day of loren

Today I’m at Loren’s flat working on Sexing The Cherry and also helping her design her own website, which may bear a striking resemblance to mine…hmmm. Watch this space…

winding back up

After a lovely and quite restful (in between carrying on with the kitchen re-fit) Christmas, now it’s time to start getting stuck back into work. Winding back up again. Casting Gotcha and meeting with the creatives for that are the biggest priority at the moment, though am also off to ENO this afternoon to meet with my composer for the porn opera.

Then January is very busy in a sporadic way with lots of little things; some workshops at the Young Vic, a training workshop with the RSC a few rehearsed readings (Hampstead and Young Vic) and then a day back in Stratford where I did my year out (with Year Out Drama Company), talking to the current students. Strange to think that was nearly 10 years ago…

winding down

Winding down for Christmas – just one meeting today – off to the Southbank to have a design meeting for Gotcha – all very strange for me not working with Will and therefore having to have official and scheduled meetings to talk about design. Good for me though, it’s so easy to not articulate aesthetic thoughts when you’re married to your designer.

Then an afternoon of more Sexing The Cherry re-writes. We have a rehearsed reading of it at the Young Vic in Jan so want to get it as close to performance standard before Christmas so give the cast some time with it over the break.

young people

Back from the snowy wilds of Wiltshire just in time to run another puppetry workshop at the Young Vic. Lots of fun with feathers and googly eyes and a very excited and excitable group of young people. Then a meeting about directing a production of The Tempest next autumn along with two other young directors simultaneously directing two other late Shakespeare plays with the same company of actors to be performed in rep with eachother. An interesting idea…hope it takes off.

going home

The snow is falling thick and fast. Went into town this morning for a quick meeting with the Supermodel’s agent to try and work out a time to have a reading of the play at Hampstead in Jan. Hope we can work it all out before everyone leaves for Christmas.

And yesterday was the last day of wonderful wonderful Points of Light R+D. So rich, so inspiring, so much material from three days. Hooray! And the staff at the Hangar are so lovely and so supportive. Which is just as well as we’ll be spending a lot of time there next year trainng Loren up.

Now to jump on a train back to the West Country for a pre-Christmas Christmas with my family (as I’m spending actual Christmas in London with Will who has a get-in for Theatre Deli’s A Doll’s House starting on Boxing day!!!) Hope the trains will be alright with all this snow…

the wonder that is loren o’dair

Loren O’Dair is a creature of air.

She floats and she flies with grace and with flair.

She spins and she twirls with nary a care.

Yes Loren O’Dair is a creature of air.

So today was – as my little poem attests – a great success – launching Loren skyward (via the means of aerial equipment). How thrilling to dive into a totally new discipline with such wonderful artists, and such openness. If only all rehearsal processes were this free and this inspiring. Hooray is all I can really say.

pol r+d

Today I plunged into the unknown and terrifying new genre of dance theatre/circus theatre for Points of Light (well the circus part starts in earnest tomorrow when we get into The Hangar – today we were just doing floor work in Jacksons Lane). Exciting, terrifying, brilliant. And working with all my favourite people – Loren O’Dair, Jessica Dannheisser, Kate Lane and Layla Rosa.

Then a quick dash to Riverside from some auditions for Gotcha. Now three hours of admin to catch up on – I wish admin went away during rehearsals. It feels like it doubles!!!

a day in oxford

Went to Peter Mumford’s Christmas party last night – very lovely (very starry) and amazing food. Though too much champagne (but surely there’s no such thing as too much champagne). Then up at the crack of dawn (ouch!) to go to Oxford and meet with the Oxford Playhouse who are taking The Man With the Flower in His Mouth for a week as part of our UK tour. All very lovely – I like the kind of meetings that involve walking round the cafes of Oxford. Then after lunch another meeting about some other productions they’re co-producing with Metta next year and in 2012 (very exciting – more on that anon), and then just time to sneak in a quick plug/pitch for Waiting (which maybe they’ll take for a night or two for that tour as well). We love the Oxford Playhouse!

riverside meeting

Having held out this long I fear I am now (alas) succumbing to the seasonal flu/cold that is going round. No hooray for that. Anyway, onwards – had a Metta meeting to bring everyone up to speed on where we all are with the various tours and plans for next year. And now off to Riverside to meet the designer of the show I’m directing there in Feb/March next year. Still very strange for me working with anyone (as a designer) other than Will as I’ve literally only not worked with him TWICE out of all the shows I’ve ever directed in the last 5 years!

Then a dinner party with a fellow freelance director – good friend James Bounds (currently staff Director on Nick Hytner’s Hamlet at the National). Unfortunately we are (read ‘Will is’) also re-fitting our kitchen this weekend – so I think it’s going to be a dinner party consisting of champagne and take-away!

hampstead and accordians

Met with the lovely accordionist again – she’s amazing – hurrah! Accordions are such evocative instruments – love them! And then off to Hampstead for a very brilliant meeting with Ed Hall. He’s amazing too – and so lovely. So doing a reading of the supermodel play there in the new year. Good times.