Royal Mail

2007-12-24T10:19:00.000Z

Received a letter from the Royal Court this morning, after having sent the script off only last month. Praising the script as "irreverent and charming", it also highlights the unoriginality of the setting, which is a fair criticism - especially coming from a theatre renowned for seeking to break theatrical barriers.

By Royal Disappointment

With letters like this expected to be the norm until that box of A4 jiffy bags is empty, it will be nevertheless important to stay positive enough to keep sending scripts out. I'm not expecting anything to happen (and am proud of what we did achieve), but it at least seems sensible to try.

But things have moved on since H&M's Summer run, and even I have been busy being evocative in another show during the last three months - which has sated my theatrical appetite somewhat.

This blog is almost a year old and the sunny, funny evenings of July have now given way to frosty pavements and mulled wine. But as my energy towards H&M settles, so too is an impetus to write burgeoning again. One should take heart from letters such as this from the Royal Court - even though they reveal that H&M is not the greatest play ever written.

That'll be my next one...

;-)

Theatre Theatre

2007-11-20T14:50:00.000Z

Got emails today from Soho Theatre and the Royal Court, both acknowledging receipt of the H&M scripts I sent them last week. Any feedback will, understandably, take three to four months. And, being realistic, there's only a minute chance of anything happening, but the acknowledgements are appreciated.

I've never been to the Royal Court but I used to work in the next street to Soho Theatre, so as well as seeing a couple of things there, I walked past it loads of times. Wonder if I'll get to walk in next time too?

French Letter

2007-11-13T09:35:00.000Z

It's been a while (so long that since the last post, in that time, TLPA has even given up smoking!), and thoughts have largely moved away from H&M. The Crescent's new season is in full swing and I'm in rehearsals for the ever-popular Wassail.

In addition, I'm also researching a play I hope to propose as part of the theatre's 2008/2009 season. That sounds a long way off(!) but these decisions start being made in January, just two months away.

Despite all that, a couple of things have happened recently to prompt me into accessing my PC's H&M folder again.

The first is that Samuel French replied after having written a while back to say they would be assessing the play. Predictably, they declined to take the play on - citing its sexual frankness as having limited appeal for Amateur companies - but complimented it as an amusing and well-written piece.

Secondly, the Crescent released its Annual Report last week, and it shows H&M in top position in terms of Studio Box Office performance. A nice little pat on the back and evidence of the wide commercial appeal that I maintain the show has...

So, with a box still half-full of A4 jiffy bags, the printer is back on overtime and some freshly-inked copies (with the barley joke put back in at TLPA's behest) will be going elsewhere. I have vowed to not give up on finding if there is life in this play until all those padded envelopes have gone!

From CD to Stage

2007-09-24T18:51:00.000+01:00

One of the most successful elements of our debut production of H&M was the music which was provided by Bellowhead and haunted the various scenes throughout the play. Last night, KateD and I had the chance to catch them live in Wolverhampton during their current tour.

Hopkinson's Favourite for Real

The gig was great - their unusual rampant, eclectic sound running riot through our ears - and afterwards I got to say "Thanks" to the band's manager with whom I'd been in contact during H&M when he expressed his support and even got us featured us on the band's Home Page.

With most of their "Burlesque" album being featured, there were many occasions when a melody or refrain provoked a memory and a smile from the show which used extracts from almost all of its tracks. But the highlight of the night came from the fact that the songs chosen to finish the main set and then at the very end of the show - "Fire Marengo" and "Frog's Legs & Dragon's Teeth" - were the same two songs I had chosen to end Act One and Act Two of H&M.

A big, familiar finish - and a great sense of affirmation...

LTG Away Day

2007-09-17T09:39:00.000+01:00

After all of last week's planning, on Saturday Team H&M made their way down the M1 to Welwyn Garden City and the Little Theatre Guild's inaugural New Writing Seminar. Keen to support everything being shown during the day, I made an early start and, together with KateD, hit the road shortly after 7am.

