland and I decided that if I was going to die in a plane crash it was probably that plane - they couldn't even get the safety film to play for more than 10 seconds and then on attempt five it stopped short.

I slept for most of the flight, but not until we had flown over Sydney - it looked amazing, but at least I would be heading back there soon.

Auckland
After getting through customs and MAF - I love it they have fruit dogs and ask you about mud, seeds and sheep in the interests of, new word, Bio Security - we were met by our Tour Manager for New Zealand and Australia and some Australia staff. We clambered into a mini bus and had the quietest journey known to man. We arrived at the serviced apartments at about 6pm, dumped our stuff and headed out for dinner just around the corner - we were all shattered but all knew we had to eat.

Just down the road from the apartments was the theatre and just down the road from the theatre was a fantastic steak house. We all agreed it was fantastic meat, but were all a little too tired to fully appreciate how good the meat was. However we went back over the next three weeks, when we could fully appreciate the cuisine.

The following morning we went in and started to get the set in place and that's were the fun really began.

Cottaging (May & June 2008)

2009-03-26T21:47:00.006Z

Life in the cottage was not so bad, after the heating had been on for a day or two and the 2 foot stone walls had some heat in them it was pretty cosy. The boxes were gradually unpacked and order was brought to the chaos.

I found living on my own a bit spooky at first and kept hearing 'funny noises' but after a month I was used to the stillness and the noises of the house.

I immersed myself in village life: I avoided the post office; avoided the pub; and did everything in my power to avoid the locals. I spent a fair bit of time checking out the local queer talent on my two favourite 'selected interest' websites. I was not the only gay in the village!

Now I'm not saying that this guy put up a picture that wasn't his own, but I never saw a blond muscled Adonis wandering around and it was spring, surely he would have been out and about. However I did meet a guy who kept me sane and lived in the next village over and also met a lovely Welsh Lad who I started seeing at the end of May.

Welsh Lad was very sweet and we had days out and night in and everything was peechie. One Thursday at about 5 I waiting in the car park at Salisbury's for him (I know how to treat a guy! (He was coming over and I had no food in so we were going shopping for dinner)) and I got a cold call from a company. They had got my details from The Freelist (list of Stage Management, sorted by date available, listing skills and last three projects) and would I be available to interview tomorrow.

Welsh Lad turned up after work, we did the shopping, I made dinner and I sent him home so I could get a good nights sleep before getting the train in the morning.

I pitched up for my interview in London and we went over the details we discussed on the phone and all the other bits. I was offered ASM/ book cover for Cinderella On Ice starting in two weeks, in Auckland! Oh Jesus buggery bollocks! (Someone had pulled out bla bla bla) I was offered the weekend to think on it and gladly accepted. Welsh Lad and I did a fair bit of talking, Senga and I did a fair bit of talking and by Monday I had accepted a years contract with them. The company was based in London, but tours all over the world, with UK technical and Stage Management staff and Russian (mostly) ice skaters.

Much shopping; frantic visit to Glasgow to see family, friends and Senga; trip to New Zealand House to get my business visa and then I was all sorted, packed and ready to go. Welsh Lad and I had decided to try and make a go of things even though we wouldn't see each other for 4 months and I would be 12 000 miles away. So all was good, a bit scary, but all good!

the original facebook blog slots in now

So why is year dot now and not any other time?

2009-03-25T03:19:00.002Z

This post isn't a flashback, this is how things are now as I write
(Mammy will be pleased and I don't mean my mother).

Out of all the points in my life way is moving to a small village the point of reference that I feel is appropriate to call year dot? Discuss

My initial thinking was that as I was providing a little brief background to the original facebook blog before continuing, then the start of that blog was the starting point. Naturally everything that came before was in that context history. However as I rambled on, telling a short story long, about what came before I got thinking.

I lived with my parents till I was 18. We had a big house in one of Glasgow's leafy suburbs and we never moved house. I applied to drama schools all over the country, but I felt the best place for me to train in stage management and technical theatre was RSAMD in Glasgow. I moved into a flat in the West End of Glasgow with a friend. Then I lived with another friend and was there till I graduated. I then lived with Senga and SR and then later KM. I had never lived in Halls. I had never lived with strangers. I had never lived outwith one city. I had never had my safety net removed. I had never pushed the boat out.

A lot of things had happened and I progressed from being a big fish in a small pond several times now and naturally learned with it. I had my own life and started to build a career, but what had I actually achieved, how far had I really spread my wings?

