#20 - Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? Review

Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? follows the faltering relationship between 46 year old History professor George, and his boisterous 52 year old wife Martha - the presidents daughter of New Carthage University. Having previously attended a party, the dysfunctional couple shamelessly stumble in, unaware a night full of increasingly terrifying events await and are due to start soon after their guests arrive.

The black comical play is cleverly split into 3 acts named ‘Fun and Games’, 'Walpurgisnacht’ and 'The Exorcism’. Each of which explores new ways in which Martha and George humiliate each other in front of their new audience (Biology man Nick and wife Honey); their tactics becoming increasingly more vicious as the titles indicate and the acts progress.

Intertwined between these fun and games, including 'Get The Guests’ and Hump the Hostess’, which the couple decide are deemed acceptable to play, a central theme includes their 'child’ who just so happens to be an extremely 'touchy’ subject within their relationship.

Similar to the story presented by Brian Yorkey (book and lyrics) and Tom Skitt (music) in the rock musical Next To Normal (exploring a mother suffering from a worsening bipolar and her husband’s struggles when reminding her that their son has been dead 16 years), I was under the impression that the prolonged revelation of the 'child’s’ death in the play, was a way of George reminding his wife of her memory loss (as she reluctantly admitted “I forget and I…want to mention him”). My conclusion being that Martha, in fact, was mentally suffering. Therefore, resulting in the memory loss of the 'child’ she no longer had.

Turns out, I understood the story differently to most, having a somewhat inventive interpretation - not having read the play prior to watching. (I did, however, buy it immediately afterwards so I could indulge myself deeper into the text. The play never actually states whether or not Martha has a child, however according to lots of different sources, it’s implied that the child is just an illusion; an illusion which seemed indistinguishable from reality.

Despite my misinterpretation, the subject of the 'child’ had me hooked from its first mention, as I was questioning from the beginning whether the child was real or not and it’s no exaggeration to say I was literally hanging off the edge of my seat, holding my breath with anticipation.

The acting overall was truly astounding but especially from the two leading actors, Imelda Staunton and Conleth Hill who’s ferocious relationship relished the stage.

Imelda Staunton’s performance begins forcefully and so initially, I was concerned she had set herself up leaving limited space to develop emotionally. Fortunately, I couldn’t have been proved more wrong and her ferocious beginning boldly plunged herself head first into a jagged journey of emotions which was draining for me to watch, never mind for her to go through! She brought plenty of vigor and dynamics to the role and sitting on the front row definitely enhanced my experience. I was able to fully engage myself into the performance and was fortunate enough to to see the subtlest of changes on stage. At one point, Imelda eyeballed me and I swear her stare was so powerful, it felt as if she was boring into my soul. Then all of a sudden I could see a change of thought occur; only by what I saw through the use of her eyes. It was a magnificent moment to witness and incredible to see so close.

Of course, Imelda’s highly accredited performance wouldn’t be complete without actors to bounce off; Conleth Hill being one of them. For some strange reason, the way he portrayed his character had somewhat of a Donald Trump esque to it (and that is by no means meant as a negative critique because his performance was applaudable) which I think could possibly be down to his smug presentation, alongside slurred speech and quick witted, patronising vocals in response to his wife.

A special note deserves to go to Imogen Poots as this was her West End Debut! The part she played was an emotionally challenging one and I think she pulled it off superbly! A highlight for me included watching her have a complete mental breakdown (I swear I don’t just like watching people break down…) right in front of my eyes; a moment in which it appeared as if she was physically being crushed from the outside in.

I was however a little unsure with Luke Tredaway’s performance. In comparison to Imelda’s commendable vocal ability, I felt he was lacking in vocal variation. Perhaps a character choice, perhaps not, but I did feel the majority of his performance seemed locked on one level and at times even sounded monotone. His character had lots of repeated lines leading on from another which Luke appeared to throw away and quite frankly, I didn’t always believe what he was saying.

To sum up this play in one concluding paragraph would be impossible but I’ll try my very best to get it down to as few as possible…

A play so intensely intimate, I found myself holding my breath due to the onstage cigarette smoke wafting my way, it was a show which hit me…and it hit me hard. There were several points in the play where tears were literally streaming down my face and I had no choice but to hold my breath, once again, to stop myself from 'ugly crying’.

