Count Up To Edinburgh #3 The C/D Borderline Previews ahoy

So I should probably mention at this point, and should probably have mentioned it before this point, several times, that before I head up to Edinburgh I'm doing a few previews of the show. They are all listed on the side on that gigs panel, but you know, they're easy to miss and most people probably get a squillion invites to someones show or whatever on a daily basis, so it's easy to forget and lastly, I'd really like to have an audience so need to flog some tickets, so here I am, reminding / asking / advertising these here dates:

- 2ND JUNE 7PM @ ROUNDHOUSE, CAMDEN - TICKETS £7.50 -

I get to return to the Roundhouse again, for the Last Word festival, 3rd year in a row so I must be doing something right? Anyway, even if you don't want to see mine there's loads, like properly LOADS of banging shows as part of this festival, it's like, a, massive erm, festival? Yea, a festival. There giving a platform to for people like me, big up.

8TH JUNE @BEDFORD BALHAM, PBH FREE FRINGE BENEFIT, FREE YES FREE

Funny story about this one. Couple of weeks back I performed at a charity night for Lyrix Organix (which was banging by the way, check the photo's on the site) - there was a guy performing there called Gecko, who'd I heared of but not seen before. He was brilliant, great singer-songwriter, performer and story teller, really smashed it. Anyway, we got chatting and it turrns out, he's also taking a show to Edinburgh, and low and behold we're both in the same venue! (The Pilgrim, by the way). Imagine that?! He was a really safe guy, safe enough to get in touch and ask if I wanted to come and do a support slot at the above night for his PBH Free Fringe show, what a touch eh!? Geezer's got a blue tick on his name on Twitter as well, cerified bruv!There's 4 or 5 shows happening that night, Jack Rooke, Atillia The Stockbrocker and more, plus the Bedford is a sick venue, all free too. 

MONDAY 8TH JULY @KEYSTONE GUILFORD

Anyone that knows the poetry scene in London will probabaly know Janice Windle and Donall Demspsey. Bonafied legends, they're like the Tovill and Dean of poetry. I've known them since I first started doing all this stuff, goingdown to Poetry Unplugged fo the open mike. Theve always been really supportive and have invited me down to their regular gig down in Guilford. I got to feature there last year and had a right laugh, if you're in that area, come down!  

So there you go, these are the pre-views. If you're able to come, please come and come with some freinds perhaps. I'll promise that I will do my best to put on  a good show, afterall, that's what I'm here to do, amougst other things. Here's the Roundhosue link again, just in case you feel the urge to book tickets and yet have read this far down and have forgot to.. LINK TO BUY TICKETS TO SEE THIS BANGING SHOW AT THE ROUNDHOUSE BY PAUL CREE CALLED THE C/D BORDERLINE SICK YEA SICK (THAT'S A LINE FORM THE SHOW)

Nice one, Paul 

Hello 2014

Greetings

Happy new year and all that.

It's been a wee while since I've posted anything and a fair bit has happened, what with the bedsit show and general festive shenanigans.
 

The Bedsit

 Speaking of the show, as in A Tale From The Bedsit, it all went pretty well. We did 9 shows, over the last week of November and really enjoyed it, I felt it went pretty well all in all. There were a few hiccups but that's to be expected. The whole vibe of the festival was great, saw lots of familiar faces in the bar at Roundhouse who were either performing or just as punters. The whole thing has been a massive learning curve for me and I feel pretty good after coming out of the other side.

Reviews

I was told before the show started not to expect many of the supposed big-guns in, in terms of reviewers, for various reasons but I weren't that fussed. I appreciate that at this moment in time I'm not exactly a big draw and spoken word isn't quite as big as a play happening else where etc etc, I was just glad of the opportunity and was pretty chuffed about the fact the most of the shows were sold out (even if it was just 8 people per show, that's still 8 people that have made the effort to come in and see it, too me, that's nuts!)

HOWEVER! I was made up when I saw these two reviews from Londonist via Lindsey Clarke and Sabotage Time via Lettie McKie

http://londonist.com/2013/11/have-a-cup-of-tea-with-paul-cree-in-a-tale-from-the-bedsit.php

http://sabotagereviews.com/2013/12/05/review-the-last-word-festival-the-roundhouse-16-nov-1st-dec/

And on a final bedsit note, the show will be going to Bettersea Arts Center for a week in march, which I'm delighted about, as BAC is a venue I have a lot connections with, you can purchase tickets from here

https://www.bac.org.uk/content/31456/see_whats_on/current_shows/cook_up/a_tale_from_the_bedsit

This was me in the Camden Lock Hotel where most of the shows were

This was where the final show of the run was, for a bigger audience

rODIUM

For the last year or so, I've been playing drums and precession for my friend and collaborator Conrad Murray's band, rODIUM. We've recently had a spat of gigs which I really enjoyed, most notably at legendary gig venue, The Water-rats in Kings Cross, here is a video.

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

Zia Ahmed @ Tounge Fu

In terms of blogs and the fast moving world of the internet, I guess this is old. It's from last year I believe. I don't really care though. I'm not a blogger in that respect, I just like putting stuff up here that means something too me, in the hope that someone else might like it too and it affects them in the same way. Anyway...

Zia Ahmed is a poet. As far as I know he does other things to, like theater, but I know him as a poet and he's someone that I really respect and enjoy listening too. In this little world of writers and what not, people speak a lot about authenticity, whatever the actual meaning in that context is, I think it's this. I've listened to it many times and it still moves me. I'm not even going to attempt to break down what he's saying, I'm not really into that. There are people who like doing that and are into that. I'm not really one of them. Have a listen and make up your own mind. For me, it propably ranks as one of my favorite peices of spoken word and I really like the whole live recording, it makes it even better for me.

The piece was recorded at the Roundhouse (which is where I know Zia from) as part of an excellent night called Tongue Fu, where the performers (normally poets, writers, comedians etc) go on stage and have a very good backing band improvise to them. It's a bit of an institution and is run by well known poet Chris Redmond.

Zia is part of a spoken word ensemble show happening at Roundhouse called Run by A Cloud of Foxes. The show is part of the The Last Word Festival which my show is also part of. I havant sen Run yet, but Zia and a whole host of decent poets and writers are involved so it should be sick.

Peace

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