Daily Blog 2008

Monday 25 August 2008

Well it’s ALL OVER! A great audience and Anne and Jane and Oli took their bows too. What an experience this whole thing has been. It’s been life changing. I might be broke but I am as rich as Cresus inside. There are a whole range of possiblities ahead and it’s all very affirming and exciting.

I drove Anne’s big car through to Edinburgh this afternoon, and after the show we piled everything into it. All the Rocket Venue staff came out and waved us off..a testament to Anne and Jane for being good and caring to them all at all times. Oli gave us a bunch of flowers each..I nearly cried but couldn’t cos I was in costume and make-up ready to go on. I also managed to get everyone gifts to thank them for all their hard work. Trish gave us these wonderful cards that she had made with specially composed verses for each of us. I was SO touched.

We all went back to Anne’s for a wee bite to eat and a celebratory drink, and Anne my sis was with us.

Now the work begins, to keep the momentum going and to build on what we have achieved.

WHAT A STORY!

Sunday 24th August 2008

This morning I got a call from Sean Connery’s PA. I went all jittery all over. She said that Mr Connery couldn’t make it to the show because his itinerary was full, but that he appreciated being asked, and that he loved Burns. I thanked her for getting back to me. Wow. He actually read the note. How courteous of him to get back to us. I was delighted. The rest of the team were happy too that he’d replied. Says a lot about him. If you are reading this Sir Sean, thanks a million!

We sold out again. Tomorrow is our last show and we have our get-out. I’m gonna be so sad when it finishes, but with everything in the pipeline, there’s also a lot to be looking forward to.

Saturday 23rd August 2008

Today Anne and I went to the Caledonian hotel to drop of some flowers for Sir Sean Connery. From the outset we had wanted him to come and see our show( because he’s in town for the launch of his book at the Book Festival)so here we were, a bunch of roses and thistles in our hand and a courteous card( with two terns on the front ..saying..one good tern deserves another)standing at the concierge’s desk. Inside the card we put the article by Keith Bruce, from today’s Herald( Arts and Books section…what a write up!) and a flyer for the show.

‘Is he expecting these flowers?’ says the man in the tails, with a badge on the lapel with only his first name on it.

‘Yes, ‘ we lied together.

He took them graciously.

Another step taken, another aim fulfilled.

Skelmorlie Burns club came and saw the show tonight. We were again filled to the rafters.. they loved it.

Friday 22nd August 2008

Wow, another great audience tonight. We were full up but there were no benches at the front so we all, players and audience , had space to breathe. There was a woman in the audience with an orange promoters neckband on( performers are wearing blue one’s this year), and afterwards it turns out that she’s from the Borders Gathering, and she definitely wants us down in Dumfries for the 250th Celebrations of Burns’ birth. I can’t believe all this good fortune. It is what I hoped for but it’s been a hard road to it’s manifestation. Networking in Edinburgh is for those with stamina and very healthy livers! For us fortysomethings, it’s not so easy… Looking forward to tomorrow, we’re nearly sold out…Skelmorlie Burns club are coming to see the show.

Thursday 21st August 2008

I stayed in Edinburgh last night, in a nice Hotel near Tollcross. Friends who had intended to come to the show were inadvertantly unable to come and so they said for us ( my pals of last night) to use the rooms. Very nice. Which meant I could be at the venue earlyish for flyering and the like. Also, I had a meeting in the afternoon, in connection with the email I mentioned yesterday..so I wanted to be there in good time. Louise came with me, my opera singing friend; she sounds like Kathleen Ferrier and her singing of Leider is exquisite( and other things too…she makes every song she sings sound amazing). Anyway we get to the Roxburghe and I gets on my cozzie and we go out flyering again. It’s always such a laugh and delight. Some folk are really interested and others just don’t want to make eye contact. There was a delightful couple of women, friends, ‘doing’ the festival. The slightly shorter lady, coiffed and elegant, lippy on, had a dry acute wit. Her friend, slightly taller, again elegant, was the visitor up to see her pal, but leaving today. I said to them, ‘I hope you’ve had a good time.’

The lady with the lippy says, ‘Well obviously not, she’s leaving,’

The years of understanding, the years of friendship that passed between them flashed in front of me in this one witty exchange. The taller lady gave her friend’s shoulders a squeeze. We all laughed.

I had my meeting with the person who sent me the email. Lovely woman. I SO can’t say, but all will be revealed anon. Watch this space.

The List did review us, but obviously it wasn’t their bag. They liked the singing though.

We sold out completely tonight, the audience on the benches were practically part of the action..they could see almost right up our noses. It was a good one tonight..only four more to go. Wow!