From the start, an underlying tension was evident and throughout the whole play I was anticipating when that burning tension would implode. There wasn’t a single moment where I was disengaged (but I can imagine it a difficult watch if somehow one manages to zone out).

I often hear the phrase 'you could cut the tension with a knife’ used to describe situations with some slight tension. However with this play, you could truly cut the tension with a knife - so much so, that I was surprised by the end that nobody had actually been killed (although there was a few near misses!)

There were so many points in which I was disturbed but with some classic one liners (my favourites being: 'Martha, in my mind you’re buried in cement right up to the neck. No, up to the nose, it’s much quieter’ and 'I swear, if you existed, I’d divorce you.’) thrown into the mix, my whole being was confused whether I was expected to laugh or cry and so I therefore did both!

The play is beautifully written and the performance was beautifully uncomfortable to watch. I think it’s a play which questions what love really is and one that everyone can relate to in some way or other. A definite must see for any actor, writer and human being in general.

Booking at The Harold Pinter Theatre in London until 27th May.

#18 - Is Drama School for The Elite?

Is Drama School For The Elite? We all know drama school is an expensive process. I've been auditioning for half a year and it's a journey I've thoroughly enjoyed, however I want to put into perspective just how much my auditioning process has cost me and so here's an estimated breakdown of what I've spent over the past 6 months: To register with UCAS: £24 To register with CUKAS: £24 Audition Fees: Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - £45 Guildhall - £63 Drama Studio London - £47.50 Central School Of Speech and Drama - £55 (This was the only place I got an audition fee waiver therefore I didn't have to pay anything to audition but I'm sure LAMDA do this too) Mountview - £45 PPA - £35 LAMDA - £54 Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama - £47 Guildford School of Acting - £55 Acting Coach Scotland - no fee RADA - £46 (£86 for later applications) In total that's £437.50 I've spent purely on the audition fees. Now, in my opinion and many other people's opinions, that is a lot of money. Especially when some of these auditions literally consist of being in the building for a grand total of 10 minutes to perform your monologues then leave without any form of feedback. Travel: (Excluding any extra taxi fare needed to get to the venues) Luckily, I did manage to book early enough to get myself onto the regional auditions. This meant some of my auditions were held in Manchester and I didn't have to travel to London as much as I could have but I still went quite a bit... Train to London (at least 5 times for first round auditions) - £60 Train to Guilford (3 times including once for a recall) - around an extra £10 Train to Glasgow (twice including once for a recall ) - £51.60 Hotels: I wouldn't normally mind staying in a cheap £10 hostel if I was just travelling for leisure but I wasn't prepared to do this when auditioning so it cost me around £40-£70 a time. Fortunately I do know some people who live in/nearby London who let me stay at theirs on occasion. Now total that all together and we've got approximately £1,028.70 which is a LOT of money to spend when the chances of getting recalled are very slim, never mind being offered a place. So, why am I writing this post? Not only do think this is a good insight for other people who want to audition for drama school, I want to express my thoughts and feeling. I've got through the hardest part. I've done the work, I've paid the audition fees. I've proved I've got enough talent to get in. However, I'm concerned that now I've gained a place, I will be unable to go due to lack of available funding. The course I hope to join, doesn't qualify for a student loan as its a private institution. It does however offer a career development loan but only for years two and three. Leaving no funding option available for year one (excluding scholarships which could potentially reduce the fees), how is a working class individual, with unemployed parents due to health issues and who already currently holds a full time job, expected to pay just over £10,000 for the course alone, excluding living costs? The arts are constantly suffering with unjust government cuts resulting in less attention being given to subjects which are vital in helping both children and adults develop creatively and in many people's opinion is becoming for the elite only. This is exactly the reason why. Students are encouraged to go and study and there's nothing I want more than to study acting at drama school so I can better myself as a performer. However, I find it extremely unfair, after the amount on money I've spent on auditions, that there is a potentially heartbreaking chance, I'll be unable to start studying again after already taking a year out. I'm by no means pin pointing this at the school I hope to go to because I know there are options which include monthly payment and I'm going to try my very best to ensure I've done all I can to enable me to make this work. I refuse to not start studying again in September after all of my hard work. I will go to drama school.