The Barn Theatre Auditorium

The sun shone on Welwyn's stab at Utopia, and the incongruity of a theatre in a suburban housing estate was matched only by its prettiness. A warm welcome awaited, along with tea and biscuits, and it wasn't soon until the first play began. Called "Dumbing Down" (with a proven pedigree and actually from 2005, so not exactly "new") the play about the state of state education set an unnervingly high benchmark for the day with its immaculate presentation and trio of great performances.

This was followed by "Arrivals", the first of four rehearsed readings - and its inappropriate use of the word "orifices". Honestly, no-one goes to the theatre to hear that shouted at them. Jesus...

As lunchtime approached, our tummies started rumbling and the others called to say they were nearly with us. So, our attention was taken away from the stage and put towards getting things ready for our performance.

When lunchtime duly arrived, so too did the first members of Team H&M. We were treated to a lively and entertaining address from playwright Steve Thompson, but not even this could stop the urge for our cast to head for a nearby KFC.

With everyone now back at the theatre, thoughts turned to our own performance and so we got to see very little of the other rehearsed readings. I did catch all of the 2005 play "The Regina Monologues" though, which had a very nice set but was only about as good as you'd expect half-a-dozen instances of self-pitying exposition to be.

Our Day in the Sun

Away from the darkness of the auditorium, Team H&M were enjoying the sun and being with one another as they ran their lines. In truth, this was the highlight of the day - the chance to be together, to be in a nice place and feel that sense of excitement again. Soon, costumes were donned, props readied and a final practise was taking place backstage.

In The Back of The Barn

At 5.40pm we were up, 70 minutes behind schedule.

With my diligently-prepared cue sheet shunned by The Barn Theatre's SM, I was operating the sound, which I hadn't expected. So, Team H&M Associate Member Paul kindly volunteered to do our pre-amble which I had written into the actual performance for myself to do. However, when I was told that I couldn't have house lights as I'd instructed, he remained in total darkness and despite his best efforts, our entrance wasn't quite as grand as I'd imagined.

But then our Groom ran on - and Hearts & Minds was back!

The team did a great job. We were all impressed with Tom especially, who had joined us and achieved so much in such a short space of time. I think we got more laughs than the rest of the day combined and I smiled throughout as I watched from the wings and enjoyed being in the company of these great people again - cast and characters alike.

One wobble occurred when the on-stage CD player broke. Of course, this was always the intention, but it actually broke forty seconds before it had been scripted to. Nevertheless, Team H&M covered and continued brilliantly. Bravo!

The day was, in theory, a good chance to showcase H&M and The Crescent, but it's hard to know what was achieved - or who the audience was. Being last on should have been a great climax to a day of support and unity, but with things running over an hour late, the crowd had dwindled. Worse, I don't think anyone involved in any of the other shows had stayed behind to support my script - even though I'd been there all day. Indeed, it was so sparse that no-one caught the bouquet - all of this was quite a change from our 100% sell-out record.

We were treated to a free drink and a bit of cheese afterwards, but there were only a few people left in the bar. That said, everyone was keen to know exactly why Dan had called the wedding off, so we certainly engaged those who had seen our 30 minute extract.

There was a lot of fun and camaraderie - this was what we achieved. But as an aspiring writer, I got little out of the day, other than a few snippets from Steve Thompson's lively speech (everybody at the Barn seemed to be called Thompson). I couldn't watch a lot of the other things because I was busy preparing ours, and of those I did get to see, what possible conclusions could be drawn - apart from not to ever use the word "orifices"...?

Ultimately, was there anyone in attendance who could take H&M on further or be interested in putting it on?

So, as we gathered behind the theatre to ceremonially let our balloons fly up and disappear into the sky, I wondered if this was the last we'll see of H&M too?

No Looking Back

2007-09-14T16:11:00.000+01:00

I'd almost forgotten what it was like - to have so many things to pick up, and be constantly worried about Traffic Wardens as the car's left precariously (and illegally) during a mad dash into the theatre or Confetti.

Alright in the Back?

But we're virtually all done now, and with the car all but loaded, one side-effect of wanting to put on a good show is that the rear-view mirror is going to be useless for our trip to Welwyn Garden City tomorrow. I should have thought of that(!)