I probably am vastly underestimating my achievements prior to year dot, but once we've accept that we have learnt from and survived the past doesn't year dot moved forward. Isn't year dot a floating point?

There are also probably other factors at work in all of this present day thinking. In a few weeks I approach a magic number. That magic number was a review point I set at drama school for myself and have stuck to ever since. The plan was that when the going gets tough I stick with it and my first exit clause would be at this magic number. Looking back all has been rosie and, well I survived this far.

I am putting far more weight reflectively on the last year than any other year before. However in the last year, which is almost a year from 'year dot', I have. I have lived with strangers. I have lived outwith the one city. I have had my safety net removed and I have had the boat pushed out.

The observant will notice that just leaves living in halls of residence. Well lets compare my new pad. I share a house with 4 complete strangers. I have my kitchen cupboard in which anything sacred must be kept and the rest is communal. Okay I have never been woken up by the overly sensitive fire alarm at 5am, but its a bit like halls. If you need more proof look at the kitchen!

Year Dot aka April 2008

2009-03-25T02:23:00.005Z

So I'm the only one in the village - well it certainly feels like that. Somehow I consented to living in a village, which is near a very small town. Hell its a 25 mile drive for a 24 hour Tescos! Clearly I was out of my tiny queer mind when I decided The Dr's offer was sensible.

"Why are you there?" and "Yes, I think you may well be out of your tiny queer mind?" I hear you saying as you nod to yourself. So this is my chat, this is why the city boy, who likes being in a city is in arse Narnia ...

Senga and I could have kept the flat on and found another flatmate, but Senga raised a very good point. It had always been understood that if I got a job on a show in town I would be gone in a flash and Senga and the other flatmate would find a replacement and I would cover my rent till that happened or the lease was due for renewal. Senga was concerned that if we replaced KM and then a month down the line or so I got work in town and was off and then they got a second new flatmate and things didn't work out Senga could feel like her little home had been pulled from under her size 11 feet. (Given that Senga is also in theatre, tours and when you are away that often being at home at home is very important.) So keeping the flat on was ruled out
We find another flat a two bed. That way if I was gone and being replaced it would be only one new person. To add a bit of background to the mirky swirlings that are Sengas thoughts, I was invited to interview for a show in town as all this was kicking off and had been down the month before for an interview for another show in town. There were also a few occasions before this.

I talked things over with The Dr,
He suggested that as his old cottage was lying empty I could live there for a bit: it would get me out of the cycle of renting and being tied to a lease etc; could try living on my own; was 3 hours to London on a direct train; could help out with the jobs needing done around the place; would mean it wasn't empty.
I had one more option, denial!

I though and though some more and talked things over a lot with Senga, Shug (who incidentally popped my cherry many moons ago, we then lost touch and got back in touch a few years ago - that is definitely for another day though), The Dr and The Accountant. Look two new characters in one sentence.

The Accountant is my eldest brother, 19 year older, married with 2 kids, full details to follow. He is quite good at being straight laced and serious. I save calling The Accountant for advice for last - I tend to know exactly what my options are by then and talk them over, I don't phone him and ramble on without a clear idea of where I'm trying to get to. I then enquire about the other half and the kids and finally his woodworking. After all that I'm ready for a sweet sherry.

Thoughts were:

If I'm going to crowbar all my stuff out the flat, into a van and back out I might as well move 300 mile as 3.
When I'm on tour I'm not home: so arse Narnia isn't that bad.
This particular arse Narnia on offer is only 50 min to the M6. Liverpool, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester etc are all readily accessible.
Could try living on my own.
Shug was worried that if I wasn't working I would be all alone in a strange town (village it was worse than he realised) with no mates around and being a city boy how would i find it.
Not living with Senga would suck! How else would Tallulah! get home safe after a sherry?
Not being in the same town as Senga would be the death of Tallulah!

I made my decision: well you know the answer, you saw how my last post ended "Village life - what fresh gay hell is this!"

Moving day would have been fine if I wasn't having veiled panic attacks about my decision. Luckily The Dr was on hand for my medical needs and Senga was on hand for my spiritual needs She got the smelling salts from the sideboard and my spirit was restored.

Van packed The Dr and I headed south from Glasgow. A fully laden transit and a Ka with a handbag have roughly the same acceleration it seemed and we were level pegging till I lost him coming over Shap. We rendevoued for a pot of tea and a scone and then pressed on. Van unpacked in the pitch dark and there I was, along, in an old cold cottage.