#17 - Self Doubt

A weight. Neither heavy nor light. Lurks. Hovers like a damp mist in a winters day. Always waiting. Never finding it difficult to intersect, but it can at any given moment. And chooses too. It's the kid who runs across the bend in a road. Unaware of the harm it causes. Or perhaps he is aware, yet ignorant and careless. Forever pulling down. Out of your control. Yet something we can defy if we try. He's a weight. Neither heavy nor light. He lurks.

#16 - My National Theatre Connections Experience

Yesterday marked the day of my final performance of ‘Zero For The Young Dudes’ with The Grand Young Company. I have worked with this company for several months on this new play and have representing The Grand Theatre, Blackpool, in The National Theatre Connections Programme. National Theatre Connections The National Theatre Connections programme is a programme open to all companies nationwide and is designed specifically for young people (ages 13-19) to stage new plays commissioned by The National Theatre. Every year, a selection of acclaimed playwrights are briefed on writing a play for young people. A list of 10 plays are then released for a selection of companies to choose from and stage as their own production. A director from the National Theatre comes out to watch each group's local performance and gives feedback to help improve the play before taking it to the National Theatre Connections Festival (which this year was held on the 30th and 31st March). From here, one performance of each play will be chosen to perform at the NT Connections Festival London. Zero For The Young Dudes Zero For The Young Dudes, written by Alistair McDowall, was the play chosen by our director for The Grand Young Company. The synopsis of the play goes as follows “The inmates at a bizarre summer camp are plotting a revolution. Or has it already happened? Spending a day watching their schedule of exercise, lessons and meals, a long history of unrest and injustice lies hidden, and as the day wears on, a violent future looms large on the horizon.” The play combines a mixture of tones, juxtaposing a selection of light hearted humour with a rather dark underlying and quite obvious message that the older generation are leaving nothing for the youth. As a company, we decided that we were going to base this around the idea of the current generation being ignored by the government and we used the riots from 2011 as a source of inspiration, Throughout the play, the campers are plotting a revolution in order to make a huge gesture which is the only way they feel they will be acknowledged. The results are quite literally deadly, as every camper during their centralised dorm inspection at 10:15, pull out a grenade. They don't decide to blow up their enemies directly. Instead the play ends with the kids pulling the grenades and placing them into their own mouths. My Opinion On The Play Initially, I found the play quite difficult to follow and I think the reasoning behind this was due to the lines in the play being distributed between letters, as opposed to characters. I later discovered that this was decided upon simply to give more freedom for the actors performing the play (as lots of companies had a different number of performers with a different boy to girl ratio). Once the lines were distributed, the plot of the story was a lot easier to understand. Each time I reread the play, I would spot a new bit of information I hadn't noticed before, which would subtly link back to different moments in the play or reveal new information. Overall, I felt the play was very well written, following an engaging storyline with some interesting characters and written in a captivating language. My Role in the Play My character in the play was simply labelled P. I found it amazing that I had so much freedom to create a character based purely on the text from the play. As the play was newly written, it was comforting knowing it had not yet been performed; I could work on my character with a fresh start knowing I wouldn't be compared to other performances. I had 4 pages of consecutive dialogue which entailed key information on the camp itself, however mainly focused on the war and how it affected my character. The text implied that my character (who I chose to create as a girl) had Post Traumatic Stress disorder which I took into consideration, as an actor, myself. The role required me to be pretty emotionally vulnerable onstage. This was a challenge but I just about got there. By no means do I think my performance was perfect and I know I have a long way to go but I feel as though I've brought myself the tiniest bit closer to where I want to be and how I want to be rehearing and then performing on stage. My character developed immensely from when I first did a read through and I just spewed about the words like some sort of machine gun (see what I did there). I soon made a choice that my character was suffering from this disorder and was using speech as a coping mechanism. By attempting to make friends and gain attention from the other camper facing punishment alongside her, she was distracting her mind from all of the horrors of war. I enjoyed playing with different tactics I could use to get the other campers attention in the scene and thought overall, this was a very fun yet challenging character to play. Transferring Theatres Our local performance was held at The Grand Theatre in the small studio place we had been rehearsing in. I enjoyed the performance here and it felt very comfortable, intimate and intense. After this performance, we then had the challenge of taking our performance from an approximately 70 seat theatre to around about a 450 seat theatre which was The Quays Theatre in The Lowry. This was an amazing experience to have because touring shows are constantly moving to different spaces! There were two main differences and things we had to acknowledge when transferring theatre. These were; the size of the stage and the size of the auditorium. We had to adapt our staging so it still looked effective yet not too small for the new space and then also adapt our vocals to ensure we were projecting efficiently and could still be heard onstage. Meeting The Writer After finishing our final production at The Lowry, I was absolutely thrilled to find out that the writer of our chosen play came to watch our performance! It was an honour to be able to meet the person who had written what we had been working on for so long and knowing that this was one of the 2 performances Alistair McDowell actually had chance to come along and see! I learnt lots of valuable things from meeting Alistair and it was really interesting to dig deeper into his insight and opinions on the play, his inspiration and why he decides to write in general. Alistair revealed that he writes things, he would like to see on stage, stating that if there was everything he wanted to see, he wouldn't have become a writer which is something I found very fascinating. One of the other things I found particularly interesting was when Alistair said he doesn't start writing with a strong message he wants to convey, in his head. Lots of writers feel they need to write a play that ‘means something’ or is going to change the world’ but he admitted he is the opposite and feels that the messages in a play should be left to interpretation. If the audience feels strongly about something related to the text, their feeling will generate their own messages naturally. Similarly, he stated that if a writer feels strongly about a subject, their passion will be pulled out naturally and therefore will be visible through their text. Finally, it was fascinating to be able to hear the writer's voice and notice the link between his own voice and his writing. Admittedly, he agreed that the dialogue in his writing is very stop starty with lots of quick changes of thought mimicking his everyday use of language. Overall, I really enjoyed the experience of getting to perform a new piece of creative writing and I just hope we did the writing justice and made Alistair McDowell proud.