Or maybe I can let the balloons out of the sun-roof as we do a smooth 70 down the M1...?

LTG Seminar Rehearsal 2

2007-09-13T23:25:00.000+01:00

We finished preparations for our imminent jaunt to Welwyn Garden City tonight, and despite being a bit short on numbers, things went well in the Committee Room. I introduced a new element to what we'll be doing which will showcase a different aspect of the script and a lovely bit of of Louis' performance as Chris.

The H&M Committee

We had cake, strawberries and TEBSLPA (The Erstwhile But Still Lovely ~~Production Assistant~~ Producer) even popped in to say "Hello".

This and Tuesday's rehearsal have been as much about logistics as they have about refreshing everyone's memories and allowing Tom to acclimatise. Despite only doing a couple of scenes, there's been lots to gather, and plenty more to do tomorrow. We've also had to sort out lifts and who is bringing what - and, more importantly, who.

I'm a little worried about space in my car. With KateD, costumes, props, and the elements of scenery that Confetti are so kindly providing, it will be a squeeze. But despite not really knowing what to expect, I'm sure this and the work will be worth it.

We could have gone into this half-heartedly, but that's not Team H&M's style. The cast are going to be great, we're going to have fun and provide a fitting end to what I hope will be a good day...

LTG Seminar Rehearsal 1

2007-09-12T11:54:00.000+01:00

So tonight, after buying the wrong batteries, I headed back to The Crescent Theatre and once more found myself preparing things in the Rehearsal Room ahead of Team H&M's imminent reunion.

I've popped in a couple of times since FourPlay ended, and - quite rightly - things have moved on in anticipation of the theatre's new season (its 75th) which starts next Saturday. Our posters and flyers have gone and my key fob doesn't work anymore.

But for some of us, H&M isn't over quite yet...

Tom Takes Centre Stage

The cast gradually reconvened and were introduced to our new addition. It was great to see everybody.

[In a wonderful example of serendipity, Tom later recounted how he had accidentally met Caroline (Lucy) earlier in the day. Sat nearby on a bus, he overheard her telling a friend about being in a play in Welwyn Garden City on Saturday - which caused him to wave his script at her and prompted Caroline to become a little confused(!) He was obviously destined to come in and help us out...]

We soon kicked things off and there was an air of bravado as we ran through a couple of scenes again. All nervousness had gone - having a sell-out show will do that - and I was impressed by how well everybody had remembered their lines.

After a couple of runs, attention turned to costumes and logistics. The theatre's own selection of wedding dresses eventually revealed a suitable outfit (thank goodness!) and we designated our drivers for Saturday.

It became apparent that a few subtle things in the script won't work because of the edited-down nature that the New Writing Seminar demands, but I'm sure there's enough to demonstrate the theatre's and the script's capabilities.

It was nice - but over far too quickly. It's an unexpected reprise for a great two weeks and I hope to make the most of being back with everyone again over the next few days.

Back in Pink & Black

2007-09-10T21:01:00.000+01:00

Tonight, KateD and I went to the Crescent ahead of tomorrow's first get-together before the impending LTG New Writing Showcase this coming Saturday. With loads of help from Chairman Andrew, we soon readied as many of the costumes as we could.

Dresses to Impress

It's odd thinking of getting back together again, although circumstances mean that two people from the original team will be missing for our jaunt on Saturday. That's a little bit of a shame, but the positive side of that is we'll be welcoming the esteemed Tom Moody on board HMS H&M.

[Eagle-eyed readers of this blog will have seen him already here, with Tom having joined myself and Zena to throw sardines around last year.]

Even though we'll only be doing two scenes in our allotted half-and-hour, staging this is already starting to feel like a production in itself, albeit a small one. There are props and sound effects to sort, and the remaining costumes - significantly we won't have Ivory Tower's wonderful Bride's and Bridesmaid's dresses this time around. In addition, we'll be learning to do things in new ways as the set-up at The Barn Theatre will be completely different.

