The Night Before The Show Begins

Here I am. This is going to be a bit cheesy. It's 10 43 pm on the 25th November 2013. I've not long got back home to Morden. A Tale From The Bedsit begins it's run tomorrow. It's been a few years in my head, has existed in some form on paper for around 2 years and went into actual physical development back in January this year.

We got into the Camden Lock Hotel today (where the majority of the 9 shows will take place) we have the set in, the sound set up and we've managed to do a few run through's. I feel quite well prepared, as prepaid as I can be. Come tomorrow I'll probably be pretty nervous, it's a lot to take in, it's a lot to concentrate on and it's a lot of talking! I can say though, I've enjoyed the whole process, I have a great team around me, great support from the Roundhouse, plus all the many family and friends who've supported me from the start.  I'm up for this now!

The Last Word Festival at Roundhouse November 2013

Stef took this one today!

There is still two tickts left for the 5pm performance on Saturday 30th which you can book here .

There was also a nice little mention from the producer of the festival Lucy Atkinson in the Metro last week.

Sorry I don't know how to turn the picture round!

I also did this interview for the Run Riot arts blog which you can read here

I think this about it. I'll write again when I've come out the other end, maybe a better person or something cheesey like that... 

Paul

The Bedsit Is HERE!

...Technically it never went away, but I did, I moved away, into a flat and then about 8 years later I've made a show about living in that Bedsit and you can come and see that show, next month, at the Roundhouse, look, here's is a LINK where you can purchase a ticket! (can you tell I'm excited??!..and nervous!)

Approximately 2 years ago I'd written the first segment of the show, which I sent via some muggy audio clip to my mate and don of dons Talia Randal, later that summer I attended a workshop session at the Roundhouse where you could pitch an idea for a show, after speaking with Roundhouse legend Sylvia Harrison, she then put the wheels in motion and set up a meeting for me with another Roundhouse legend Lucy Aitkinson, who's been producing the show ever since. This time last year I was finishing the second part of the show and starting the third. (It was originally a trilogy of stories) I then joined forces with the mighty Stef O' Driscol  in January and almost a year later, several scratches, feedback sessions, meetings and god knows how many versions and script amendments later, here we are with one big hour long show, A Tale From The Bedsit. Completing what has now become a wicked little team, there is a banging sound design by Phil Davies, an amazing set design by India Banks and Lucy Mcgowan, and another Roundhouse legend Liz Counsell!

It's a site specific thing, all the shows (bar the final one on the Sunday which will be in the studio theater for a bigger audiance) will take place in the Camden Lock Hotel over the road. It will be small groups in with me, nice and intimate, just like it was back in the real bedsit!

Yep, that's me

The show forms part of a 2 week long festival the Roundhouse have curated called The Last Word and as far as I know, is the first spoken word festival, of sorts, in London and features work form the likes of Kate Tempest, John Berkavitch, Poejazzi, Talia Randal, Sean Mahoney, Katie Bonna, Lemm Sissay, Roundhouse Poetry Collective and MORE!
This is what it states on the website:

THE LAST WORD

"A Festival of Spoken Word, Storytelling and Live Performance

16 Nov - 1 Dec

London’s first ever spoken word festival, The Last Word is two weeks of words, live performances and storytelling.

The UK’s leading spoken word performers alongside an new generation of artists bring an unmissable line up of shows, installations, take-away poetry, opportunities to get involved with master classes and panel discussions."

Here's the You Tube trailer which I got my mug on outside a record shop in Soho (I wanted Blackmarket Records but the noise coming of it was too loud..) All of us in the video were asked to read a poem written especially by Jess Green...

 

If you're interested, I've put a link up where you can see a few other blogs I've put up over the last few months about the show, just click on the right where it says A Tale From The Bedsit. 

Then, COME AND SEE IT! It runs from Nov 26th to Dec 1st.

Hope to see you there!

Paul

Festivals:Tents, a bedsit, nice people and booze

Greetings.

It's been a busy few weeks, again. I'm beginning to understand the saying 'feast and the famine.' So, whilst there is a swirl in the water, I'm going to attempt to surf, paddle and struggle until the swirl dies down and I'm back sipping tea and staring out of the window again... 

Latitude and Camp Bestival

 

As part of the 90's BPM show with Poejazzi myself, Joshua Ideuhen, Bridget Minamore, Chimene Sulleyman, Rosie Knight and James Massiah performed 90's influenced pieces at both Latitude and Camp Bestival. Here's a peice that the nice people at Latitude got me to perform called The Colour Orange

 

A Tale From The Bedsit

 

 Last week I finished the final development phase for my first solo show A Tale From The Bedsit. As part of the process, we had a room in the Camden Lock Hotel opposite the Roundhouse for a week. I stayed there for 2 nights and we did 2 sharings in there, which went well, it was very intimate and quite relaistic in comparison to the bedsit I originally lived in back in Brighton. Then on the Thursday, as a test, we moved the set (amazingly designed by India Banks and Lucy M) into the studio theater at Roundhouse and invited 40 people into the space with me and I performed the show and it was probably the best one so far! The nest stage for the show, is a preview on the 23rd August at Hoxton Hall then a 3day performance at Bestival with the full show debuting in November at Roundhouse. Exciting times...