#15 - Ironically 'I once had a dream about Harry Potter'

Last night I had a dream which was very ironic. In the play, Zero For The Young Dudes, I'm currently cast in at the moment, I play a young camp member who has watched people die throughout the war and in the text, it's implied that she has post traumatic stress disorder. I have a 4 page monologue and in one section throughout this mass of words, my character starts talking about a dream she had and tells another camper that it was 'about Harry Potter, but it wasn't like Harry Potter, I wasn't at Hogwarts or anything...' Last night, I had a dream about Harry Potter...well it wasn't about Harry Potter a sit wasn't at Hogwarts and it didn't actually feature Harry Potter. It contained Voldemort disguising himself as my parents and it was very creepy and not very nice. I can't remember much of it but the things that do sticking mind is suffocating a man (who I think was supposed to be my father) by using a pillow and sitting on his head and then his finger fell off...I was then at my house and I could hear two voices of my mum but one was really monotone so I knew one was Voldemort but then I couldn't decipher who. A vehicle then turned up outside my house and I was about to get arrested for Murder. I offered myself up and was about to get arrested when I unexpectedly got let go...Voldemort was the one to let me go? Very strange happenings so I don't know what my subconscious is trying to tell me but I like dreams because your imagination gets to be free. I still haven't read all the Harry Potter books or seen all the films but I'm currently near the end of the third book and I am enjoying it!