Those who know me will attest that although H&M finished nearly two months ago, I have continued to bore them with memories about the wonderful people who made it and who are never far from my thoughts.

It will be good to see them again.

Blogging the Drum

2007-09-04T12:08:00.000+01:00

Went to The Drum Theatre last night where Script, the West Midlands agency for dramatic writers, were conducting a seminar about how they can help people with their creative writing.

Sadly, The Very Big Telly Wouldn't Fit in my Bag

Predominantly, the evening covered screen, and to that end we watched three short, very well-produced films - including the award-winning "Cathy and I" - which had been written and developed with Script's help. Their writers were in attendance and after we'd watched their work, each talked us through the process they'd gone through to bring their ideas to the very big telly that sat amongst a collection of iMacs.

More beneficial for me though was meeting Script supremo Peggy Paterson. We had a quick chat about what next for H&M and she was very pleased to hear of Samuel French's interest, confirming that they usually don't look at scripts which have only been produced by amateur companies.

Having been brought to the stage, H&M is past the point where Script can help, but this may be the route to go through next time.

Speaking French

2007-08-30T12:39:00.000+01:00

Received a nice letter today from the esteemed theatrical publisher Samuel French acknowledging receipt of the copy of H&M I sent them last week.

Letters Pray

The letter says that consideration is not usually given to plays which haven't been produced professionally but as an exception, they will assess H&M and report back soon.

That's great news, and whilst not necessarily expecting them to take it on, it is also a delight to receive such a pleasant note.

(Self) Publishing Deal

2007-08-23T23:22:00.000+01:00

Thanks to the wonders of Web 2.0, you can now purchase a copy of Hearts & Minds here.

By "you", I obviously mean my Mum.

Whilst not the ISBN-bearing motherlode, it was free to do and it's fun to think that a copy of H&M is only a few clicks away from anyone's grasp.

In the real world, I emailed Sir Alan Ayckbourn's agent today. This was plainly a ridiculous thing to do - but that's the great thing about Lulu. Now, the process of having a tangible, professionally-produced book in your hands is no longer reliant on anyone else.

This will do for now.

More Confetti

2007-08-23T10:09:00.000+01:00

I'm delighted to report that after having done so much for our initial production, Confetti are back on board and will be helping us with our presentation at the LTG New Writing Seminar.

Our friend Juliette's kindness and enthusiasm continue to delight and humble me, and I'm sure that her help will enable us to make H&M give a good account of itself.

The Fat Lady Sings Again!

2007-08-21T23:03:00.000+01:00

Back in April I blogged about what I then considered the final script. Since then, we got a cast together, rehearsed and performed the show. This has allowed me to revisit the script and make a few changes, both in terms of adding things which emerged through rehearsal and with regards to getting rid of some jokes which four full houses revealed weren't actually as funny as the voices in my head would have had me believe.

Two notable casualties are the lines "I'm going to kick that indie witch in the tits" (sorry, Georgie) and a rather brilliant joke which I will at least preserve here...

CHRIS: Wheat intolerance? I dunno about that, but I've got no time whatsoever for barley!

Boom-tish! Ahem.

I will soon start to tout this final final script around to literary agents and potential publishers, and my newly-acquired copy of the Writer's Handbook 2008 will help with that. This isn't an egotistical attempt at world domination, but with such a commercial and popular success, it would seem sensible to send a few copies off.

In addition, I'm also going to publish it myself and make it available here soon - which should at least prove useful for my own Christmas shopping...

Jack Squat

2007-08-20T16:42:00.000+01:00

So far, the call has gone unheeded, and we're still looking for someone to play Jack at the forthcoming LTG New Writing Seminar.

So, if you're reading this and fancy joining us, please let me know!

Barn Bound

2007-08-16T12:07:00.000+01:00

I have just received a copy of the information pack that is being sent out to the 100-or-so delegates attending the forthcoming Little Theatre Guild New Writing Seminar where Team H&M will be at the Barn Theatre to perform an extract from the play.

