And Today's Fixation Will Be...

Okay, I admit it - I get these fleeting fixations on subjects that will preoccupy my mind for weeks sometimes and then slip from the top of my consciousness. I will always love these subjects but they only possess my mind in it's entirety for a bit.  Take the Muppets - I LOVE the Muppets, I will watch their movies or shows all day, if allowed, and am currently working on an amazing Muppet movie script with some of the most awesome people ever (I hope the new movie does well so the audience is there).  However, it will never take over my whole world as it did when I was getting the show on netflix.  I watched endless hours of interviews and special footage, I read large chunks of the muppetwiki site, I even looked into how hard it would be to get a job at the Creature Shop in London (very, very, exceedingly hard by the way).  But after that three week period, I only think about them in spurts.  Same thing has happened to me with Ardal O'Hanlon (why oh why did I watch every episode of Father Ted?), Hyperbole and a Half (a blog), Precious Metal Clay, Knitting (although I sustain this one better), and many other subjects that I have vast knowledge of for no real reason).

Today I will admit it's Magic.  I don't think I'd seen a magic show in around 5 years.  That's a long time for someone who's mother does magic and who was a clown and a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians.  The reason, or catalyst, for this recent fixation is Piff the Magic Dragon.  It was like the 1st or 2nd flyer I got up here on the first day of the festival and I knew I had to see it. I mentioned in last blog about the serious awesomeness of his act.  Looked into him as a person, inside dragon costume, and found he's also a proper legit magician (not that he didn't do real magic in his show - loved how he worked in cigarette magic which seems to be a dying art) by the name of John Van Der Put (not sure if it all is capitalized or not) and winner of magic awards and inventor of magic effects (check out VDP).  This has sparked the magic bug again.  I will be seeing a further 4 magic shows this week and I've been trying to catch up with what's happening in magic these days since I haven't paid too much attention since I stopped spot light op-ing magic shows around eight years ago.  It also is a great reminder that straight theatre is not the only job opportunity for a stage manager.

I will say this for my seemingly random fixations - I learn a lot of truly interesting information and it leads to interest in surrounding topics that I would not normally have looked into.  And I never really move away from the subjects, I love them all, and I look forward to greeting them like old friends.  I'd totally see Piff or Ardal again, and I can't wait to have time to make jewellery again and the Muppets are always with me - long live the fixations!

21 Days

So I visit SoCal (can't believe I called it that) in just a scant three weeks.  I shall be there for three weeks before moving to London.  I have not had my interview yet and I don't have a place to live and, you guessed it, it stresses me out.  I can't believe I will get to see your shining faces so soon :)  it will be amazing.

I saw Piff the Magic Dragon, supported by Mr. Piffles the first levitating chihuahua, live on stage on Monday.  Dude is a full grown man who dresses as a dragon to perform magic (not a kids show) and I was so excited to see him.  He opened with the cup and ball - no joke.  He was great, funny and had amazing eyebrows.  I think he's probably funnier the more you know about magic but even still I would recommend him to anyone.  I am lead to understand he also does straight magic but how can you go back to that after the amazingness of being a dragon?

So excited to see you all soon!

So We Open

It's completely bizarre to think that I have been here over a week.  I've been here a week and a half.  The first day we opened all the shows but one because of projector issues.  It was way less hectic than I thought it would be and the shows went on time.  We're doing eight shows a day at the minute.  Our biggest change over is from "Broken Wing" (with lots of flying pieces) to "Fragments of Ash" (with a floor cloth and five flats).  At the end of each show we lower all the set (apart from the flats) down a hole at the back of the room and lift out the next shows stuff.  I like the pit, it's got this neat basement sort of smell.

After our opening day we went over the another venue called the Pleasance to have a drink.  Whilst there were given free tickets to see a comedy show and, though it was very late and we had to be in at half eight the next day, we went.  Rich Halls Hoe Down.  He's an American, there are loads of them here now, and he told some jokes but mostly played comedy songs with the help of his country and western band.  Some of it was quite funny, and in general I liked him - but alas he sang a song involving Jesus and it's not really a laughing matter for me.  I've actually seen it so much and I do wonder why they can't just leave him alone?  Why is it that they can't find their comedy somewhere else?