#14 - Happy International Happiness Day

*Sings* Don't worry, be happy! My top tips for being happy :) 1. Speak to people who have similar interests to yourself. There's nothing worse than being really excited about something then fangirling to somebody who couldn't care less. 2. Surround yourself with positive people Nobody needs unnecessary negativity in their life. 3. If you're not happy, do something about it. Don't feel trapped. You are in control of your own happiness. 4. Laughing is fun. Spend time with friends who make you laugh. If you don't have any - get some. 5. Get a dog. I mean, I don't have one but if you're lonely, they'll always be there to stroke and play fetch with and listen to your problems. 6. Keep yourself busy. Don't be a couch potato. Have a line up of projects to work on. 7. Don't take rejection personally. 8. Embrace fear. Fear is only a mindset. 9. Love yourself. You are a beautiful, living, breathing human being who deserves to be loved by yourself and others. Be proud. 10. Remember everything in life you have to be grateful for. Put things into perspective. 11. Know that everything is temporary. 12. Go and visit Act One Act Two and share the love of musical theatre. 13. Buy theatre tickets. 14. Buy more theatre tickets. 15. Finally....buy more theatre tickets. Enjoy as much theatre magic as possible. After all they say to spend money on experiences and not things. What better way to gain some magical experiences!

#13 - Top 50 Things To Do Before You're 50

So this is a list of the top 50 things to do before you’re 50, according to the Gazette. I thought I’d have a look through and see what I have and haven’t done… 1. Buy a house - No 2. Have kids - No 3. Get married - No 4. Fall in love - No 5. Eat fish and chips on the pier - I live in Blackpool so I must have really? I’ve definitely eaten fish and chips and I’ve definitely been on the pier. The question is have I done them both at the same time? 6. Donate blood - No 7. Read 100 books - Surely I must have? I’ve read a lot of books I think… 8. See your favourite musician/band live - Yes, I’ve seen McFly and Bowling For Soup Live. I mean I would love to see Aaron Tveit in concert but I did see him in Assassins. I also really want to see Lesli Margherita. 9. Learn a language - I did German for 5 years but can barely remember a word now. 10. Attend a music festival - Yes, I volunteered at Leeds last year! 11. Own a dog - Not to myself but I’d like to one day! 12. Learn to say no to your mother - Erm, yes… 13. Stay out all night partying - Not ALL night. 14. See the Northern Lights - No but I would LOVE to. 15. Visit Stonehenge - No 16. Be able to remember which side of your car the petrol cap is on - I do not own a car (yet). 17. Travel somewhere alone - Yes, I tend to go to lots of places alone. I went to London for a week by myself, Glasgow, Leeds…and I’m going to America soon!!! 18. Sleep underneath the stars - Not without some sort of shelter but I camped out at Leeds festival and I once slept in a forest in a tent a built. 19. Watch a meteor shower - No 20. Dance in the rain - No 21. Become an expert at something - Probably at something… 22. Quit a job - Yes 23. See a volcano - Yes, I climbed one in Lanzarote! 24. Visit all seven continents - No 25. Throw a coin in the Trevi fountain - No 26. Take a helicopter ride - No but I think I have the opportunity to do that in Las Vegas! 27. Have sex on a beach - No and I’ve not had the cocktail either. 28. Swim with dolphins - No but again I would LOVE to. 29. Go skinny dipping - No 30.Ride a gondola in Venice - No, I really want to go to Venice though. 31. Make a snow angel - I’ve tried in the past with the little snow we get. 32. Take part in a protest - I don’t think so. 33. Own your own business - No 34. Go in a hot air balloon - No 35. Ride an elephant - No 36. Climb Snowdonia - No 37. Jump into a pool fully clothed - I think I did in swimming lessons. 38. Backpack across Europe - No 39. Perfect a signature dish - No 40. Drink beer at Oktoberfest - No, I don’t drink beer but I’d really love to go to Germany. 41. Run a marathon - No, I’ve walked/jogged some fun runs… 42. Get a tattoo - No, I would never get one because of the industry in going into because it can be hard to get cast for particular roles. 43. Ride a Vespa - No 44. Watch comedy at Edinburgh Fringe - No but I need to go to Fringe! Hopefully next year! 45. Write a novel - No but I would like to. 46. Write a journal - Yes, lots. I keep a bullet journal and I’m excited to start my first proper travel journal soon! 47. Spend a month technology free - No, I feel like that’s extremely difficult to do nowadays though because near enough everything is reliant on technology. I do need to cut down though. 48. Try drugs - No, and I do not want to. 49. Have a threesome - Definitely not. 50. Go to an airport and pick a random flight- No. that’s sounds like great fun.

