The Edinburgh Diaries: It's Showtime!

So on Wednesday I returned home from Edinburgh with an empty purse and a million memories, along with the company cold and a buggered left leg* and a hefty dose of exhaustion. It's fair to say that I had an excellent Fringe Fest with some truly wonderful people and that my life feels ever so empty now I'm not waking up to a flat full of them every day. It was a bit of a mad week, and an exhausting one, but it was definitely fun enough to make up for that. Didn't get to see as many shows as I had originally intended to, which was in part because I very rapidly ran out of money and also because I hadn't actually factored in that I would be unavailable across the peak time for shows each day (6-8pm) due to y'know, being on stage and all. I did get to see a few though, favourite of which was definitely The Vocal Orchestra which was a spontaneous last day decision. They were completely amazing-if you closed your eyes you wouldn't know you were listening to something being performed by only the voices of the 6 people on stage, and it was such a great atmosphere that you couldn't help clap and sing along. Also want to give mention to a wonderful performance of my favourite Shakespeare play, As You Like It, done by SEDOS. Despite the fact that it was cut down to be only an hour long, I still loved it as much as I always do and it was performed very well indeed.

The Baskervilles Cast warming up fabulously on the Mile.
(Techie, Frederick, Lady B, Holmes, Mabel, Director,
Watson, Watson's Moustache, Bellatrix, Marple, Lestrade)

Our shows (http://www.twoshadesofblue.org.uk/) were pretty damn fantastic too. I managed to see the other two shows (Sherlock Holmes and the Sound of the Baskervilles and Quantum Battlestar Deep-Space Voyager Tardis Wars: The Million Dollar Space Epic**) 3 times each and play the "Trying to make people corpse" game on the last night which was a little bit too much fun. They were really well done and so very enjoyable to watch every time and even though half of the casts were suffering with 'Fringe Flu', you couldn't tell by their excellent performances. And Back to the Future:The Pantomime? Well that was pretty awesome too.

1.5VOLTS!
(Stolen from Biff, who hopefully won't mind)

We sold out every night PLUS 2/3 of the seats for an extra charity performance that we added last minute and I just had the most amazing time performing it again and again. I danced, I sang my heart out, I jiggled (there was a lot of jiggling) and I finally finally got to use my crazy Welsh accent on a stage-something I have wanted to do for a good while. We pulled stupid faces at each other to make everyone corpse*** and I exuberantly pied Biff in the face every night whilst trying not to cringe at the Flux Capacitor. It was truly wonderful.
But what really made my Edinburgh experience was the people. Bearing in mind some of these guys I met for the first time in June (and some of them only in Oxford 2 weeks ago) I was trepidatious about spending two weeks constantly in their company and sharing a house with them and introducing them to Morning Jenni (Aka Sleepy Monster). Now, I'm not sure why I was worried at all. These are all LIGHT ENTERTAINERS, they're my people-the ones that properly get me, no questions asked. I have laughed so much over the last fortnight that I've probably toned up my stomach muscles to a level they've never toned been before. There were so many completely awesome people there, such a mesh of personalities that you couldn't help not find your home. If you're reading this guys, thank you. You made my Fringe in so many different ways.
And now I'm back at home in the real world, which is dull and much less fun/giggly/jiggly and gives me very little incentive to get out of my pyjamas each day. It feels very weird to think that it is only a week ago tomorrow that it was opening night-this time last week I was in Edinburgh learning how to flyer and trying not to get lost and it's all gone so quickly. I won't be forgetting it in a long time though, because it was really really really awesome. Here's hoping it won't be my last Fringe adventure!

-Jenni-

P.S If I never hear 'The Power of Love' again, it'll be too soon. Just typing the words sets it off in my head, sigh.


*Yeah...so I managed to get it trapped between my train and its platform in Edinburgh by falling down the gap...don't do this folks, it's bloody and painful.
**Think how fun it was trying to say that when flyering
***For you non-theatrey people, corpsing is when someone breaks character and laughs on stage when they're not supposed to. Trying to make your co-stars do it whilst not doing it yourself is something of a talent. But of course, we're much too professional for that...*shifty eyes*

The Edinburgh Diaries: Part 1-Oxford

15/8
18.20
Huzzah! Finally finally packed! I have a ridiculous number of bags- 1 large suitcase, 1 holdall, 1 bag with bedding in it and 1 small rucksack. It's not like I have to carry them for miles or anything...oh wait. Going away for 2 weeks should not be this difficult!
19.18
On the train with a friend who has a similar number of bags-so that's alright then! We're on our way!
21.50
Train finally arrived in Oxford...late. Now to find where I am staying for the next couple of days. Decided to be brave and fearless and forego the taxi so I can prove to myself that I am not as pants as I think I am at following directions. Yeah, take that Pessimistic Me!

