Month: January 2025

Waiting in the wings

Some stuff to update. auditioned for a play “Da” (with Southbank, a very local to me amdram group) – didn’t get anything in it. Thought I did a decent read, but not quite as sparkling as I’d’a liked – that said, it was a fun play with a character Charlie, his Da, and his younger self – as the three main leads, and needed three people that would look right together. Could be I just didn’t fit. Never mind, will look forward to seeing the play when it’s on, and there may well be another chance at an audition for their summer play.

Did another audition, for another local am dram society (Bangor Players) this is a much bigger place than Southbank (which is basically a converted Scout hall) Bangor players have a really big theatre, and multiple rooms, just a big place really. Anyway, was very unsure of myself in it – it was an Agatha Christie play, so posh English accents, and I don’t think I have one of those in my tool bag. I did pull out the old faithful cornish accent for one character (a police sergeant) and I think I read that well, but sadly, didn’t get anything there.

To be honest, slightly crushing results. More because when I did acting in my twenties, firstly you were never not cast and though that was mostly because there were so many plays going on you audition for five or six and end up in at least one (or, as happened to me, you become one of those that directors know so they already have a part in mind for you) but also because without being in a play, and without further auditions I feel like I’ll have to sit on my hands until the next opportunity.

That said, I’ve started Improv – I’m just over half way through and honestly, I really love it. There’s some fascinating differences in the “writing” experience of it – caveat: I’ve not written a lot, but when I do I write to punchlines or plots and characters come second. Improv, on the other hand, is largely about characters (caveat caveat: so far, in my experience) Starting with one in mind and walking on the stage with another player who also has a character in mind, and then finding the plot together. Often there’s no punchline, you you’ll usually find some ending (albeit a tap on your shoulder to indicate another player is editing you out of that scene, possibly for your own sake)

So far, three weeks, and I’ve been to watch a bunch of improv show. I’ve found this far easier to socialise my way in to than I ever did comics – I don’t know if that’s because the stakes felt higher in comics or whether there was just more people involved who where at various levels and you get quite inside your own head about boundaries that don’t really exist (“I can’t talk to them, they’re [WRITER OF MY FAVOURITE BOOK]” or “Oh my god, that person is [FAVOURITE ARTIST OF ALL TIME]” – the truth is, in my experience you can walk up to them and start talking, because we’re all just humans. But anyway, my point is, those sorts of weird mental walls I haven’t built for myself in improv (which is a small local community) so it’s been very easy to sit and just chat to people doing it. It may just be I’m far older than I was when first walking in to the comics community, and that’s reduced my overthinking slightly.

We’ve been doing very short little skits in pairs, and each time we’ve been given a scenario, and been “edited” by the facilitator (one thing that’s been interesting is discovering just how much structure exists in improv, it’s so surprisingly bound by norms of behaviour that I think it’s what allows you to freedom to get on stage and be a bit silly.)

In COMICS News:

Here’s a big preview of my strip in ONI’s EC’s Cruel Kingdom by Chris Condon and me.

And Dark Pyramid issue 1 by me and Paul Tobin from Mad Cave gets a 10/10 review at Comiccon.

Setting the stage…

I auditioned today for a play called “Da” with my local am dram group. No idea if I’ll get something, but was fun to do it. I have to really will myself into doing this stuff – to get up on the audition day, leave the house and go do it, and then when I’m there I find myself thinking “oh this is the most natural thing in the world”.

The play is set in the 60s in Dublin about a writer returning home after the death of his Da, and while doing so he reconciles with his da – and relives moments from his childhood – the director called it a memory play – playing out his past memories on stage and talking to those ghosts, himself as a child, his da and other people.

Was worried I wouldn’t be able to hit the Dublin accent, I’d bought a copy of the play and had read through it a bit, and it was hard to maintain, but performing in front of people was easier (though at one point it went full on Cornish, but that’s ok, a temporary blip!)

As the world turns to embrace trump online, I’m finding I want to take solace in the world offline- next week I start Improv comedy for beginners. Another thing as long as I don’t think about I’m ok, but as it comes round I’ll find myself thinking “no, you’re gonna make a fool of yourself” – but I suspect, like acting once on stage once I’m doing it, I’ll really enjoy it. Told my mate Jim, the secret to getting work out of me is that I need instant feedback and flattery – I’ve got a dog like need for attention and treats.

So regardless of the play (which if I don’t get a part in I’ve volunteered to help back stage) over the nex six weeks I’ll be doing improve classes every Tuesday, leading to a performance. After that, I dunno. If I enjoy it? Who knows.