The Barn Theatre, Welwyn Garden City

We're in some very esteemed company with, amongst others, groups from Questors and the Richmond Shakespeare Society - whose "All-Seeing Eye" was judged as the best entry in the Roy Purdue Playwriting Festival in March - also in attendance. In all, nine pieces will be performed or read, and we're the last in a day that starts at 9.30am.

Whilst almost everyone is back on board - for which I am hugely thankful - sadly, Team H&M is down two members, with TLPA and Roger unable to make the day. This means we need a new Jack to come on board, and the call has gone out to Crescent members via the theatre's monthly newsletter which is hitting letterboxes today.

So, I'm hopeful someone will respond soon and join us for an event which offers the chance to promote the theatre on a national level.

My thoughts are also turning to how we're actually going to stage our excerpt. Whilst we won't be able to enjoy the same production values as the original run - especially in terms of costumes - I still hope to add a subtle sense of occasion.

Even though it's only a little one - this is still a wedding after all(!)

More FourPlay

2007-08-14T10:24:00.000+01:00

The Crescent has just announced that FourPlay - of which H&M was a part - has been deemed a success and that it will be repeated next year - offering four new Directors the chance to stage a play for the first time.

However, a couple of entry criteria state...

• Plays should be short or a one act
• Maximum of 8 cast

...both of which mean that H&M wouldn't be eligible(!)

There is list of other limitations, which is of course understandable, but part of what FourPlay should offer is the chance to use new ideas to break the theatre's established conventions - not abide by them.

Post-Production Meeting

2007-08-02T22:36:00.000+01:00

It's been a while. How are you?

Tonight, those involved in bringing it together attended the post-production meeting for not just H&M but FourPlay overall. A lot of unrelated stuff has happened since the show's last night, but bringing it back into focus made me a little emotional.

The purpose of the meeting was to find out what went right and what went wrong. As this blog testifies, there is very little that went wrong for us and we (as you will no doubt know by now) sold out all four nights and gave lots of people a lot of fun.

Despite that, however, I was shocked to hear that, combined, the four plays failed to reach their sales target - albeit by just a couple of hundred pounds.

Having directed for the first time, the idea of getting feedback from audience members and the Crescent's more-experienced directors was mooted, but my learning was through doing, not detached analysis. To this end, we were asked about a next time - whether we would direct again. My answer was non-committal as, in truth, it is the writing that appeals more than the directing.

It seems there will be more FourPlay next year so I'm glad we set a worthwhile precedent and I hope there will be plenty of people who will see what we achieved and be inspired to have a go and continue the buzz.

Finally, I was pleased to be assured about the Crescent's support of our invite to the LTG Showcase in September, so that should be good and reinforces the notion that things aren't quite over yet.

However, not all of Team H&M will be able to make it, and the chance to say the immortal words "raving" and "quinner" awaits some lucky person...

Top of the Bill

2007-07-19T17:30:00.000+01:00

I am delighted to report that we have today been offered top billing at the Little Theatre Guild's New Play Seminar in Welwyn Garden City on 15th September.

A group of 100 independent theatres from across the country, the LTG aims to share knowledge and promote what's best about them.

I love the idea of other theatres taking H&M on and staging their own virtual weddings. It was great to see so many audience members dressing up, and the sense of occasion our supporters helped create seemed to generate a buzz that other groups could easily enjoy.

Rather than the whole play, we have been invited to perform an extract of about half-an-hour which will give those gathered from around the country a taste of the play and what The Crescent is capable of producing. Ideally, I'd like to showcase the pivotal scene where Dan says "I don't!" as it not only forms the crux of the play but also involves the entire cast.

I'm not sure what kind of space we'll have available, so goodness knows what we'll do about costumes, props and pyros(!) - but for now I'm more worried about reassembling Team H&M. I appreciate some will have moved on to other projects but hopefully we can all come back together for what should be a fun day out and further chance to gain some recognition.

So just as things had started to settle down, the H&M charabanc is due to get back on the road again soon...

Giving It Back

2007-07-18T15:05:00.000+01:00

Thanks to the goodwill of the audiences at H&M who joined in with the show's sweepstake, we have today been able to make a donation to the Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund.