Wednesday 20th August 2008

We came in early today, me and Anne, to go to the press office to hand in the PRS form. This is a declaration regarding permissions and costs for music used during the show( saves us getting billed by the Performing Rights Scociety). The preshow music is from the CD ‘The Art of Robert Burns’ by David Johnson( Scotstown music), which they have given permission for us to use. It couldn’t be more perfect; beautiful, period accurate arrangements of the original melodies of Burns’ songs. For ever more they will remind me of this amazing experience here at the Fringe. We also photocopied the highlight of the review, ‘Breathtaking!’ **** Three Weeks, and got enough copies for stapling onto our flyers for a stint tomorrow outside the book festival.

Great house tonight. My friend Helen-Anne was there, she played Agnes Mclehose in the original version of the show. What a lovely musician she is, she plays the cello so beautifully. Other old friends were there too and Mr Campbell, storyteller extraordinaire, who I flyered the other week. He sat in the front row, kilt and pony-tail adorned, eyes twinkling. We all had a jar afterwards in The Oxford Bar, off George Street; a real pub, no music, tables arranged for discourse and general convivia.

I got a very interesting email late last night, which made my heart miss a beat. I can’t say much, but enough to say that developments and futures are suddenly real in a way I would never have imagined. More anon.

Tuesday 19th August 2008

We had to wait a while… but it was worth the wait. The review came out today, in Three Weeks, the festival review paper. FOUR STARS! Text is as follows:

‘Even if you’re not a lover of Robert Burns, I highly recommend going to see this breathtaking play, although it would help if you’re at least familiar with the Scottish accent. Alicia Devine and Patricia Mullin both give stellar performances as the women who knew, and were deeply affected by, the roguish, magnetic Rab. through the memories and accounts of his lovers, his widow and his mother we gain insight into the true life of Burns, whilst gentle and touching poems and songs interwoven with the performance, gave me goose bumps all over. These lassies are as much a laugh as they are sorrowful, and this play is as much a celebration of Burns as it is a mouring of him.

We also had an article in Three weeks which consisted of a series of questions about the play which I answered, and a lovely big picture taken at our dress run. I will put in a link to it when I’ve learnt how to do that!

The List is out tomorrow. Watch this space.

Monday 18th August 2008

Amazing things happening,so many people that have been part of the journey of my whole Burns project have emerged from the ethers and have shown up unexpectedly during the run. Latest is Eileen Reynolds. Now Eileen heard me speak a few years ago, after the initial run at the Fringe of my earlier version of Loving Burns, called ‘Burns Night’. The long and the short of it was that she sponsored the development of a two handed piece that was eventually performed in Stirling by myself and Katie her daughter. That was called ‘Taper and Sun’ and it was the forerunner of Loving Burns…so without her help and support, now, tis run, would never have happened. She and her husband saw the poster and decided to come and see the show. I was delighted.

Also today my music teacher from schoolwas in the audience. I bumped into her by chance about two weeks ago at a funeral. What a joy. Again, without her I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now. She gave me all the good parts in the operetta’s we did at school. Her generosity and goodness , I have never forgotten.

La vita e` bella as the Italians say…life IS beautiful.

Saturday 16th August 2008

The Jazz last night was wonderful. It was a theatrical piece about Thelonius Monk, punctuated by his music played by an amazing bunch of musicians one of whom was my old friend Byron Wallen, trumpet player and composer extraordinaire . Hadn’t seen him in years. Wonderful to catch up with him. He came and saw the show tonight and loved it.

I went flyering again…I’m loving it outside those gates, engaging with all those disparate people. Today I was joined by my artist sister, Anne, who had styled her hair in Georgian fashion in solidarity with me. I nearly ended myself laughing when I saw her( as did she!). The results from the flyering today were that three people came who previously hadn’t thought to come and AGAIN we sold out. There was a real buzz. My friend Nicola was there too, with her hubby Simon, and six week old baby Joseph in her arms( he was wonderful throughout.. not a peep from him). It was a sea of benevolent faces at the end of the show. Our audiences seem to really respond to Burns… no matter what Jeremy Paxman says. For the first time in the run I’m beginning to relax. All we need now STILL, is a review.

Friday 15th August 2008

I flyered again outside the book festival since it was so effective yesterday. My friend Jill came with me today. We took up our stations and went to it, this time unencumbered by our friend from the Big Issue. Yesterday when he’d started shouting, ‘ Burns was an alkie, Burns was an alkie!’ I knew it was time to head off! But it was a quieter, more vulnerable looking chap there today, who, although he seemed less adept at shifting his magazines, didn’t interfere and seemed to accept our presence( as we did his).