A Bit of Background (2008)

2009-03-23T20:05:00.002Z

Jesus this background is taking an age and we haven't reached year dot yet, but it is only four months and 27 days away now, which I hope I will cover in this post. I set myself the target of year dot before dinner. I'm running behind schedule, but I will not eat till I reach year dot.

So its the beginning of 2008, and in little over a week I'll be finished at Barbican and it will be January and I will be unemployed. However there are far more pressing things for now. I have a date (oh and Senga is due any day now for a visit), but I have a date.

AussieT is a little older and an Antipodean as the nome de plume may suggest. I met him after a late matinee and we went out for some drinks and then dot dot dot
(I saw Mamma Mia at the Prince of Wales theatre three days prior [and very good it was too], and liked the use of "and then dot dot dot". If you've not seen it or if it isn't in the film or you need me to spell it out then get in touch)

I was off the next day and not in till late the day after, and kinda moved into AussieT's, only leaving to go home to shower, change and head into work. I was liking this, I felt entirely comfortable and all was well. I bounced into work, clearly beaming (a "perspex pansie" as Senga would say). Senga visited, we all went out and had a blast. Senga approves of AussieT!! Wonders will never cease!!

Senga and I managed to do what was planned from October, as many shows in as few days as possible - in my case while also working, but our schedule was really weird, all matinees and days off in the week. We saw Hairspray, Les Misérables (well i did Senga saw it when it was playing in the arc), Wicked (fantastic score, visually spectacular at points, but the book was a bit weak) and Senga saw some other shows when I was working. We also managed a fair few cheeky sherries, well it would have been rude not to.

And then my contract ended and I was back to Glasgow. It was January and I was unemployed (I like that line the more I write it). So AussieT and I were going to try and keep things going once I was back in Glasgow. I went down in early February for two night, which was naturally brilliant.

Senga has got a boyfriend (and as i'm writing this nearly a year later I know what happens), we shall call him Sengas bf. I think I approve.

Shortly after I started working for the RSAMD for a few weeks. AussieT came up for a weekend and it was a disaster, 99% my fault. That weekend was bad. We kinda half made up, but the damage was done. I was down in early April for a committee meeting and didn't stay the night, just flew down and back in a day. Actually just as well with hindsight, I was sick for 2 days after and couldn't eat. AussieT and I split up that day, I blamed it on the distance, which certainly didn't help.

About a day after I was back on my feet KM announced that she was moving out the flat. Senga and I had a series of hushed chats in one and others room over a litre bottle and we tried to work out what to do. The Dr and I chatted things over and by the end of April I was moved and living in The Dr old cottage in North Wales.

Village life - what fresh gay hell is this! This is year dot!

A Bit of Background (2007) :: Introducing The Dr

2009-03-23T17:27:00.003Z

So no car to get me back from Keswick and having no time to plan for this eventuality was a worry for everyone but me. I knew better than most just how much of my crap was in Keswick and how utterly unrealistic it was that I would 'get it all back on the train', but one should never underestimate my ability to reassure myself in advance of the event. The Dr knows better.

The Dr is my youngest brother, who happens to be 14 years older than me and who shares a fair few character traits with me. I'm one of four boys, but that's for another day.

The Dr knows well that I am excellent at reassuring myself 'all will be well' as we are both skilled in the art of denial and self reassurance. I'm not sure if he does it too, but I end up having a panic when I realise that my fancifully ideas (or "guy queer notions" as Senga like to call them) have gang agley. I normally call Betsie and The Dr while I half rant at myself for being a fanny and half whimper about my predicament to anyone who has the misfortune to be within earshot. I shouldn't be surprised that The Dr refused point blank to let me get the train and came to pick me up from Keswick.

I made the most of the final night out the night before and woke to find The Dr at the foot of my bed, thankfully not banging saucepans. We got the car pack and headed off with The Dr promising not to drive too erratically - he had sympathy having had a similar experience when Dad picked him up from uni at the end of one term, except Dad had top stop on the hard shoulder so The Dr could be sick. I wasn't sick, I had the morally high ground in my mind.

So home at last and Senga and I could plan our holiday - oh Jesus where to start - all we knew was it was going to be a last minute affair. However KM earned her stripes, she is a travel agent so came home with passwords galore for all sorts of travel agent type websites. Meanwhile Senga found a deal for two weeks all inclusive in Tunisia. KM worked some travel agent magic, but then her wand snapped and she proclaimed that it was actually a really good deal and she couldn't beat it. So we booked and went.