This charity was chosen due to the very obvious link between their work and one of the play's more sombre storylines, and I'm glad that so many contributed and enabled us to make this small gesture.

Glad To Know You

2007-07-16T20:35:00.000+01:00

Hi, folks! This would have been my last night speech...

Well,hasn't this been fun? And didn't we do well? And all thanks to Matt for writing the very entertaining and popular H&M.

What a pity we only had a short run. But, what a run! Four nights in which we sold every seat and, in so doing, made a lot of people very happy! As Mister Punch is famous for saying, "That's the way to do it!" And, once the word had got around, who knows how many more nights we could have sold out. But, who's complaining? No one should, really! 100%! That is - One Hundred Per Cent!!! You really can't do better than that! Let's hope a lot more people now know about the Crescent.

So, well done Matt! Well done, TLPA! TLPA, who having done far more than any other PA in the world would be expected to do before and during the show, was still hard at it immediately after the show! Three cheers for TLPA! Let's hear it!

Hip! Hip! Hoo-ray! Hip! Hip! Hoo-ray! Hip! Hip! Hoo-ray!

This venture, for me, has been an exciting one from start to finish. From the first read-through, when the excitement in the room was already abnormally high, through to the last night when we did, what I think was, our best performance. In between all of that was the evening when, casually strolling up to the theatre for rehearsals for some other project that I was engaged upon, I was suddenly accosted by two very excited people. These two, of course, turned out to be none other than TLPA and Matt, who very urgently asked me to be in their play.

Naturally, I said, "Okay" - to which Matt replied, "What does that mean?" Looking at him I thought to myself, "I shouldn't really say I want to be in a play that's written by a man who doesn't understand plain English."

Since when, eagerly logging onto the marvellous blog every day, he has had me reaching for words that are only orbiting around the periphery of my very limited vocabulary. "Imbroglio" - I thought that that was a creamed rice pudding!

So, now it's all ended. H&M has been put to the test, passed triumphantly, victoriously and the script is now destined to reside on a shelf somewhere, gathering dust, until someone, somewhere decides to do something more with it. What a pity!

Matt told me last night (Thursday) that Edinburgh is not an option - prompting the thought, "Oh, no! I would have been well up for that!"

I hope my fellow cast members have had as good a time as I (Is that right, Les?). It has been a great pleasure meeting you and getting to know you all. Thanks to everyone, in front of, and back of the scenes, for being there. Didn't we have a lot of fun? Didn't we do well?

That's the way to do it!

Ivor

x x x x

Heartbreak

2007-07-15T14:14:00.000+01:00

Friday night's performance was virtually faultless. But as well as representing the peak of the cast and crew's hard work, the show also brought our little H&M adventure to an end.

Good Friends - Good Times

Whilst TLPA and I were running around beforehand as usual, magician Max Butler was entertaining the capacity audience in the theatre bar. The rounds of applause and gasps of amazement could be heard throughout the theatre so we're grateful to Max for giving up his time and helping make the last night special.

The performance got off to a scary start for those of us in the know. In a case of life imitating art, the fresh bouquet hadn't arrived by the time the show opened. Previously, TLPA and I had picked up the fresh flowers from Lili Floral Art each day, but with Alison and David in tonight's audience, they offered to bring them along for us. However, as Bellowhead kicked in for the show's opening sequence, our guests had yet to arrive.

The scene progressed swiftly and TLPA reassured me that the alternative arrangements would be fine - but then as Becky (Caroline) was about to make her entrance, we spotted Alison take her seat. Thankfully, Becky proceeded to come on with her bouquet - just as intended (indeed, this was an extra-special arrangement, with the greens of previous nights replaced by black and thus complementing the colour scheme totally). Team H&M Associate Member Andrew deserves our thanks for running through the theatre and getting the flowers to our Bride - with literally three seconds to spare...

