Do I live in London?

I have a sneaking suspicion I do, South London actually.  I must admit it all seemed a bit like a holiday at first, living in a youth hostel, eating junk and reading and reading and reading.  Now I feel I live here, I have my own room and an oyster card and groceries and all those things that are part of just living.  I go into work each morning, I know where to stand on the platform to get the less crowded cars, I know not to speak to guys who ask me "You alright darling?" on the street and I am becoming quite familiar with the tube system as I have propped all over London.  You get a weird familiarity though, propping - I can tell you where the major sports shops are, also second hand bookstores and which ones have the best selection of classics, I can even tell you about the areas with the most flooring shops and if they sell vinyl tiles.  In the midst of my research I also looked up places more useful to me and plan to explore the markets and antique stores and charity shops (thrift stores).  London is no longer a holiday destination consisting of museums and more souvenir shops than is probable, it's a real place where you get necessities and go to work and all those everyday little occurrences.  I may even like London, they have Mexican food for one thing, it's so different from Cardiff but has its own character that I look forward to being friends with.

All that being said, I still need community, I need some eccentric people who like the Muppets, conversation and good food.  I'll find 'em, just need the patience.

Work and Housing

I don't live in a youth hostel!  I moved into a house on Sunday and it is certainly a relief.  I am living with a lovely lady named Steph who works at a church and a lady called Jennifer who works at a school.  They're both Christians which is nice since I don't work in an industry known for it's large Christian population and I miss the community.  I was very much reminded how much I miss that kind of community when I was in California for my visit and went to CCV again - gosh I love CCV.  I had dinner with my new housemates last night and it was lovely.  Getting my stuff from Cardiff to London is proving to be a bit of an ordeal, I'm taking the bus in (4 hours) and then getting a bit from my storage unit and then back on the bus the same day (another 4 hours).  So this is an all day event and will be encompassing several of my days but I have more time than I have money so this is the way it's gotta be.

I am now on my second week at the Almeida theatre, I am typing this out on my lunch break in the production office, and I am having a great quantity of fun.  The Stage Management team is all nice, Laura (CSM) and Anique (ASM) are way cool to work with and Helen (DSM) is funny although I see her less since she is in the rehearsal room.  I do get some of the little jobs, I wash a lot of mugs and fetch water and fruit and stuff, but I also help with the propping and get to go out to pick up the props and stuff  Now I know a bit more about London as well, so it's all a learning experience.  The show is set in the US so I look through endless pages of pictures of stuff that is everyday normal for me but is strange and foreign here.  How many pictures of bunches of keys do I have? 

life is strange and wonderful...

In Which London is Entirely Too Warm

I landed in London today, I had an amazing three weeks in California with some of the coolest cats ever. It was wonderful, I didn't have to make plans or sort things out, people just invited me places and then picked me up to take me to them.  It was magical.  Special thanks to Emily Versace who planned many of the events and even hosted a few - thanks Emily.  But then I could do a special thanks section that includes everyone who I saw in these last three weeks, everyone has been so great and I miss you guys already.  I hope when I visit next that it will be September again so that we can have International Talk Like a Pirate Day festivities and have a bonfire sing-a-long again and oh everything we did - we could just do those things again?  Although next year maybe we could do an afternoon tea?

So I had Tito's Tacos as my last Mexican food for a bit, it was a bit beyond delicious, and now I contemplate having a pizza downstairs in my youth hostel.  I must admit it feels a bit strange at the minute, I mean, I'm used to moving to the UK without a set address, but I'm not used to it be so ridiculously hot!  I left the desert, what gives?  I mean - it was in the eighties today! London, I'm afraid this is Fall and you're not holding up your end of the bargain, in this country we have seasons sir - get with the program.

So I mentioned I don't have a place to live yet, not to worry - the Lord has me covered.  I am in talks with a lovely lady who works at a church and I will be meeting her this weekend to see if this is the right place for me.  If not I will need to work on some other leads I have, which is far more than I had when I left for Cardiff the first time.  My placement starts Monday - so VERY excited!  For those who don't know, I am going to the Almeida, a lovely theatre with a great reputation and we'll be working on an American play so I can be all kinds of use to them.  Can't wait to get started.

Well, I should probably go find some food, stay up a few more hours then pass out from extreme tiredness.

I love you guys!!!

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.