I knew grandpa’s dress uniform would come in handy before long. This was today’s self-tape look – but with the hair in a ponytail to keep it out of view. I was reading for an army major, so it’s all wrong if you’re a purist. I’m in a higher ranking naval uniform… But it made me look right, and more importantly it made me feel right which is all that matters for these things. It’s a scratch at the door.
It’s technically work, auditioning, and I couldn’t do it alone so I drove to Tristan’s. He wore a mask bless him and kept his distance. We got it nailed down and sent off in short order. There’s a lovely fellowship to the self-tape. We’ve both given lots of time for each other over the years. Investing in the knowledge the investment will pay off. We both get generous when we feel flush, and we both try to give the energy we received when we’re helping each other on these home-auditions, so it goes round and round in a lovely karmic circle.
Meanwhile, on the interwebnet, I’m performing in a dramatic monologue – audio only. There’s a digital / online theatre festival. Very much grassroots stuff and some interesting and weird things will be there I have no doubt. The Festival is called The Living Record Festival and it’s live up until the 22nd February, with an opportunity for people to browse and drop in to anything they fancy. My corner of the festival is called Covert Firmament, and my specific piece is called “Read to Me” – here’s the direct link if you have fifteen quid to spare and a little over 12 minutes in the bag. It’s a strange piece and I like it. It was done in my little portable studio through the iPad, microphone on a suitcase covered in towels while sitting facing into a wardrobe in Hampstead on a hot summer’s day. I’ve got pretty good at organising my sound environment so it sounds good even if it looks weird. It was a comfortable recording session, all in one sitting for consistency, and I’m happy with how it all came out. They’ve scored it beautifully, and of course … well I’m marvelous, darling, I always am aren’t I oh dear me yes.
I haven’t really worked out how the festival all works. I’m going to go in tomorrow and virtually stroll around and see what I can find. I reckon it’ll be like Vault Festival but online. Lots of good stuff, lots of weird stuff, lots of stuff stuff. But they got people like The Guardian and The Financial Times to review it, which is testament to how different everything is under Covid. Usually it would have been passed down the list until it dropped off the bottom. But it’s a little ray of light. A little chance for me and mine to put something out into the world again and do that storytelling thing that we’ve decided is the thing we do for money life and joy.
So yeah, an auspicious Sunday. The beginnings of things again. The niggling feeling that perhaps … just perhaps … things are starting to happen again in the world.
AlBarclay 