#12 - Throwback to when I did a shoot which looked like I was a promotion for Valentine's Day ❤️

#11 - 15 Things I Remember from Primary School

Here is a list of some things I remember from Primary! (literally the first 15 things that came into my head) 1. Having a water fight in the girls toilets in primary school, getting caught and being told to read a book instead of joining in with the IT lesson. 2. The Christmas decorations and the Christmas dinner we used to have at primary school. 3. The joy on everyone's face when we got told it was apparatus day in PE. 4. When performing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat for our Y6 leavers show, the person playing Joseph still had her mic on and she could be heard in the hall shouting 'Where's the scooter?!' (The scooter was the chariot of Gold.) 5. The Valentines disco when I got given a rose with some Terry's All Gold and my 'boyfriend?' got forced to kiss me and was basically pushed onto my lips... 6. One of my teachers was call Mrs (I have no idea how to spell this) Vidrelack and everyone used to call her 'Witchrelack' or something similar...it was long ago. 7. The summer fair used to have a stall where every year group had to bring in something for a stall but each year was assigned a colour. At the fair, you would pay 50p and then pick out a coloured piece of paper. Whatever colour the paper was, you would get to pick a prize form that collection of objects. 8. I once designed and sewed a coat which was supposed to be Joseph's from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat 9. One of my best friends never used to like me. I'm not surprised because I remember stealing her cap in the playground and running around with it so she started crying. 10. The mugger - a football and netball pitch combined in one. 11. The playground - We had a spinning wheel called 'The Supernova' which people would run round and push and also some spinning things which you would run around with and then lift your feet up to perform the 'superman'. 12. On the week of our SATS spending lots of time in the playground eating digestives. 13. Playing 'High 5' which was netball on a Monday Night. 14. Singing 'Moving on Up' at our leavers assembly alongside our very own version of ' 15. My teacher doing a cartwheel in class.

#10 - Throwback to when I did a Mermaid Shoot 🐬

#10 - Glasgow Snapshots A small collection of pictures from my visits to Glasgow :)

#9 - Glasgow!

On Sunday and Monday I spent my time in Glasgow and I had a fab time so wanted to share it! The reasoning behind my trip was a recall for The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Unfortunately, I didn't get any further but I'm very proud of myself for getting as far as I did at a Conservatoire that has recently just been ranked #3 in the world!! At my recall, I was told the statistics which were as follows: Just under 2000 people audition for the course I auditioned for a year. I got recalled to the third stage alongside around 150 people and there was a 7% chance of me getting to where I got to. For my first audition this year and first ever audition at a conservatoire, I think I did pretty well! I mean, of course I'm disappointed that I won't get to say I go to a 'royal' school but I've learnt so much over the time I've been auditioning - one thing being not to take anything personally; I already feel as though I can handle rejection a lot better. There literally is no formula to gaining a place at a drama school. Every school looks for something different and you can get rejected for so many different reasons - sometimes just because that particular schools training might not be the best type of training for you! One thing which did stick in my mind was something said buy a recent graduate, supporting our audition (I'd like to mention that it took her 4 attempts to get into RCS) which was 'You just have to remember that this is the last time you will be sat in a room of people that are all different to you and therefore your uniqueness, your differences are your advantage. When you go up for jobs you'll be sitting next to hundreds of people who look just like you.' I'd never really though of it from that perspective before and it's something to keep in mind. I did however have a fabulous little trip to Glasgow and I feel like I've really got to know the city! This was my fourth time visiting and it seems like such a nice environment to live in. The architecture is beautiful, the shopping is great and in winter it actually snows! I do know my way round the city centre quite well now as well! For some bizarre reason, I've very good at getting to know new places and often know my way round new cities better than I know my way around my home town! Additionally, I got to meet another person who is going to be travelling to the same camp as me in Summer (because he just so happens to study at RCS!). This time, I met Lloyd and he was lovely! I'm getting even more excited about going to camp now that I've met a few people, I'll be working alongside!

#8 - London Baby!

