They say when you do new stuff the time goes slower. That was certainly the case today. Having avoided delivering any workshops online for the whole of the pandemic, a few cases of scarlet fever in Cornwall saved me a long drive last night, but meant I had to work out some technology live this morning. In front of sixty people, in my living room, I worked out how to do it live and realised, as I had suspected when the emails came in over COVID, that I hate doing workshops over the internet. I like to see the whites of their eyes. It was a long morning. For the first hour there was nothing set up on the receiving end for me to know if there was any form of back and forth. I was talking to a picture of myself talking. I couldn’t hear or see the people I was talking to. Disconcerting to say the least. I like an audience. In the afternoon someone fixed them up with a microphone in Cornwall and I was able at least to do some rudimentary question and answer, and hear the state of the room.
All the while I was running lines in my head. This week has been a bit like being in regular telly work but without the money and the profile. Lots of short notice line learning. Living the dream, sort of. I went round my long suffering friend’s flat and she has painted a great white wall where the little screen used to be. No more having to do edits to trim the edge of the frame out. A bright and happy room to do the auditioning in. We both had one this evening and both got them done and dusted in short order, I think as much as the light atmosphere in there.
Now I’m back in bed at home. Another three online workshops tomorrow, but at least now I know what they are like. Once the dust settles I’ll look back and think what a lucrative week this has been, particularly if even just one of the self-tapes lands. For now though, onwards to Christmas!
AlBarclay 