There goes Lou, and with her the ease of self care. I’ll have to try and maintain it without her now.
The circle was broken a touch tonight. Fin couldn’t do the show. One of us, and the youngest in the acting company. He’s a Guildhall boy so I’m invested. He has big understudy commitments. He hopefully just had a wobble, but Johan did his lines tonight and we all realised practically how, if we are indisposed, someone is ready to step in and be brilliant. The show goes on. It was here with this company that Ed came on for David Tennant as Hamlet on PRESS NIGHT. The understudy thing is well carried and the understudies are well chosen, but this is a stressful time for them as they often have multiple parts. They’ll be understudying AFTLS stylee, when they have to talk to each other etc. I had to fight myself as Toby Belch / Antonio a few years ago and found it joyful despite having to hoof oxygen out of cans in Colorado. There’s delight in admitting the craft of it. But… it’s a hard thing to do.
With one actor down, the goblins got in through the gap. We could have held the space but maybe we forgot for a moment. The gold wall went to fuck and there was a show stop. This is when our glorious Cat has to go on stage and talk to the audience. We had a bit of juggling, the interval was shifted, and John is a consummate pro and just adapted. Apparently The New Real had a show stop as well that was so extreme they had to cancel. Christ… At least we can play Othello in an empty space. The tech is just happening because it can. There’s nothing necessary in the tech. We could tell it in a cardboard box. But we forgot to hold the space.
I’m sure our brother will be well. It’s sad and strange to have a gap. We did the show, but the air was pissing out the side of our bouncy castle until we noticed and stuck tape over it.
Bedtime now. I’d have been asleep hours already if Lou was here. I can’t keep my eyes open.
AlBarclay 