flu and meetings

Gosh, I’ve been off for a while. Laid up with flu for two weeks – which when you’re pregnant is no easy thing to get over. But up and running again now. Just got back from lunch with a producer advising me on touring. And back on the meetings train talking to people about Metta shows from Autumn 2012 through to 2014. All this business plan writing has made us very strategic. Let’s hope they all come off. Bush Theatre, Oxford Playhouse, Northern Stage, Southbank Centre, ETT, Soho, Lyric Hammersmith, Ustinov Bath, Farnham Maltings, Gate Theatre here we come. And Royal Opera House. And throw a few babies into the mix as well. That’s not over ambitious is it?

In the mean time I’ll spend the weekend with Improbable at this year’s Devoted & Disgruntled. In my flu-ridden state I was feeling very disgruntled with theatre in general, but now that I’m out of that I’m back to my natural state which is of course one of devotion.

forms and magic

The Dominican Republic was lovely – even managed to squeeze in a workshop with young people at a local school (staying with my sister out there, so not quite as random as it seems). Coming back to the bitter cold and massive pile of funding applications that need to be filled in…not so lovely.

Still, I’ve discovered a real love of spread-sheets. And this week has been far more varied than simply filling in forms. I also had a meeting with the Arts Council (about filling in forms, among other things). Will was in tech this week and had forgotten his staple guns and a big stick, so I took them to the meeting (as you do) and the woman I was meeting actually said ‘Have you come to beat me with a big stick?’ Yes, because that’s the way to get ACE funding I think. Monday afternoon was spent at the Young Vic chatting to other mums-to-be and mums as part of their ‘Working In Theatre With A Family’ or WITWAF group, and evening was spent watching Ayckbourn’s Absent Friends at what’s now called the Pinter Theatre but will forever be known as The Comedy.

Tuesday I spent…filling in forms. Yesterday I spent at the Young Vic doing a workshop on Producing (some more useful form-filling advice there from the Development Department). Then today a brief respite from all the forms – spent a day with magicians Morgan & West working on character, back-story and generally (hopefully) tightening up their show.  Tomorrow promises more forms, followed by seeing the Magician’s in the evening trying out their preview for the Adelaide Festival. Magic.