Let the touring begin!

So last month we dipped our toe into the world of touring ready to plunge in head first next summer.
We have been signed up by Making Tracks who organise touring in West Sussex. Each year they create a menu, but instead of listing food it is filled with theatre, that said, we are all a little bit tasty in Broken Leg Theatre! But, bad puns aside, the menu they accumulate is filled with a fantastic variety of children's theatre, music acts, traditional shows and forward thing theatre such as our own show, that the venues around West Sussex can choose from.
In November we were invited to go to Petworth and give a short preview performance to a few of the venues' representatives. So we all bundled our costumes into two cars, grabbed some sandwiches from a garage on route and then travelled through the trees that lined our route from East to West Sussex.
While we were at Petworth we treated really well with free drink and cakes, and not any old cakes, mini cakes! In my opinion everything is just a little better when it is mini.
Our performance went down really well and generated lots of questions which is always great. The worse sort of theatre is the type that is forgotten instantly. I think even our little snippet got people thinking.
So now it's a waiting game. We have to now wait as though we were in a kitchen waiting for the orders to be shouted out, one scampi, one lemon sole and one Broken Leg Theatre please. Yes chef!
We could get one show, we could get ten, we just have to wait and see. I really hope we get lots as if they are all as fun as this foray into the world of touring and filled with as many bad jokes and giggles it should promise to be a great summer.

Time to start thinking about the next play. Eek. I'm meeting up with Dave Waller on Monday to have a chat about writing something together. Massively looking forward to getting stuck in. We met up in a wierd pub in Kings Cross early on in the summer to have a think about what the play would be about. After about 6 pints the loose idea was developed. The scene is set in a) a charity shop, b) a record shop or c) a supermarket. The story is about how the same situation can be interpreted completely differently depending on whether a you're a boy or a girl. We couldn't think of any examples as we were a bit too pissed and were totally misinterpreting what each other was saying.
Don't think that one's going to be an award winner. Try and get something written down before I get stuck into the gin on Monday.

Em and I have had a lovely coffee with gorgeous Charlotte Semlyen from South East Dance who lent us her business brain to talk about the company and ask the boring questions about insurance and stuff.
I say it was a lovely coffee, it was lovely company, yes, but the coffee left a bit to be desired. Anyway, we're a bit more up to speed now about financey stuff as well. Which is no bad thing seeing as Emily budgeted that everyone would be paying 50p to see the show in the festival last year. Which is less than the cost of a Mars bar (I hear).
And (and this isn't really an and, more of a big sigh) I'm going to be turning 32 on Monday. So let this be the best next year for the company. Wrinkly old fingers crossed.

So we're sat off in the back garden enjoying last of the summer rays (and wine!) trying to talk strategically about the next step for broken leg. The second bottle of wine is lubricating some fab ideas. So, if you are a sugar daddy who has a few thousand to spare in return for a cheap bottle of wine and smelly cheese with the company of a couple of 30 somethings (Emily that is, Anna's still quite young) then please e-mail we'redesperateandskint@hotmail.com.

We look forward to hearing from you. Or seeing your porsche parked outside.

What a cracking day! The sun's shining outside begging for some hanging out on the beach action, and I'm sat infront of the laptop listening to the ghostbusters sound track trying to do some writing.

The Edinburgh Festival was fantastic! We saw some fab shows (and a couple of duffers) as well as catching up with people who we've worked with through Broken Leg, including George (Karaoke Dave in Eye's down, Pens Ready). We hear Alex (Clive Junior in My Second Life) has done fantastically at the festival, with the show he was performing in winning an award which means they can take the show to New York. Dead proud and quietly jealous!

We are now looking towards the West Sussex Rural Tour next spring. Em and I are meeting on tuesday to get our heads together to work out our next move after a really postive meeting with them.

Right then. Head down, or make a coffee first, then put the washing on, hoover that bit of the carpet under the TV, I never realised how dirty it was, repot the olive tree in the garden, but the second load of washing on.... then I'll definetely get on with some writing.

So we're off to Edinburgh this afternoon. Fabulous. Slightly regretting that last glass of wine with dad at 2am this morning, but hey ho. That's the life of an artiste or so I hear. Or at least what happens when you enter into an unexpected drinking competition with your paternal.

So... we're going to meet the man from Forest Fringe while up there, so fingers crossed he'll think we're double ace and let us perform there next year. There's loads of stuff I'd like to see, and loads of stuff we should. What with performers who have worked with us up there doing all manner of shows it's going to be a cram packed few days.

To start it off in true Scottish style we're going to have a couple of pints mid afternoon before catch the train. In a pub below a theatre though so that counts as culture I reckon.

What a busy week, what with trying to work out how to cram four outfits a day for the Edinburgh Festival into my hand luggage, to a cracking meeting with Making Tracks, the rural touring network for West Sussex, and now we have the show reel for My Second Life on youtube, thanks to Catherine Long and her amazing technical skills. The link to the film is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT2d_6ibsl4
Have a look and let us know what you think... (unless you think it's rubbish, then keep it to yourself if you don't mind!)
Will let you know how we get on at the festival, and what happens with Making Tracks.

Emily and I are going to the Edinburgh festival next weekend. Eek. I think it would be fair to say that we're a little bit more than a little bit excited! But it's not just a jolly, although we are staying with my friends Kimmy and Veg who like the odd tipple... this is a fact finding, high fiving, please book BLT for next year, we are a fab theatre company give us a break mission.
And so far we have booked a meeting to see the man from Forest Fringe, a cracking venue we spend a lot of time lurking in and seeing ace stuff in last year. So fingers crossed something might come of it. And if all falls, nay bother as they say up there. We'll just get pissed and see some fantastic theatre.

A bit about us

Since we formed in 2008 we have been going from strength to strength. We performed our debut play 'Eyes Down, Pens Ready' in the Sanctuary Cafe, Brighton in October 2008 and received fantastic reviews. We then performed it again in The Hackney Empire Studio Theatre in February 2008 and then again at the Sanctuary Cafe as part of the 2009 Brighton Fringe Festival. For both of these showings we again received brilliant reviews which encouraged us to keep going and keep creating.
At the end of 2009 we began rehearsing our second play 'My Second Life'. We performed this recently at The Nightingale Theatre, Brighton as part of the Brighton Festival Fringe 2010. We gained four star reviews across the board and were delighted to receive an Argus Angel Award which recognises artistic excellence.
So where do we go from here? Well we continue to create. Our third play is already being written. We also want expand upon our successes and so hope to tour 'My Second Life' in 2011.

Within this blog we shall record all the differing processes that go in to creating a successful theatre company. You will hear about the writing process and about the rehearsals and performances. We will also let you know about the admin side of things, as unfortunately even creative people have to do paper work!
We hope to convey to you just how much fun, laughter, pathos and hard work goes into each and every one of our plays.