I'll save telling you the full details now and save it for a wet night when the telly is crap. However we had two weeks great weeks and despite sharing a room and didn't fight. We were absolutely amazed. We did have a teeny tiny tiff, but I think we secretly both wanted not to have a fight, so we both backed down.

While I was away I got two phone calls for the same job and came back and arrange an interview and by the end of February I was on tour with Acorn Antiques - The Musical! as ASM - with red Ford Ka mark II. Again on a wet evening I might write all about the Acorn tour, but for now I will just list the Cities;
Woking, Birmingham, Coventry, Liverpool, York, Preston, Leeds, Sheffield, Darlington, Richmond, Nottingham, Canterbury, Reading, Bath, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Bournemouth, Southend and Cardiff - although none of them for more than a week.

After four months away I was glad to be back in Glasgow and after a few weeks catching up on things, I started a wee project with 7:84 Theatre Company on a tour round Scotland for a few weeks, which was happily based out of Glasgow and allowed me some welcome time living in my flat, which I was beginning to forget what it looked like. It was also really good actually living with KM, as we only spent a few nights under the same roof since she moved in. Senga was away for all of August and KM got me hooked on Lost (and M&S mashed potato).

The day after I finished with 7:84 I went down to London for an interview for Panto at The Barbican. I stayed with my friend in St Albans and had a really good catch up that night and by the morning had been offered the job - ASM (book cover) for Jack and the Beanstalk. I celebrated that afternoon by seeing Mary Poppins in town. Suitably impressed! That evening I saw Rent: Remixed. Suitably unimpressed, glad I got seats in the centre of the dress circle for a good price with my Equity card, cos it wasn't worth face value on the ticket. To be fair tho there were one or two who stood out as having ability, however as they shone it just showed how poor everything else was.

I was a bit hacked off as I had missed Rent when it was in town and when it was in Glasgow on tour. I love the music and vowed I would not watch the film until I had seen it on stage, wherever that might mean going to. As soon as i was back in Glasgow I watch the film. It was a joy. I have a mate who also vowed the same as I that she loved the music too much and would not watch the DVD till she had seen it on stage. I called her told her to save the price of a trip to London and buy the DVD.

So by the end of October I was down in London and in rehearsals. I had a small crisis on the way down tho. I had booked to stay with a 'theatrical landlady' in Camden who rents out rooms to theatre bods who are down in London for a bit. I called to say I was just coming off the M25, and would be there shortly. She now decided to reveal that she had change her mind!!!!

Its 7pm on a Sunday night. I'm in the car in north London. I have just driven from Glasgow. I have been in the car all day. I need a pee ... now ... this minute! and have to shower in the next two hours (there is another story in there for another rainy day). And now I'm homeless. Thanks! Thanks Maggie C******l of G*******d Street, NW5. Not that I'm bitter.

So found myself a B&B in Contacts, got my head down and went in to start a new job the next morning. My ordeal was like wild fire through the company. By morning tea break half the company had heard a whisper and by lunch the word was out and heads were being scratched. And then my knight in shining armour, my Company Manager (CM), came to my rescue and I stayed with him for 5 nights while I found something a little more permanent. I paid my CM in gin, wine and flowers for his hospitality - I tried cash, but some people just say no!

Barbican sent out an email for me to their staff and AC gave me a ring, we met up and had a cuppa and agreed I'd move in for the 8 weeks left of my contract in exchange for some cold hard cash - I offered to warm it. The rest of the contract with Barbican had some trials and tribulations, but ultimately all came good in the wash.

I'm going to stop short of 'and then it was January and I was unemployed' but it is coming.

A Bit of Background (2005-06)

2009-03-23T14:09:00.007Z

In the early summer of 2005 and with graduation rapidly sneaking up on us, Senga and I started to think about the future. I wasn't overly impressed with the idea of having to actually work for an income, the arrangement where Bank of Mum & Dad paid me not to live at home nor eat their food worked well for me, and my weekend job was such a breeze that it never felt like work. However reality was looming - Council Tax.

I shared a lovely flat in town with a friend that I had know from primary school. The rent was fine and we didn't pay Council Tax as we were both students. However he was still going to be a student so i would have to pay 75% of the three grand bill!!! Reality loomed.

We hit upon the idea that a nice little flat with a low council tax band was best and that if we got a three bed flat we would probably all end up paying a little less. And so we did just that. Senga's old flatmate SR joined us and we hired a van and moved. We actually spent the day glued to the radio while moving - that was London 7/7/2005.