22.30ish
Well I found it OK, but WHY THE HELL DID I NOT TAKE A TAXI?? Past Me, you're an idiot. All of me is aching and sweaty. Why the hell have I brought so much shit? Anyway, I'm here, I'm all "checked in" and I have a bed to collapse into-it's such a relief to know that I don't have to sleep on the floor tonight. Mmm bed.
On that note, I think it's goodnight from me, the hard work starts tomorrow.

16/8
23.50
And what a long day it was. Only just got back in after leaving the flat at 9.30am! Spent most of the day learning dance routines for the show...I didn't even know there was going to be dance routines but there you go. It was good fun, although incredibly tiring after 5 hours of it! Ow my legs!
Sorted lots of props out too, and started making some of the ones that are missing. Having not left the flat where we ate dinner until gone 11pm, it's been something of an exhausting day! Must be bedtime now!!

18/8
1:00amish
Well that's it! No more rehearsals now! Tomorrow we journey up to Edinburgh and then it's on with the show-hurrah! In these last 3 days we've learned 3 different dance routines, done our first (disastrous!) prop run through, changed the songs, got our costumes and run through the show enough times to almost make us sick of the finale song. Almost. We still have a few kinks that need ironing out, but we're very nearly almost there. And it's excellent.
Tonight was our preview night, which meant we got to see how the other half perform and see one of our sister shows (Sherlock Holmes and the Sound of the Baskervilles) for the first time. (The other one is still a mystery to the majority of us, for now.) It was pretty flabbergasting to be honest, everyone was just absolutely brilliant, it's completely hilarious and very very well done! It did make some of us in the Back to the Future:The Panto cast worry ever so slightly that we couldn't match them in terms of brilliance, but we needn't have fretted! While BTTF:TP is a little more rough and ready in places than Baskervilles, it's still a fantastic watch (I reckon) and SO MUCH FUN to be in. We're an explosion of neon and noise to contrast with the Baskerville's Victorian costumes and brilliantly worded songs. We bounce up and down like an excited puppy while they are much less raucous but not less fun. Plus they have a truly epic sword fight whereas we go for the pie-to-the-face comedy fist fight.
I really really enjoyed myself tonight, both laughing myself silly at Baskervilles and also frolicking around on stage too.
SO. Here's the plug, but I truly now can say you will be missing out if you don't get to see at least one of these shows (plus Quantum, which I know will be just as brilliant even though I haven't seen it yet!) So yeah...if you're around Edinburgh this week, come and see why I am having SUCH a brilliant time with this fantastic bunch of people: I can guarantee you'll leave with a smile on your face!!!

Back to the Future: The Pantomime, Paradise in Augustine's-Venue 152, 18.50
Sherlock Holmes and the Sound of the Baskervilles, Paradise in Augustine's-Venue 152, 14.20
Quantum Battlestar Deep-Space Voyager Tardis Wars: The Million Dollar Space Epic, Paradise in Augustine's-Venue 152, 22.25

Edinburgh Rehearsal II

Last weekend the entire cast of Back To The Future: The Pantomime assembled in Harrow for rehearsal number 3 (Technically my 2nd as I didn't get to the first one).  It was really good to finally meet everyone and get a full rehearsal under way, and more so because since the previous weekend one of my closest USLES friends has joined the cast. We basically spent the weekend bouncing off each other (literally, in some of the fight scenes) and making everyone else think we were a little bit odd, which is saying a lot considering the cast is made of mostly Light Entertainers. Oh but I had fun, I always enjoy the rehearsal process of a show, almost as much as I enjoy being on the stage itself. To say that I am in the chorus, I've got a lot of stuff to do which is excellent-there's nothing worse than spending the majority of a performance stuck in the dressing room just because you're not an important character.

Homework from last time:

• Learn lines/songs Check!
• Perfect an American accent that doesn't sound Australian Passably, for the 10 lines that I have. As long as there are no real Americans listening. (Sorry G-man...)
• Learn to fall over without injuring myself or overbalancing Mostly. I only have to do it once and it seems to pass inspection, and I didn't hurt myself. I call that a success.  

Things that I still have left to do:

• Learn my cue lines. Knowing what to say isn't much help if I don't know when to say it. Doh.
• Practice the fight scenes so that it feels more natural to be fighting people rather than going through the motions.
• Find costume bits and bobs so that I don't have to be naked on stage (ooer!)
• Pack for rehearsal week!

We've now done our first show run through (albeit without songs) and it's starting to come together and feel like a show! Always an exciting moment in any rehearsal process. And now rehearsal week proper starts in about 5 days-we have 3 days of intense rehearsing and then a preview performance in Oxford. Then it's up to Edinburgh and the show opens on the 21st August. 

