Blog: Meeting The Director

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On Thursday I had another meeting to go to, this time with Ms E Lally, who is going to be DIRECTING The Sexy Seven show at the Etcetera Theatre in February.

I've just had a look back at previous blog entries and am surprised to find that I haven't GONE ON about this very much at all, so let's set that right! The Sexy Seven is a series of 7 short plays written by a bunch of us who did the MA Creative Writing at City University. Mr A Dawson suggested the theme of "Sex" as something people might be interested in (where he gets these ideas from I do not know), especially if we staged it over the Valentine's Day weekend. The Etcetera Theatre agreed and so a bunch have us have been writing away while Alex has been doing the main work of being PRODUCER. It's been amazing seeing him go through this process, finding out about and DEALING with all of the various problems that arise in a FAR more professional way than I've ever managed.

The main illustration of this professionalism is the fact that he's got ACTUAL ACTORS involved and is PAYING them! Well, we're all paying them really as we're all funding the evening, but it's Alex who's had to sort it out, and the cunning way he did this was getting a DIRECTOR in who knows actors. There's been auditions and all sorts, it's really rather exciting, and yesterday this excitement continued with all of the writers going in to meet Eloise The Director.

I thus rolled up at The Blacksmith & Toffeemaker (the pub over the road from college), got myself a cheeky half, and joined her for a DISCUSSION. This basically boiled down to her saying she liked it, me saying thank you; her asking if there was anything I wanted her to do and me replying that I didn't really mind. It was PEASY!

There was a bit more to it than that, but that was the general idea - I'm really keen with this thing to let her and the actors do it without any interference from me, partly because it means I don't have to DO anything, but mostly because I have a TONNE of experience doing things myself, but very little of someone else doing it without me! It's kind of like having someone do a COVER of one of my songs - if I want the song done a certain way I can do that MYSELF, whereas letting them do it THEIR way will hopefully bring out something NEW.

So, we had a lovely chat then I went off to ANOTHER pub (The Shakespeare's Head round the corner) to spend a very pleasant hour learning LINES, for LO! I had yet ANOTHER appointment with Mr S Hewitt to rehearse "Hey Hey 16K". This was a PARTICULARLY excellent rehearsal as we worked out LOADS of aspects of the show, not least deciding to reinstate the swannee whistle and ABANDON plans for puppets! It's a radical decision, but hopefully it will mean we can DO certain sections of the show without the need to grow extra LIMBS.

If any or all of this THEATRICAL ACTIVITY has INTRIGUED you then you can, thrillingly, BUY TICKETS for it! We've got tickets for "The Sexy Seven" available on the Etcetera Theatre site and you can buy tickets for the "Hey Hey 16K" WORLD PREMIERE via Leicester Comedy Festival. I hope some people DO come - there's been Actual WORK done on the both of them!

posted 16/1/2015 by MJ Hibbett

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