I did a show at the Edinburgh Festival traveling back and forward for the month and then went to the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow as an Assistant Stage Manager (ASM) for the winter season. My first proper show was What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, how camp and how apt. Our Christmas show was Charlotte's Web and one of our ensemble was a chap I had trained with. I had a blast at the Citz, but sadly my contract was only up till Christmas. Its a good way to wake up on New Years Day - unemployed!

I had an interview on the 4th January for Theatre by the Lake (TbtL) in Keswick and then for Theatre Royal York the day after, both for ASM positions, starting at the end of February. I was offered both and decided on TbtL. I just had to fill two months, so I learned to drive. I got a cancellation appointment for the first test of the day the day I left for Keswick, passed and got the train.

Along the way my nine week contract with TbtL turned into a years contract, I bought my first car, a red Ford Ka, and had a fab year. Our team were mostly fab and we had a laugh. My shows were On Golden Pond, Private Lives (book cover), Loot (book), After Miss Julie and Sinbad: The Untold Tale!

Somewhere along the way SR moved out of the flat in Glasgow and one Sunday Senga and I held auditions/ interviews for a new flatmate. Over tea and biscuits we found KM and she liked us and we liked her, so she moved in.

About a week before I finished in Keswick my Ka had an accident and my insurance told me it was no more my car, but I would get a cheque for a shiny new one.

It was early January 2007, my contract was finished and off I went back to live full time in Glasgow, rather than straddling between two homes.

Background to the 'Bit of Background' :: Introducing Senga, Betsie and Tallulah!

2009-03-23T02:56:00.012Z

I feel that it would be wrong to continue my blog and just gloss over the five month gap, as if I just had a massive sleep. On the other hand I am gagging to share the present. So with a drink by my side and a good CD playing I've settled myself down. I'll have a read over my blogs to date and see where I was at and then play 'join the dots' with the advantage I can move the dots to suit.

Well I've got half way through my personal recap and am realising I've missed bits out and its maybe not as clear as it could be. I'm thinking a retrospective re-blog might be needed.

Okay so I have made a list of things I should have said and things that I deliberately omitted at the time and think the clearest thing is starting from year dot, but with a bit of background first. 'Year dot' in this case is when I moved from Glasgow to Dyserth, a little village in North Wales, and the 'bit of background' is a potted history of my antics from leaving drama school to 'year dot'.

Are you sitting comfortably, then I shall begin ...

Background to the 'Bit of Background'

It all started just after Christmas 2004. My bestest mate in the whole wide world had returned from a week in deepest darkest arse Narnia (which is my favourite term for the back of beyond) having spent Christmas back home at his parents. Naturally being my best mate and only having mobiles, texts, emails, msn, carrier pigeons, the Royal Mail, smoke signals and flairs to keep in touch we felt like we been apart forever and a day. He suggested that I head over to his and we have a good old catch up over a bottle (litre naturally) and as his flat mate was away I could crash in her room, the next day we could sort out his place for the new year party. Well a little after new year I finally moved out of his flatmates room - probably in truth as she was due home.

Easter 2005 a similar thing happened and after a week and a bit of living together and getting up to our usual antiques and drunken nights - god that really doesn't limits it doesn't it - my best mate ...
[oh lord, I can't keep calling him 'my best mate' and saying his actual name seems wrong, sod it we shall call him by his drag name - not that he does drag, but one drunken night we discussed what our drag names would be. He is Senga Gloriosa and I'm Betsie (after I tried to coil a 30 meter length of rope around my arm like it was a washing line, he shouted over
"Ho Betsie, your washing-lines kinked hen!")
After many a drunken discussion and over time Betsie has developed an alter ego: Betsie when she is scrubbing floors and Tallulah! when she has a drink in her. Anyway I digress] ...
Senga said to me,
"If we have managed to live together this long without a row then maybe we actually could live together"
We have a habit of very spectacular rows, followed by quickly making up. Actually not so much making up, more like an episode of the Simpson's, we simply reset the next day. It works rather well.

Anyway I am telling a very short story long and to cut to the chase we decided that we could probably live together in the future.

A little footnote to all this.