We flyered for about one hour. At one point, an older man, in a kilt, walked towards me. He was tall, had long hair in pony tail, a hat on his head, and his eyes danced. My opening gambit to him was,’ You must be!’

‘What?,’ says he

‘A Burns lover,’ says I

At which point he takes my hand, in a very charming way, and says, ‘Oh yes, I love Burns.’ Oh yes I’m thinking , and you seem to have inherited his charming way wi’ the lassies too.

I ask him his name. David Campbell…storyteller. And well he has a few to tell if that twinkle in his eye is to be believed think I.

What a charmer. I give him a flyer and he gives me a hug. Nothing like a bit of a flirty to get a smile on the face and a wee tra-la-la on the tongue. he didn’t come to the show but we sold out tonight nevertheless. They had to put in more benches and the audience could practically see up our noses. Fabulous. Now all we need is a review.

I’m off to a jazz concert tonight.

Thursday 14th August 2008

I decided today to flyer outside the Book Festival in Charlotte Square; bookish types are bound to love Burns I thought. You know the kind; glasses, grey hair, wear flat shoes and ride bikes-well as far as I could tell with all the bikes chained to the railings outside Charlotte Square Gardens. I know that description of a book festival attendee is just as sweeping a generalisation as saying, for example, that all Scots drink Irn Bru’…but it’ll do for now.

I got all dressed up in my period underwear..stays and chemise and a long black skirt, my hair tucked up into the cap I wear for Agnes Broun( it has lush lace framing the face..I thought the lush lace would draw the crowds if the cleavage didn’t). So I took my place at the gate of the Book Festival, and starting pitching my show to all who entered. At one point I stepped on to the cobbles just beyond the entrance and a nasal, cracked voice barked, ‘Yer no allowed in ‘er! And while yer at it, dinna walk in front o’ me, yiv done it ‘hree times already!’The dulcit tones of the ‘Big Issue’ seller blasted my ears.

Though there was no square meter mapped out on the pavement indicating his patch, I was obviously tresspassing and that ‘Wis just no on’. Despite pleasantly replying that I was unaware of a) not being allowed beyond the railings of the gates to the book festival while flyering and b) that this was his patch for selling his magazine, he unpleasantly refused to be understanding. I thought it best to desist and ignore him.

On I went plugging my show. I engaged people with first, a smile then a pleasant hello and then hit them with my unique selling point: THE ONLY SHOW ABOUT BURNS IN THE FESTIVAL. People are so intruiging. Some actively avoided any eye contact so that they could be spared the blurb and the piece of paper, but others, stopped and chatted. I met a lovely American woman. She wore a beret on her head and a shawl around her shoulders, she had metallic grey hair, lovely eyes: an attractive woman in her fifties. She said she loved Burns, and so did her husband. She took my flyer with grace. Another lady from Alloway, just up from where the Bard was born, took my flyer and said she’d been looking for something to fill an hour before the tatoo that night. Then there were the two Scottish Asian women, munching on their lunch, bedecked in their bright sari’s and gold jewellery. I said they were just the kind of women whom I’d love to see going to my show, though I did warn them about the sweary words, ‘Och,’ said the younger one, ‘You should hear the language o’ oor husbands!’

Anyway, tonight the American lady and the woman from Alloway were both in the audience along with another couple who had taken the flyer this afternoon. The wee Asian women didn’t show, but still I was pleased I’d done my bit to boost the bums on seats . We had a total of about 24; when I had checked earlier the total had been seven. Result I think!

Wednesday 13th August 2008

Good show today. Afterwards, I caught a glimpse of Richard de Marco in the lobby of our venue. He is an impresario, one of the Fringe’s founders and a friend; a man more unique would be hard to find. He had sent a lovely man to see the show, Krzysztof Noworyta, Head of Programming for the National Centre For Culture, Warsaw, Poland. Quel joie! We all had a drink afterwards, with Richard being entertaining as always. Teri Newman, his PA, passed around the ‘book’. The book is Richard’s document of this years fringe. He has documented every Edinburgh Fringe festival since the sixties, so it’s good to be part of that history. So into this book we wrote our names and addresses, and Teri took some snaps. We were then joined by Giles Ramsay, a theatre director who is working with young Zimbawean artists, in Zimbabwe. They do shows there where at the end, they don’t know how much the electricity for the show has cost them because of the rampant inflation. Yet still they do it; communicating, subverting terror, entertaining, lifting people beyond their immediate situation. That is what theatre is about in my book. Peter Brook, the great theatre director, said once that the purpose of modern theatre used to be about shocking audiences, because that was what was needed. Now however, he says that theatre has to remind us about what we’ve lost as people of this world. That’s what I aspire to both as a performer and as a writer.

