(no subject)
Hmmm. Long time since my last update, therefore lots of things to be mentioned.
Novmber and December have been crazy busy. I’m used to it being the time of year when the work dies off to almost nothing until March, but I must be doing something right because it really feels like the Summer crush has only just ended with the turn of the year. Four days off in all of December? What’s that about? Still, I’ll be glad of the cash in February.
The Beard of Mighty was trimmed in early November. It had served its purpose and was simply too mighty a beard for an HRVIII day I had coming up. Naturally, a few hours later I was offered two Victorian gigs for which the beard would have been ideal, but them’s the breaks. It’d be nice to think that I’d be offered work every time I bothered to shave, but I doubt it actually works that way.
Christmas starting in November (or even earlier) normally makes me very grumpy. I feel quite strongly that putting up and decorating a tree shouldn't happen until Christmas Eve and I get heartily sick of the Christmas tunes that blare incessantly from every shop throughout the month. The two Victorian events were ridiculously festive, however, with roasted chestnuts, reindeer, mulled cider, a brass band, carol singing, some simply amazing period cookery displays, a steam driven carousel and snow machines filling the air with white flakes even though the sky was bright and clear. I’ve never wished anyone a Merry Christmas and felt it quite so much. I had a slight fear that someone would say “God Bless us, every one!” and trigger my Tiny Tim Rage, but it never actually happened (in my hearing, at least).
Casting changes between Osborne House on the Isle of Wight and Audley End House in Essex meant I went from being low status chestnut seller to chief carol singer after having returned the top hat I’d borrowed, but that just made a good excuse to buy one of my own. It was too small when it arrived, but steaming it over the kettle and stretching it directly onto my head worked a treat. I might have been somewhat overdressed for an afternoon of dealing with emails and invoices, but I defy anyone with a new topper not to wear it at every opportunity.
While on a ciggy break at Audley End house, I noticed on facebook that Frisky and Mannish were asking for extras to help with filming a couple of videos. Though certain they’d have already found the ten volunteers they needed, I sent off an email anyway and was very pleased to get an email back inviting me to join them at a burlesque club in Soho the following day. Better still, Jess had also scored a place. As to be expected from F&M, it was simultaneously extremely clever, extremely silly and a very great deal of fun. The 'week or two' timescale has long since passed with no sign of the videos, but be in no doubt that I’ll post links one they're available.
Since we were in the West End anyway, Jess and I decided to take in an evening show as an early present for her birthday the following week. We agreed on a short list of three to consider but took it as a sign when our route to Leicester Square took us past the Queen’s Theatre and Les Miserables. I’d seen it something like 22 years ago and did my best to answer Jess’s questions about whether it was all sung or whether there was any dialogue, what the general story was and whether the lyrics would be clear enough for her to follow, but any doubt as to whether it had been a good choice were wiped away when I turned to her after the first scene and she just said "This is awesome!".
December was extremely busy, mainly with work at the Tower of London. Lots of music and nine-mens-morris has been played, let me assure you! There was also rehearsals with Past Pleasure and Trouvere for the five day Christmas event at the end of the month. Gruelling, but worth it, and that goodness I didn’t have a recurral of last year’s Jovian Whale Flu (or whatever it was that I actually had). Pics are up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/53081736@N00/sets/72157628709228011/ .
Went to see Jerusalem on the 30th and enjoyed it very much indeed. Admittedly, I found myself nodding off in the first act (I was exhausted and sitting in a comfy seat in semi-darkness!), but was riveted by the second and third acts. Very interesting conversation with actor friends during the interval. They were all “Mark Rylance is amazing!” while I was all “Isn’t the set cleverly designed? And have you noticed the subtle changes in the lighting?” I had to laugh at how perfectly it illustrated that they went to dram school and I did Theatre Studies. Great play, though, and I’ll absolutely be learning fat chunks of it to use at Ornithocracy.
A couple of years ago I stretched my comfort zone of C15/16th backwards to include the C12th-14th and, with the increasing number of Victorian gigs I seem to be getting offered, it would seem to be time to start paying attention to later periods as well. It looks like 2012 will be the year I start catching up with the modern age, albeit only very very slowly…
The Tower Christmas ended on NYE and I crashed out as soon as I got home before spending the next two days at Hamptopn Court Palce hanging out of windows and climbing up to dusty minstrels galleries (where the dusty minstrels play, presumably) in order to take pictures. The HCP team got much more camera love than the Tower team, but I’m not repentant since I (obviously) don’t appear in any of the pics I took! Tudor Christmas shots are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/53081736@N00/sets/72157628708733095/ .
At the end of the month I am booked in for ‘School of the Sailor’, a course for re-enactors and historical interpreters aboard the Golden Hind down in Devon. Two days of reefing topsails, climbing the rigging, navigating by the stars and similar nautical activities. Theoretically, the skills I’ll learn can be pretty much universally applied from C16th to C19th, but the emphasis is very much on the great age of sail, described as late C17th to mid C19th. That’s very much outside my zone of knowledge, but I’m not going to let such a thing stop me from running away to sea.
I’m doing some preparatory reading on my Kindle (a wonderful device which I’m kicking myself for having not bought earlier). Longitude was less rewarding than I’d hoped, but I have very much enjoyed Hornblower. Kind of Boy’s Own adventure stuff, but a page turner nonetheless. I’m also booked in for the Grand Regency Ball in Bath next September. Sure, that’ll just be for fun rather than anything professional, but if I’m going to do it then I want to do it right, which means learning about the clothing of the period and either making or buying some. Oh, the pain and the trauma of needing to buy kit and having standards such as it needs to be good kit...