Last week (leading onto this week) I had a really nice time and because I'm very behind on my 'blog a day' challenge, I thought why not dedicate a post to all the fun I had? Beginning with... Tuesday Today, I headed off to London. Upon arriving there, I met one of my closest friends Loz Croz (Lauren Crozier) whom I found out was to be there just the day before which was very exciting. Once we had met up, we took a trip to The Samuel French Theatrical Bookshop because we knew it's closing in April and both hadn't been yet. It's a cute little shop and it's sad that all of its business will be moving online. I then took Lauren go Madame Tussaud's using my magic pass and I can now say I'm completed all of the Merlin attractions in London! Waxworks are very weird things (especially the Morgan Freeman and Helen Mirren one who looked very lifelike). After taking some selfies with Leonardo, Shrek and Einstein, visiting 221B Baker Street in the Sherlock Holmes Experience and visiting the Marvel 4D experience, where else were we to go but The Theatre Cafe? That night I went to see Half a Sixpence which I would highly recommend purely because I think everyone should worship Charlie Stemp and his talent (you can read my review a little further down or on www.actoneacttwo.com) After the show, I met Charlie who was lovely and so humble. Upon congratulations him on his Olivier award (which he 100% deserves to win), he replied with 'Yeah, it's good isn't it! I've never really won anything before.' Later that night I was reunited with fellow theatre fanatic Jade (who I actually met in London at The Theatre Cafe quiz which is cute) to which we then stayed in the same hostel overnight (longest.night.of.my.life) Wednesday Today I was up nice and early for breakfast and was soon sat outside The Savoy Theatre waiting for days eat tickets to Dreamgirls with Jade (I'd like to point out that this was her 9th visit to the show). We got stall tickets, row L for £20 so it was all worth the wait! (Day seat tix,eyes are available from 10am from the box office) Back to the theatre cafe it was! I then got to meet Jon - a fellow travel enthusiast who shall be joining me at Camp Pinewood in Summer. It was nice to spend the day with him and get to know him a little before we both head to camp together. I may have also taken his West End Virginity but dragging him along to Dreamgirls but he seemed to enjoy it and Jade and I certainly did. Beforehand, we also are some very expensive cake from a cute shop in London named Cutter and Squidge (because when you cut a cake it's all squidgy - Jade's words not mine). Next stop calling our names was Nando's. We just had enough time to eat before Jade and I headed off for our second show of the day and I said my goodbyes to Jon. The Wild Party certainly was wild! (I'll more than likely be posting a review soon, alongside Dreamgirls hence why I've not given much away) We did get to meet John Owen Jones and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt which was fun. Thursday The reason I actually went to London was for my Visa appointment today! I went to my appointment which was all very official and sorted out my visa. I then had to get an early train (the earliest I've ever left London :( home and had to go straight to a dress rehearsal for a play I'm in name Zero for the Young Dudes!