Senga and parcanboy have never slept together, and are both very relieved about this.
Senga often passes out in Tallulah's! bed.
(by this point in the evenings proceedings parcanboy and Betsie have given up and retired as characters from this evenings plot, leaving Tallulah! holding the fort).
Senga and parcanboy are like an old married couple: we fight like cat and dog; have no sex life together; don't want a sex life together; we probably could each use the thought of the other naked as a delay tactic during coitus; love each other dearly (although seldom admit it) and would probably be lost without each other.
Senga and parcanboy have never had 'one drink' but often go for 'one drink'.
Betsie started writing this, Tallulah! is finishing it.

blog is back, back again

2009-03-21T02:37:00.003Z

Well five months after my last post and on a new site I'm back - Cue 'ooh' and 'ahs'

This wont be a long post, but I've moved the bits from my blog on facebook over and I'm going to try to be more frequent with updating (or leaking 'titbits') and keep you all in the loop. I'm quite excited in an underwhelmed kinda way that random folk might start following this, well to be honest as long as some one does then I know my keystrokes won't be just for my own benefit.

I should be heading back out on the road with a new show and a new company (well for me at any rate) the week after next so there will be lots of 'titbits' to deseminate - anyone excited yet?

So thats all for now, I'm going to consider a third beer or straight to bed. Will probably be a beer in bed having a gander at the latest offering from youtube.

I know its been a while, but ...

2008-09-13T04:12:00.002+01:00

... I’m still alive btw

Okay so its been an age since I last updated my blog - sorry. I'm sat in the Stage Left Wing, Theatre Royal, Sydney, Australia, with my laptop in the alcove Lx have set up as their on stage office - personally i think it would make a good prop kitchen.

So we flew out of Wellington without any problems, I was kinda surprised by that given how many flights were cancelled. The apartments in Melbourne was nice enough etc. The theatre was a good venue, but outside had a strange Eiffel Tower like thing on top - apparently it sucks up all the humanity in the building, which seemed true enough. Had a few good nights out in Melbourne, drinking with the Edward Scissor Hands lot (randomly bumping into a dancer i knew and finding out that he was Edward), Thirsty Thursdays (regular theatre drinking session in Melbourne), erm think thats about it.

After that we were in Adelaide for a week. My high point was having an apartment with a bath. I celebrated by raiding The Body Shop & Lush, drinking vodka and reading The Guardian all in the bath, with Tori Amos on my iPod - I really need to get out more. That night Paul, my room mate, brought me a present after he had been at the clubs. He brought me a woman. A woman who was then sick over the side of the balcony. I didn’t mean to seem ungrateful, but I did tell him I would have preferred a take away or liquid ‘carry out’.

Next we flew to Sydney - four weeks without a move. Bliss.
However there was a catch, two hotel apartments and one hotel room. After our first night off in Sydney we moved hotels at 11am. Ordinarily that would have upset me a bit, but staying out dancing till 6 took the edge of my mood as i sat slumped in a corner in the bus. However a good sleep and a good dinner and I was as right as rain. (If your in Sydney and like a good steak book a table at the ‘Meat and Wine’ restaurant in Darling Harbour (near the IMAX) very good).

I haven’t done as much as I would have liked in Sydney, I lost a week to man flu and work kept getting in the way, but I’ve enjoyed what I have done. I’ve
- had a good wander around Sydney and done some shopping
- seen the Opera House and Harbour Bridge
- been to the aquarium (which was actual really really good) although I was gutted I didn’t see the platypus
- I’ve dance till 8.15 in the morning, bounded out of a club to find bright sunshine and people going to work
- Asked the Company Manger for Phantom if I could have a comp for Billy Elliot - easy mistake to make. (When she told me she was on Phantom, not Billy, I asked for a comp for that instead)
- Drunk lots at Thirsty Thursdays in Sydney
- Haven’t been to Wagamamas, even though its only two blocks away.
- Been hit on by one of the crew during the bump in, much hilarity for all, except her
- Didn’t drink for eight days
- Was sent home (for being sick)
- Phoned in sick, which i haven’t done since I started working
- read the paper in the park (simple pleasures)
- was dragged to drag queen karaoke
- found four of the radio soulwax cds that I was struggling to get in the UK
- got sunburn on my noise

erm think thats it
yeah that probably all the news I can put up on an open blog

we are off to Canberra next week for two weeks, Brisbane after that for one and then Perth for 2 weeks 2 days, then we fly back to the UK

all my love
x

Originally published on Live Blog on Facebook

Good Bye New Zealand

2008-07-30T02:33:00.000+01:00

I’m sat in a bar, landside at Wellington Airport, its kinda wet outside and a lot of flights are being cancelled, but we are okay so far.

I’ve been in Wellington for a little over a week now and have seen little of Wellington. Kinda thinking I might try to come back to New Zealand in a few years time and actually see some of it.

Trying to think what is newsworthy

- well we had a massive glycol leak (antifreeze) into the ice rink on Tuesday last week, cancelled a show and then added an extra one, so every ones flights had to be rebooked, hotel accommodation extended, you get the idea.