Tuesday 12th August 2008

What a fabulous audience tonight. The place looked packed..and in the small space we have, where the capacity is described as 36…twenty looked pretty full to me. My nieces came tonight..to gorgeous gals sitting in the front row, beside a theatre friend of mine, Maggie Rose, who I worked with on a project a couple of years ago at the Arches called I Confess. It was a series of specially written five minute monolgues which the actors delivered one-to -one with the audience members. Through Maggie’s determination and tenacity, this series of monologues by established and emergent Scottish writers( of which I was one) was published by Fairplay press this year. In March , a contingent of us went to Milan, to Maggie’s university and spoke about the experience and performed a few of the monologues. What a great time was had by all in bella Milano.

Denise and James Conroy, two amazing, talented and generous people, with their wonderful daughter Jessica were also in the audience tongiht. Denise was the inspiration , engine and power- house behind the second fundraiser in Helensburgh, where we managed to raise a further £800. ( that story is still to be told in the fundraiser blog)

It rained all day today in Edinburgh, dreich, grey, sodden miserable August weather. Welcome to summer in Scotland.

Monday 11th August 2008

Good day today. I went through to Edinburgh early, after dithering about whether to let the train take the strain or shout expletives at speed fascists on the M8 behind the wheel of my trusty Punto. The Punto won, only because I had to pick up Anne’s stage manager bag of tricks from her house, and then dash back home again to check that I’d turned the cooker off after making my ‘dark, black awakener’( thankyou Robin Fitzpatrick for that lovely phrase) cup of Lavazza coffee in my blue machinetta. I’d turned it off, phew! Into the car again and dashed like a maniac( my sister calls riding in the car beside me ; the white knuckle ride)through to edinburgh for a talk on touring after the Fringe. It was a bit overwhelming as there is SO much to do, so many people to contact, so many folk to invite to see the show, in the hope that they like it and pick it up for touring. I gave a flyer to two of the promoters who were there…I hope they’ll be able to come. I decided that mornings must be spent chasing these folk. Tomorrow I will set to!

Show went well today. A new , young company are in before us, thoosands of them. What strikes me is there energy and verve and sheer determination to make their festival experience work for them. They are a lovely bunch who have worked very hard to get to Edinburgh… and very kindly have allowed us access into the dressing area in time for our half( thirty-five minutes before the show goes up). I hope they do really well.

Saturday 9th August 2008

I woke up today, feeling like I’d been drugged. The exhaustion is seeping in-or maybe it’s the cold I have, with the sneezing and runny nose and tickly cough that has been developing steadily these last few days. I am telling myself that it won’t become full blown, that my voice will hold up and I won’t develop pneumonia or anything nasty, not until the show finishes at least! I’ve been taking remedies…but I think it’s a holiday that’s needed.

More techy trouble before the show today which delayed our start again; gremlins like these are inevitable at the Fringe. It was a good show tonight, I really thought it was going very well, and then in the last scene my throat started to tickle. Not just a wee tickle, but a not-to-be-ignored tickle. Trish was in full flow, I couldn’t possible cough. I started to heave with the effort of suppressing it; my face went red, the tears flowed down my face, I thought I was going to explode. My turn at last. I coughed! But it wasn’t enough. My throat was so constricted I could hardly speak. I channelled this and the tears into my acting and made out that Jean was very upset. I had to cough again, but still the irritation was not appeased. Trish’s turn again. I started saying ‘Hail Mary’s’ to calm me and my irritable anatomy down. No luck. My turn again, cough cough, tears streaming ( like an allergic reaction). Now I had to sing. Couldn’t. Voice was all over the shop. Again tried to make it look that Jean was so upset she couldn’t sing. Trish came in early in the song to help me out. Thank God! End of show. We took our bow’s and were off. I was so upset I couldn’t even strike the set with the others. These things happen, but it’s terrible when it happens ON STAGE. You feel so exposed…as if you are standing at the mouth of hell just perched to drop into the void! Anyway, I just have to notch it up as yet another weird and wonderful experience in my life of treading the boards. Day off tomorrow, a day of sleeping, cleaning, and laundry; bliss.

Friday 8th August 2008

Well, what a day! Lots to tell.

