Watching Show Photos

Some photos from the tech rehearsal as well as from before and after the show itself - videos will be available online from my YouTube channel...

First from the Tech - so the setting of the space is clearly unfinished...  Sunday 16th February - taken by John Bethell

And then a couple from just before the show itself on Monday 17th February

Some cast members getting ready - taken by Mark Pavelin

Front of house preparing all the forms...

And then after the show...

The remains of the apple after an hour of spitting...

Watching watching...

I wrote this post over a week ago and decided not to post it until after the show...

Right, so, yeah... it's a little over a week till Project Two: You Have Been Watching goes up... I'm working on the last material for the show.  That goes to the company tomorrow.  The last pieces before we go into endgame.  There is some sense of wood/trees going on in my head at the moment.  I've props on order that are yet to arrive, I've technology I need to get working and I still don't quite know where everything goes.
This isn't anything to worry about - especially to everyone who's coming to the show - hi! - because there is a week and I'm not lost or anything.  I just don't one hundred percent know what I'm doing.
This is an interesting feeling.  Most of the time I have a very clear idea what I'm doing.  Even when I first started to create theatre over a decade ago I instinctively got it.  Didn't mean I got it right, but I got it.  You move here to do this so that that can happen over there - simple.
I'm creating an art installation.  With volunteers.  In a very small space.  On no budget.  I don't know whether what I'm doing is horribly cliched or not.  I suspect part of it is.  I don't know.  It's not quite my field.
The reason why I'm doing this is partly because it isn't.  I know how to do plays.  I'm (dare I say it) a bit bored of directing them because I largely know how it's done now.  Acting, that's different, that's just fun.   Even as a writer, I'm starting to chafe at the boundaries of my medium and my own tropes.  There are still different plays to be written, but I'm starting to find that I don't want to just create narrative anymore.
So, something different.  Something more art orientated.  Something possibly shit.  Because I don't quite know what I'm doing yet.  Yet.  I'll figure it out.
Probably.

Watching Feedback

Well, last night went pretty well, though many lessons to learn.  Namely that if you're doing essentially an exhibition style event, let the audience in slowly - the first ten fifteen minutes were a bit overwhelming for everyone and it took time for people to settle in.  In fact, one person left after about ten / fifteen minutes, which is a shame, as once it settled everyone was really into the experience.

Frankly, I'm knackered now, so I'll leave you with the audience feedback and write a proper blog another day...

You Have Been Watching Audience Feedback

Really enjoyed ‘Off Grid’ + ‘Outsourced Memories’.  Same interesting relevant ideas.  Nice to see something a bit different at the Quay.

Attention to detail was very impressive.  The atmosphere of the room was very overwhelming (in a positive way).  Lots of information, we had to work hard to process each story – I really liked that.

I liked the touching – the physical human to human contact to initiate communication.  GREAT to see laboratory type work at the Quay.  Experiment and exploration.

I particularly liked the biohazard styling and my favourite exhibit was ‘Spam’.

I liked the visualisation of ‘Spam’.  It was an ingenious way of doing it.

The layout and whole ambience was great.  The performers were amazing 10 / 10.  ‘Off Grid' was my favourite.