- the get out from Auckland started at 5.30pm on the Sunday, ended at 10am on the Monday, we checked out of our hotel for 11am, went to the airport, flew at 1pm, were in the hotel in Wellington for 3pm, in the theatre for 6pm, worked till 10pm and then went in at 8am on the Tuesday to fit up. Was a busy few days. On yeah and then we took all the ice out on the Wednesday and started all over again with the ice rink.

The get out from Wellington wasn’t so painful. After the show cam down most of our guys and one team of locals started the load out at 10pm. Bob and I went back to the hotel and came in for 6am, when team two started and we released the first team. All of out guys (save Bob and I) went to the hotel. We then continued the load out till 2pm when our guys came back in. We were finished by 4pm

So i’ve now been to New Zealand and saw little of Auckland and even less of Wellington - oh well least I’m not paying for the flights. Hopefully I’ll see more of Australia.

Think its time I head to security, the gate opens in 10 minutes.

Originally published on Live Blog on Facebook

day eight at work - can i have a day off

2008-07-06T22:47:00.001+01:00

I'm sat in the stalls of the ASB Theatre, Auckland, NZ, I think I'm here to see what the show looks like from out front, but as they keep stopping and starting I'm catching up on paperwork and my blog

Arrived last Sunday and after a quick pit stop at the apartments a bunch of us headed out for dinner. A stones throw from the apartments is the theatre and a stones throw from the theatre is a fantastic steak house (and the Irish pub and ‘The London Bar’). After a very good steak, which although I enjoyed I wasn’t relay awake enough to fully enjoy.

On Monday morning we headed into work to find what Santa had brought us - Santa in this instance was the guys driving the shipment containers. Now for the next few days the usual nonsense of fitting up a show for the first time ensued, with one small, crucial, difference. Now in order to air freight the show everything must pack onto our air freight pallets at 3m x 3m. This means that all the flats (bits of set for those not in the business) need to be built in sections so they can be broken right down for our air freight moves. The flats have a metal frame and a timber cladding, but the timer cladding is bigger than the metal frame. the up shot was that every leg and every border (just think scenery) had a massive curve in it.

The curves in 80% of the set, all of which flys in a very crowded grid (the hanging plot is so very tight) has made for no end of problems. The carpenters who built it came over from Australia to fix things (which although now done) leaving us with a lot of spacers and hard backs to be added to the flats. (The timber can’t be cut down now without returning each piece to the paint workshop and even then it wouldn’t be that easy and time wouldn’t allow anyway.)

On Saturday we started technical rehearsals (that bit where bring together and artistic idea and a technical reality and try to meet somewhere in between). Sadly we have no props and a limited brief for the local prop buyer that I contracted (I have no idea where things are in Auckland and can’t get out to buy them) however with a suck-it-and-sea approach she appears with things and I pop them on stage until someone give an opinion either for or against. [For those familiar with the RSAMD, think CTP meets Royal Ballet on ice.]

The show itself will likely look amazing. There are some lovely moments and I (who doesn’t do dance) am held by it. Technically the show (running, not fitting up) isn’t that difficult, but the hanging plot, coupled with very quick live changes will make its interesting while the fly men get used to it. Prop and dressing wise, the only problem is the guesswork involved, but that should settle down as things progress. My other worry is operating the travel for the Foys (flying people). I’m getting used to it, but don’t like the fact its someone on the end of the line, rather than something that doesn’t feel pane when you travel it into the masking. The Foys cues are getting better with practice and (hopefully) its not forever (my Production Manager said he wanted English as first language operators for all flying until the show has bedded in, hence why I’m operating the travel).

The actors/ dancers/ skaters/ turns/ twirlers are amazingly good and patient. Not at all like turns and certainly nothing like a twirler, which is making things so much easier. I’m learning a little bit of Russian - okay so far my vocabulary is limited to ‘yes’ and ‘get ready’ (as i couldn’t get my tongue around the Russian for “stand by on stage please“) however when asked them to ‘get ready’ they looked blankly at me and said
“do you mean stand by?”

I am toying with the idea of getting a ‘teach yourself Russian’ pack - kinda thing i might get a chance to use it the coming year. I also found out the other day that our backstage calls are done in English and Russian, so anything that helps with that when I start learning the book wouldn’t be the worst idea.