I am EXCITED. 

You should definitely all come along if you're around the Fringe in the last week: details for all three Two Shades shows are here and they're all promising to be corkers. I shall hopefully be keeping the blog updated whilst I am up there as I will be taking my laptop. I'm also hoping to get to see as many shows as I possibly can, because, after all, it is the biggest arts festival in the world-and you'd be a bit mad to pass up on an opportunity to experience it properly.
Basically, I'm just really looking forward to getting up there and getting involved with everything and just having a whale of a time. Not so looking forward to having to share a house with lots of people again, but I will just have to cope with that. I'm taking lots of books and I'm just hoping that my ridiculous brain will let me sleep more than it did over the rehearsal weekend. I'm sure it'll all come good. Most of all I am looking forward to treading those boards and doing the show for 7 straight nights with some wonderful people.

Here's to that then!

-Jenni-

Ed Fringe Adventures Part I

In August of this year, I am going to be in the Edinburgh Fringe with Two Shades of Blue, a lightly entertaining company which I know about because of USLES. This weekend was my first rehearsal weekend with the cast of 'Back to the Future, the Pantomime!' and it went a little like this:

07:51
It's 8AM on a Saturday morning and I have braved Nottingham's torrential downpour to make it to my train, after a nervous car journey where I wasn't sure that I would. But I did, hooray, all is well. In 2 hours time I will be arriving in Cambridge (if all goes to plan) where I hope they are having a little less weather otherwise my walk will be wet and my feet very squelchy in their canvas shoes. Looking forward to getting there and meeting everyone, and getting started, woo!

09:39
Just left Ely for Cambridge, not long to go now. And it's not raining, yay!

10:00
Arrived safe and sound and the sun is shining, huzzah!

10:18
Left the station (eventually!) after having to queue for a ridiculously long time for the loo (Perils of being a girl!). It's also chucking it down. Bollocks.

10:35
Shoes are decidedly soggy, have bought some cheap flip flops to stop them getting ruined completely. Sun comes out as I leave the shop; bloody typical.

Closer to 11am than it should really be, onwards
Arrived at the rehearsal (at King's College, lovely) fiiinally. Met the assembled cast fiiinally and they seem like a lovely bunch thus far. Onto warm ups and singing through the songs in the show, which I still have stuck in my head a day later! A rather sophisticated lunch (2 types of hummus. I'm not sure I've ever even been to a lunch with hummus ever before!) and my terrible attempt at an American accent later, we landed at the end of the day. It was long, but really good fun! (That's what she said ;p ) We worked hard but got a lot done for it, and it was really enjoyable to boot. However, whether we can still remember any of it tomorrow is another story!

5:30ish onwards
Back to the HoLE (House of Light Entertainers) for dinner, chatting and (for me at least) falling asleep on the ridiculously comfortable sofas. Twice. Everyone else played Mao* whilst I dozed until gradually airbeds, sofas and cushions were claimed for sleeping places around 1am, as we were somewhat exhausted. Ready to do it all again tomorrow!!

Sunday, 22:39
Currently twenty minutes from being back in Nottingham station, after some slight train confusion left me getting the indirect route via Leicester rather than the direct train from Ely. No matter, I am only half an hour or so behind where I would have been anyway, and I haven't been charged any extra, phew! I'm terribly sleepy but I've enjoyed this weekend immensely so I have a light heart. Today was complicated warm ups and stage fighting and tryingnottoactuallypunchpeopleintheface and remembering the stuff we did yesterday. To say this is only the 2nd rehearsal weekend we've had, both with people missing, everything seems to be running smoothly-everyone has a wonderful grasp of their various characters and it's lovely to see them coming to life as flesh and blood rather than just words on a page. More than just the general fun of the show though, I've enjoyed meeting all the people that I am going to be in it with-these are my kinda people, who instantly understand me without me having to explain anything because they're exactly the same. They're the kind of people that I want to fill my life up with because it's so easy and enjoyable to exist in their company. They're my "theatre" peeps and they get it.
It's been a good weekend =)

Homework:

• Learn lines/songs
• Perfect an American accent that doesn't sound Australian
• Learn to fall over without injuring myself or overbalancing.

But for now, my bed is calling me into its soft embrace, and who am I to resist?
Goodnight!

http://www.edfringe.com/whats-on/theatre/back-to-the-future-the-pantomime

Book now to avoid disappointment, as it looks set to sell out!

Also why not come see the other Two Shades shows while you're there?

Sherlock Holmes and the Sound of the Baskervilles 

and Quantum Battlestar Deep Space Voyager Tardis Wars: The Million Dollar Space Epic

*I don't think I could ever explain this to you. It's basically a game where no-one knows what's going on and the rules change constantly throughout. Russian accents optional.