Ben Affleck and Herbert Kretzmer show the way for ‘second acts’
The Hollywood actor-turned-director Ben Affleck recently spoke about being given a “second act” after he won the Best Director award at the Baftas for his film Argo. Similarly, Les Miserables lyricist Herbert Kretzmer told The Guardian he “was able to give up my day job at 61” after it became clear that the show had a fairly certain future. (more…)
Planning your sitcom
Cilla Black, UK television host and pop singer, apparently has never been on a bus, cannot drive and has never done anything mundane since she was 19. But she can open a bottle of champagne… (more…)
Don’t give up the day job…
What’s the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you? I’m asking this because I read a profile of the playwright Penelope Skinner in the Guardian newspaper and her creative writing teacher had told her: “You can’t predict what people are going to like: no matter how bad it is, there’s always going to be one person who likes it. What you have to do is find that one person.” (more…)
The show’s over … for now
‘The camera’s gone down…someone’s trod on the cable.’ We were meant to be going live with the streaming on Friday in 15 minutes. I was sitting in the lighting box ready to make a Skype call to Cape Town where a James Bond party had been organised in an independent film studio to watch Martini Bond in London…
Bond and Martinis in Cape Town
Skype wouldn’t make the connection at first – but then we got through. And saw a fab party – with glitter, guns and cocktails. Thank you Cape Town and Siobhan Cassidy and Shaun Conway for making it happen. The camera was also fixed but, unfortunately, the connection then went down for several minutes, so some of the start of the show was missed and others could not get past the paywall.
But here was Cape Town’s reaction:
We had a fun night and managed to see some of the show. It was kind of a pity that it took so long to get online properly… But, hey, it was the first time, next time will be better and we certainly were inspired to have a different party.
Then Saturday night was brilliant. The streaming worked. Here’s the evidence:
Martini Bond is on stream
And the reaction from France:
‘I loved the play. A perfect Saturday night’.
It shows it can be done. Hopefully, this will be a way that struggling theatres can start to build audiences who are willing to pay online to see plays.
Oh, and we had good numbers for the live audience too. Now we’re resting. Until the Manchester dates and possibly Edinburgh fringe festival next year.
Skype in and be part of the show
Julia Collier as Franken von Banken in Martini Bond
Wet suit, check. Ski suit, check. Dinner jacket? Husband won’t miss that – I’ve just thrown it in the suitcase and hope it doesn’t get lost… (more…)
Don’t give up the day job
Most dreamers should not leap, the article ‘So you want to be an artist’ in Saturday’s FT Weekend magazine said. Even if you are sure that it’s your vocation, you are most likely wrong. Oh no! I’ve always wanted to write comedy. And now this article is telling me to give up! (more…)
Hollywood’s next…the one in Stockport
Martini Bond got its first review. OK, so a few of my journalist colleagues were in the audience and could see I was a bit down when the two reviewers didn’t turn up. So one or two offered to write something – independently I must stress – and submit to one or two websites – independent of their workplaces I must stress. (more…)
I’m a celebrity…where are the paps?
“You’re a local celebrity,” my friend emailed me. “Be careful you’ll get papped!”
Turns out one of my press releases had made it into a local paper, the Wimbledon Guardian. And my photo is almost as big as Jason Donovan’s… (more…)
Olympic challenge for theatre ticket sales
I’d heard anecdotally that theatre ticket sales could be hit because of the Olympics in London. West End sales were down on this time last year, I was told darkly. After all, the thinking goes, people have come to watch sport, not take part in the sport of getting on the Tube in rush hour. (more…)