Just realising that I haven’t said much about things out with work, well there is a reason for that, lol. We have been working three session days since we started and today we were supposed to be off, but ended up called for this morning. The apartments are fine, 2 bedrooms, bathroom, washing machine, oven, hob & microwave and are only a few minutes from the theatre. I’m sharing with Paul, our No 2 LX, who is fine, but the only weird thing is the long thin frosted glass window (that doesn’t open) between the two rooms. We decided the best thing to do was put a towel up on either side with drawing pins to stop the light spill from one room to the next.

Well i guess that’s all my news for now, other that work I’ve done little, that’s about the size of it, but our team are good and despite the long days and problems I’m having fun.

Originally published on Live Blog on Facebook

A shower and the world is a better place

2008-06-28T22:42:00.001+01:00

So facebook thinks it 10:25pm and probably so does my body, but I’m not letting it believe it.

I’m sat in the business lounge at Sydney (after a bit of good luck) having my ‘second’ breakfast - well actually third if i count the one on the plane.

So the story so far ...

Left Dyserth on Friday lunchtime and got the train to London, then the tube out to Heathrow, got checked in, went through security and got some dinner. By the time all that was done with I got a call from one of my colleagues to see if i was about and wanted to meet up - he was across the bar from me, lol.

The six of us that were travelling out had a beer and a natter (and i saw my first ground plan for the show) and then we boarded. Turned out that i was sat separately to the rest of the team, which was a blessing in disguise. We flew out at 11pm.

I slept a little on the way to Bangkok and over breakfast got chatting to the lassie sat next to me. She was flying back to Sydney and had a complimentary voucher for the Quantas business lounge at Sydney that expired on Monday, as she couldn’t use it she offered it to me. At this stage i thought it was a nice idea.

After the stop off at Bangkok and flight to Sydney i was feeling really smelly and tired - forcing my body to accept it was coming up for 6 am on Sunday, rather than 8pm on Saturday was becoming more and more challenging. It was about now that I discovered that the best things in life are business lounge showers. I took a photo to share my excitement with you, but on reflection i was going to be posting a picture of a shower room with toilet & sink, and didn’t think you would share my excitement, so I deleted it. However at 7am/ 11pm it was the best shower in the world and all I wanted.

I’m now on my third cup of tea (but I want a mug), have had a round of toast, fruit, a danish and more fruit - the world is well. I’m sat in the window and would take a picture for you, but its a view of the back end of an airport and there is a dam good reason the windows are covered with heavy net curtains. I fly out to Auckland in two hours so guess I should make the most of the WiFi, power point, tea and toast while I can.

Originally published on Live Blog on Facebook

The Night before i leave and a bit of an introduction

2008-06-27T02:57:00.001+01:00

so its late at night, well really early morning and I have finally added a blog app to my facebook. I thought this might be the easiest way to keep you all up to date with what i get up to in New Zealand and Australia.

I guess a little bit of background wouldn't go a miss, facebook being as it is most of you will find out about this three months from now.

2 weeks ago i got a job out of the blue, ASM/ book cover on Cinderella on Ice, for a year. Opening in New Zealand, then a month later transferring to Australia, then three months after than transferring to the UK. So that was two weeks back and i’m due to leave at about 12ish later today to get to Heathrow to be on the 10pm plane to Sydney. Leave London on Friday and arrive in Auckland on Sunday! OMG thats ages on planes.

Anyway as you might have gathered i’m rambling and really quite tired, but absolutely wired.

So the plan is I will add to my blog regularly with what i have been up to. Rather than receiving impersonal emails you can each have a wee look when you like and read an impersonal news letter, but BUT there should be photos too, so really it all makes sense.

Originally published on Live Blog on Facebook

parcanboy

Cinders On Ice - part 6 (Sydney pt 1 Aug - Sep 2008)

Cinders On Ice - part 5 (Adelaide - Aug 2008)

Comments and Thoughts

Cinders On Ice - part 4 (Melbourne - Aug 2008)

Cinders On Ice - part 3 (Wellington - Jul 2008)

Cinders On Ice - part 2 (Jul 2008)

Cinders On Ice - part 1 (July 2008)

Cottaging (May & June 2008)

So why is year dot now and not any other time?

Year Dot aka April 2008

A Bit of Background (2008)

A Bit of Background (2007) :: Introducing The Dr

A Bit of Background (2005-06)

Background to the 'Bit of Background' :: Introducing Senga, Betsie and Tallulah!

blog is back, back again

I know its been a while, but ...

Delete Entry?

Good Bye New Zealand

day eight at work - can i have a day off

Delete Entry?

A shower and the world is a better place

The Night before i leave and a bit of an introduction