We started early today so that we could flyer on the High Street (aka the Royal Mile). Anne, our trusty dresser and ready -for -anything ASM( always has a kirby at hand), had rallied her fabby daughter Mairi and her pals Marie and Hannah to give us a hand. Trish and me were in our period underwear, and we’d raided the costume basket for caps for the girls.There is a pic but I haven’t quite got to grips with the technology yet. It will be here anon. Anyway, we all had interesting experiences engaging with Joe Public. One guy; big, Hell’s Angel type, built like a tank, black heavy-metal Tshirt, shades and longish shaggy grey hair in a pony tail, strolling down the Mile with his woman, seemed a likely target.

‘I think you’re going to love this show,’ was my opening, charming gambit.

‘No I won’t,’ said he after a swift glance at the flyer in my hand.

‘I know you you will,’ said I, determined to stay cheery and positive.

‘No, I fuckin’ won’t.’ came the reply.

I nearly ended myself laughing!

Most folk, on the whole were very approachable and getting into the spirit of the buzz on the Mile… performers of all sorts out punting their shows; contortionists, singers, acrobats, actors .

We jumped a taxi back to the venue to get ready for the show. Get-in time is 17.20hrs. we were all ready at 17.25, but one of the lights on the rig blew, so the techy’s from the venue had to go get another light which delayed our start time a wee bit. So there we were, Trish and I giving it laldy. It was really cooking tonight. Trish was on stage, playing Lizzie Paton, Burns’ first lover, a foul mouthed lassie who helped around the Burns household. Anyway, in the middle of singing one of Burns’ bawdy songs, ‘Wha’ll mow me now’, just as she sang the word c***t, the fire alarm went off! Trish said after she’d thought it was the politically correct police after her. Anne had to step in and stop the show, clear the screens and usher the audience quickly out through the emergency exits. There is no confirmation of the rumour that the men hot-footed it first when they realised the room was called ‘The COCKBURN’!

That was it for the night. The wait for the all clear from the Fire Brigade( out on Charlotte Square) meant that we couldn’t continue without scuppering the schedule for all the other companies that were coming after us;( they run a tight ship at our venue). All our audience members( all six of them) were offered comps for a future performance. Let’s hope they come back. Their feedback was unanimously positive.

We all felt a bit flat on the train home, faintly unfulfilled . But we cheered ourselves up by singing theme tunes from old children’s TV programmes, like: Belle and Sebastian, Follyfoot, The Flashing Blade and On White Horses. Yes, I know, we’re giving ourselves away here; we worked out that our combined age between the four of us is 186!

Thursday 7th August 2008

Good start to the day today, because, having been informed by the VERY nice train conductor yesterday that the cheapest way to travel to Edinburgh was by group saver, today we got four tickets for the price of two saving us twenty quid! Wish we’d kent that last week! On the train, me and Trish do hair and makeup (there ain’t no time at the venue to do this as visitation rights to the dressing area are restricted.) So there we are, me moussing the front of my hair for the curlers that create the right Georgian look for the lacy cap, and Trish, making herself up with all the expertise of the touring thesp. Today there was a man sitting diagonally opposite us. He sat with his laptop and looked very serious and intent on doing his work! However I could tell he was earywigging our conversation, as a faint smile lingered on his lips. Never one to miss an opportunity, I got out a flyer, and went over to him and said, ‘Come to our show, the only Burns play on at the Fringe.’

‘Oh, ‘ said he, ‘ I was wondering what kind of show it was.’ At which point he glanced up at my head, which was now enwrapped, turban like, in a scarf to hide the hair( though no curlers today because muggins here forgot them- and all my make-up) so that I wouldn’t make quite such a fool of myself traipsing up Shandwick place. Instead I just make a poultice of myself on the train!

Again the audience were very appreciative. The press were in today, from the British Theatre Guide. I felt a bit disgruntled at the end, I felt less than one hundred percent happy with my performance. However , some days can be like that. It might have had something to do with the red-snapper and the vino last night. Mmm…early to bed tonight methinks!

Wednesday 6th August,

Third performance, lovely audience though they were very quiet; but from the stage I could see their smiling faces. I’m constantly fascinated at the different ‘feel’ of every audience. Some are more vocal; laugh at all the right bits, laugh at some bits you didn’t expect, then you know they’re right with you. The temptation then is to play it all for laughs . That works sometimes ; there’s nothing like the buzz of making the audience laugh, but sometimes you’ve got to concentrate extra hard so that the balance of the scene doesn’t shift too far from what you’d found in rehearsal. I remind myself that I haven’t to stop telling the story.

Old friends in the audience too tonight, wonderful. We went out after for food. The red-snapper I had was rather tasty.