"Fragments of Ash" got a four star review the other day and "Daughter of a Cuban Revolutionary" got Five.  My favourite show at our venue, "Hotel De L'avenir." only got three.  It's not fair, they said such nice things about it in the review - why only three stars?  Caitlyn took over box office for me so I could run and go see "Piff the Magic Dragon."  It's this grown man who puts on a dragon suit to perform magic and levitates a Chihuahua (also dressed as a dragon).  It was sold out through Friday, I was gutted.  I did, however, buy a ticket for next Monday so all is not lost.  As a consolation I went and saw a show my friend Lewis was in and it was gorgeous.  It's called "Muscle" and it is brilliant.  It's about men, about being a man and the experiences they go through as fathers and sons.  It was beautiful.

Edinburgh is a lovely city.  It missed most of the bombing so it's wonderfully old.  I haven't toured the castle yet, or climbed Aurthur's Seat, but I've wandered the streets and it's a great city.  Been learning about my ancestry.  Apparently we (the family Kerr) are known for being Left Handed and our spiral staircases curve the oposite direction from everybody else's.  In case you are not awar, spiral stair cases are built so the defending men (coming down the stairs) can swing their swords freely whilst the attackers (coming up the stairs) keep hitting the center of the spiral.  We're from the border lands and were often Wardens of the Middle March.  We had couple long and bloody feuds (one was between two batches of Kerrs).  And we were absolutely split on the issue of Queen Mary.  Met another Kerr in a shop, I think she was left handed.

Love you and miss you all - see you soon!

The Beautiful Edinurgh Sunshine

It lasted about half an hour maybe.  Our church hall definitely looks like a theatre now.  We have a stage and seating and lights and everything.  We managed to get our hefty to do list done and are on track for focus and later on a rehearsal for Broken Wing.  I have been the one organizing the pit, which is a basement area that smells of earth and makes you feel more like your under a ancient castle than a church hall.  I love it down there, it's so cozy.  I've had two amazing jacket potatoes (baked potatoes) with baked beans and cheese - so very  good.  If you haven't discovered the wonders of British baked beans I highly recommend a trip to the British Emprium on Central in Montclair (across from The Hat) and trying it out.  Whilst you're at it try cheddar that isn't bright orange (Welsh for choice) and I promise you won't regret it.

Hello Edinburgh, and how are you doing this day?

Yesterday afternoon we arrived in Edinburgh, after only seven hours in a van.  We listened to Daz's (one of my lecturers) occasionally strange music.  We did stop at s really nice rest stop that had barbecued burgers and a duck pond - so cool.  Other than that our ride up was uneventful.  My last weekend in Cardiff was a bit surreal, knowing it was my last couple nights in my cozy little house and my last days in that town I love.

So Shannon and I decided to commemorate it first by going to a bar we had been threatening to go to since probably week two - the Cathays Liberal Club.  It's this old man bar near our house.  The people who frequent it do so just as their fathers and grandfathers and probably great-grandfathers have done so, time out of mind.  They serve up the local Brains ale but I had a Guinness, as is my wont,  and we played the Beatles and Meatloaf on their, and I use the term loosely, jukebox.  We sang along and others joined in - it was magical.  We celebrated our last night by going to our local bar and getting dinner and then headed off to two of our favourite seedy clubs.  On these adventures we dragged poor American Joe.  American Joe is a student from Virginia who did an exchange program a year and a half ago and is now jumping into our Venue 13 team.  He's on my team actually.  He's been a pretty good sport about the things we've made him tag along to do, sweet kid.

I miss my house.  I hate that my stuff is in a storage unit on City Rd.  I can't believe that when I come back from visiting California I will be living in London and not my lovely Cardiff.  I'll just have to visit Wales often to get my fix.  And to clear my lungs, London had chewy air, like LA.  Luckily, first before I visit Claremont I will be camping in Pembrokeshire.  I miss camping and it's a part of Wales that I have not had the pleasure of seeing.  I miss my room, my overgrown back garden, my chip shop... sigh.

Our first day in Edinburgh has been great.  We unloaded, moved everything in and hung the truss, rigged the lights and Shannon and I got to organize this pit under the stage where we keep the props and set pieces for the shows.  We have this cute system for organizing tea for tea breaks, there's a chart showing how everyone takes their tea and a piece of electrical tape across the counter with everyone's name and their mug is right there so it's all set up so easily.  Tea breaks are a big deal here.

Gonna try to blog everyday whilst I'm at the Fringe - we'll see

Love you guys!