#7 - Half a Sixpence Review

Genre: Musical Comedy, Revival, Musical adaption of H.G Well's semi autobiographical novel 'Kipps' Theatre: Noel Coward Theatre Book: Julian Fellowes Music & Lyrics: George Stiles and Anthony Drewe Flash, bang, wallop, what a show, what a show, what a musical! Half a Sixpence is a theatrical night out which I guarantee will have you clapping your hands and stamping your feet and if not certainly leaving the theatre humming some simple (but very catchy) tunes! 'Half a Sixpence' tells the story of Arthur Kipps, a working class draper's assistant and the challenges he faces when being told he's soon to inherit a small fortune. Will he be hauled into the life of a ‘proper gentleman’ by Miss Helen Walsingham or choose to settle down with his childhood sweetheart Ann? Having known zilch about the musical previously, yet only hearing good reviews, last week I decided to venture down to the Noel Coward Theatre to watch Half a Sixpence for an unbeatable Todaytix price of £15.50! Although I was situated on the royal circle, I had a perfect view of all the action on stage. I could see all of the actors faces clearly so what else could I ask for at that price really? Apart from good actors, singers, dancers and storytellers... The story wasn't the most creative and if it wasn't for all the fabulous action occurring onstage, I don't think it would have been anywhere near as engaging. Direct with no secret underlying message, it was comical, lighthearted, easy to understand and passed on some simple messages such as believing in yourself and not letting anybody change who you are. Featuring recently Olivier award nominated Actor Charlie Stemp, alongside a powerful uniform company, this musical certainly delivered, and was the perfect feel good family musical for all ages! With an easy to follow plot line, a number of memorable songs, well performed choreography and most importantly a selection of very talented performers, Half a Sixpence brought much joy to the theatre! Performing Andrew Wrights complex choreography with both attack and elegance, all whilst maintaining such high stamina, Charlie and his animated facial expressions had me fixated from the very beginning. From the moment he stepped onstage, he successfully portrayed overworked orphan Kipps through an incredibly energetic and admirable performance, which at times did remind me of young Christopher Boon from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (who I think Charlie would play very well). This was enhanced by Charlie's naturally occurring boyish charm, cheeky persona and contagious grin. Without a doubt, he did Wright's choreography justice, however his immaculate box splits did leave me yearning to see even more intricate choreography to showcase Charlie's ability further. I hadn't heard the soundtrack prior to visiting (I know shocker right?) and therefore had no idea what to expect. I must admit, I didn't have very high expectations and was predicting to hear the traditional legit sound every musical from this era is known for having. I was, however, pleasantly surprised when I heard Stiles and Drewe's reworking of the original score. Having been peppered with exuberant new melodies, compelling harmonies and a whole song dedicated to play on words, the new songs, particularly ‘'Pick Out A Simple Tune' (a banjo strumming, toe tapping, finger snapping number in which Kipps galvanises a group of Toff’s to partake in spontaneous singing, dancing and eventually chandelier swinging) compete well with David Heneker's originals such as 'Proper Gentleman', 'If The Rains Got To Fall' and 'Flash Bang Wollop' which still feature in the musical predominantly as the magnificently exhilarating show stopping numbers. With regards to the set, it wasn’t anything otherworldly, however it was effective for the production itself. Using not one, but 4 revolving turntables, furniture was easily brought on and off stage creating slick, visually pleasing scene changes. Last but not least, I must direct some attention to the finale of all finales. With an orchestra of singing and dancing banjo players, the ending section of the show was a pure abundance of energy, through reprise central, which seemed to last forevee but in a good way of course! To put it simply, this musical was a joy to watch and the more I think about it, the more I realise I would actually really like to go and see this show again!

#6 - Act 1 Act 2

As some of you are probably aware (because I keep chirping on about it) I’m involved with a fairly new website named Act One Act Two (A1A2) so I thought it would be nice to dedicate a blog post to it!

Act One Act Two is a website founded by 16 year old founder William Clarke which all began with one very clear vision. Will wanted to set up his own website dedicated to all things musical theatre and by reaching out to others with similar interests, he is now backed by a talented creative team of 6 (aged between from 15 - 25) who have helped turn this vision into a reality.

Currently we’re working together contacting each other via social media, however we do have plans to meet for a stagey day, get to know each other even more and and talk more business!

Initially the site was named ‘West End Wave’ however Will decided it best for us to change our name into something that doesn’t limit us in anyway. (*sings* Unlimited, together we’re unlimited! I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.) West End Wave restricted us to material solely to do with the West End, as apposed to also Broadway and international shows and so that’s how Act One Act Two came about.

The site is still in the developing stages however when everything is complete, will include information on every musical currently showing on the West End, Broadway and also about touring shows. The information found will include; current/previous cast lists, song lists with lyrics, plot synopsis’, and reviews. We also have a blog which will include a variety of different theatre related articles which will be written by our team members.

This week as been a very exciting and productive week for A1A2 as we have all been assigned with business email addresses (mine being [email protected] if you would like to contact me to do with the site) and we have been in contact with a few stagey names to arrange some interviews! I am head of the Twitter account (@ActOneActTwo) and will be posting update in there but in the meantime, give us a follow, drop us a tweet and have a look at the current website and be excited about its progression because I certainly am. Act One Act Two has an exciting future ahead of itself and I’m already proud to say I’m a part of such a lovely supportive and hardworking group of individuals!

So I'm actually 8 days behind with my "blog post a day"...spam is on its way!