Novmber and December have been crazy busy. I’m used to it being the time of year when the work dies off to almost nothing until March, but I must be doing something right because it really feels like the Summer crush has only just ended with the turn of the year. Four days off in all of December? What’s that about? Still, I’ll be glad of the cash in February.
The Beard of Mighty was trimmed in early November. It had served its purpose and was simply too mighty a beard for an HRVIII day I had coming up. Naturally, a few hours later I was offered two Victorian gigs for which the beard would have been ideal, but them’s the breaks. It’d be nice to think that I’d be offered work every time I bothered to shave, but I doubt it actually works that way.
Christmas starting in November (or even earlier) normally makes me very grumpy. I feel quite strongly that putting up and decorating a tree shouldn't happen until Christmas Eve and I get heartily sick of the Christmas tunes that blare incessantly from every shop throughout the month. The two Victorian events were ridiculously festive, however, with roasted chestnuts, reindeer, mulled cider, a brass band, carol singing, some simply amazing period cookery displays, a steam driven carousel and snow machines filling the air with white flakes even though the sky was bright and clear. I’ve never wished anyone a Merry Christmas and felt it quite so much. I had a slight fear that someone would say “God Bless us, every one!” and trigger my Tiny Tim Rage, but it never actually happened (in my hearing, at least).
Casting changes between Osborne House on the Isle of Wight and Audley End House in Essex meant I went from being low status chestnut seller to chief carol singer after having returned the top hat I’d borrowed, but that just made a good excuse to buy one of my own. It was too small when it arrived, but steaming it over the kettle and stretching it directly onto my head worked a treat. I might have been somewhat overdressed for an afternoon of dealing with emails and invoices, but I defy anyone with a new topper not to wear it at every opportunity.
While on a ciggy break at Audley End house, I noticed on facebook that Frisky and Mannish were asking for extras to help with filming a couple of videos. Though certain they’d have already found the ten volunteers they needed, I sent off an email anyway and was very pleased to get an email back inviting me to join them at a burlesque club in Soho the following day. Better still, Jess had also scored a place. As to be expected from F&M, it was simultaneously extremely clever, extremely silly and a very great deal of fun. The 'week or two' timescale has long since passed with no sign of the videos, but be in no doubt that I’ll post links one they're available.
Since we were in the West End anyway, Jess and I decided to take in an evening show as an early present for her birthday the following week. We agreed on a short list of three to consider but took it as a sign when our route to Leicester Square took us past the Queen’s Theatre and Les Miserables. I’d seen it something like 22 years ago and did my best to answer Jess’s questions about whether it was all sung or whether there was any dialogue, what the general story was and whether the lyrics would be clear enough for her to follow, but any doubt as to whether it had been a good choice were wiped away when I turned to her after the first scene and she just said "This is awesome!".
December was extremely busy, mainly with work at the Tower of London. Lots of music and nine-mens-morris has been played, let me assure you! There was also rehearsals with Past Pleasure and Trouvere for the five day Christmas event at the end of the month. Gruelling, but worth it, and that goodness I didn’t have a recurral of last year’s Jovian Whale Flu (or whatever it was that I actually had). Pics are up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/53081736@N00/sets/72157628709228011/ .
Went to see Jerusalem on the 30th and enjoyed it very much indeed. Admittedly, I found myself nodding off in the first act (I was exhausted and sitting in a comfy seat in semi-darkness!), but was riveted by the second and third acts. Very interesting conversation with actor friends during the interval. They were all “Mark Rylance is amazing!” while I was all “Isn’t the set cleverly designed? And have you noticed the subtle changes in the lighting?” I had to laugh at how perfectly it illustrated that they went to dram school and I did Theatre Studies. Great play, though, and I’ll absolutely be learning fat chunks of it to use at Ornithocracy.
A couple of years ago I stretched my comfort zone of C15/16th backwards to include the C12th-14th and, with the increasing number of Victorian gigs I seem to be getting offered, it would seem to be time to start paying attention to later periods as well. It looks like 2012 will be the year I start catching up with the modern age, albeit only very very slowly…
The Tower Christmas ended on NYE and I crashed out as soon as I got home before spending the next two days at Hamptopn Court Palce hanging out of windows and climbing up to dusty minstrels galleries (where the dusty minstrels play, presumably) in order to take pictures. The HCP team got much more camera love than the Tower team, but I’m not repentant since I (obviously) don’t appear in any of the pics I took! Tudor Christmas shots are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/53081736@N00/sets/72157628708733095/ .
At the end of the month I am booked in for ‘School of the Sailor’, a course for re-enactors and historical interpreters aboard the Golden Hind down in Devon. Two days of reefing topsails, climbing the rigging, navigating by the stars and similar nautical activities. Theoretically, the skills I’ll learn can be pretty much universally applied from C16th to C19th, but the emphasis is very much on the great age of sail, described as late C17th to mid C19th. That’s very much outside my zone of knowledge, but I’m not going to let such a thing stop me from running away to sea.
I’m doing some preparatory reading on my Kindle (a wonderful device which I’m kicking myself for having not bought earlier). Longitude was less rewarding than I’d hoped, but I have very much enjoyed Hornblower. Kind of Boy’s Own adventure stuff, but a page turner nonetheless. I’m also booked in for the Grand Regency Ball in Bath next September. Sure, that’ll just be for fun rather than anything professional, but if I’m going to do it then I want to do it right, which means learning about the clothing of the period and either making or buying some. Oh, the pain and the trauma of needing to buy kit and having standards such as it needs to be good kit...