As the show progressed, it began to dawn upon me that these would be the last times I would see these scenes and hear these words. TLPA watched in respectful silence for the most part and I allowed myself many moments of private pride throughout - not for me, but for the wonderful cast and the characters they had given birth to so magnificently.

Another big finish, another evening of emotion, excitement and entertainment - and then we were done. Well, not quite...

Becky & Ben Re-Enact the H&M Artwork

There was plenty of furniture to move ahead of Apollo and Lunch coming back on the Saturday to book-end the FourPlay season, and the petals and tiny pieces of glitter we had sprinkled the floor with proved very stubborn in refusing to be picked up(!)

We then headed to the bar for some food which the cast had generously laid on, some very kind words and gifts for TLPA and I, and then a bit of a dance. Thankfully the stereo didn't explode...

Under the Table

Everything was said on Friday night (or rather, Saturday morning) and it's a funny feeling now - a sad but good one. The oldest file in my PC's H&M folder is dated 20/11/2005. Over 18 months later, "I" turned into "we", and we have come from nothing to write lines, re-write lines, learn lines, sort costumes, approach potential supporters, stick up lights, sell tickets (the list goes on)...

...to deliver a sell-out run that has in turn brought forth laughs, tears, spontaneous applause, and a whole lot of fun.

Off-stage, new friendships have emerged, and even a little bit of romance for several Team H&M members(!) We never really had a crisis, and a superb team spirit meant that any problems which did arise were dealt with quickly and in good humour - smiles were never far away.

It's the nature of theatre that creativity becomes a collaboration, and I have been so fortunate to have had the very best people to help bring all aspects of my creativity to life. Everyone involved knows they've been part of something special.

--

So what next? Is this really the end?

That's going to be up to other people. It will seem sensible to revisit the script, iron out a few (very) minor problems which have only come to light with the play being performed, and then see if there is any interest from publishers or literary agents. I'd have been less inclined to have done this, and accepted the run at The Crescent as being the end of it all, but the popular reaction has proved it's a cracking night out. And the commercial success (did I mention we sold out the entire run?) should hopefully attract an iota of interest.

There's Edinburgh too. Maybe...

I'm not sure if I'll direct anything else. I'm a virtual outsider - I only know about a dozen plays, have never been taught anything about directing and am admittedly ignorant about what constitutes real theatre. Nothing was particularly ambitious - I just got through H&M by having a vision and caring.

--

I need to sum up now - but it's impossible to reduce everything into a trite sentence-or-two. If you're reading this, you'll have been part of the journey. I thank you and hope to see you again soon.

Please, be proud - very proud - and keep your memories of Hearts & Minds safe...

The Fat Lady Has Sung.....

2007-07-14T19:57:00.001+01:00

I must admit the last time i had this much fun was when me and Harrison Ford infiltrated the temple of doom, boy did we have some laughs!

On a serious note (for once!) i had a good time and really enjoyed working with you all and i will miss the good times!

Louis

P.S Can i get a Zinger burger please?

It's Over For Now...

2007-07-14T19:02:00.000+01:00

They say you never forget your first time,

Lots of ups and downs, , hard at times, a totally new experience, feels like its over before its even begun, and definitely leaves you wanting more.

What a ride!!!

Thank you all

Caroline/Lucy/Head bridesmaid

I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself!!!

2007-07-14T16:03:00.000+01:00

My God!!!!!!!!

You don't realise how much a production takes over your life. I have only been awake for three hours and already I'm bored!!!!

This is the thing I hate about drama and acting, the show has to come to end, and I always feel so depressed when it does. However, we had a good run and we all did ourselves proud!!!

Well done again to Matt for giving birth to such a brilliant play. I was so happy to be involved with it, and I thought that the rest of the cast were phenomenal!!!

I just hope that this isn't the last of Hearts and Minds.

I am just so glad that H & M was my first Crescent Adult Theatre Production and I thoroughly enjoyed acting with such brilliant people.

Please keep in touch, my email address is: jack_ramplin89@hotmail.co.uk

Well done again to everyone and good luck with any future productions that you are in. You never know, I may see you behind the bar!!!

Lots of Love

Jack

xoxoxox