Preview performance - Fearless Navigator

The preview performances of this new piece about Howard Blackburn went brilliantly. I had a bit of a loss of confidence in my writing and performance of late but this gave me back some of that. The audience response was brilliant - an audience made up of people from 6 to 60 - possibly best comment being - "Story of a hero, told brilliantly and needs to be told to more people!"

Quietly confident that Mr. Blackburn and I could have a fruitful future!

The aim of the test performance was to see what audiences think it needed and quite agree that it needs sound and lights - need to create more atmosphere. The story's there now to clear up the overall look and tighten the script and performance ready to let it loose on a larger public next year!

Forgotten Sporting Heroes of Gloucestershire

This new project working in partnership with the Gloucestershire Archives and Museum In the Park in Stroud is underway. Four forgotten sporting heroes each with a connection to Gloucestershire have been chosen and a preview/test performance of one - Howard Blackburn who sailed solo across the Atlantic from Gloucester, Massachusetts to Gloucester, England in 1899, despite having lost all his fingers and a number of toes through frostbite - will happen next Wednesday 18th August at the Frith Centre at Gloucester Archives (the anniversary of his epic solo voyage).

Having a few problems making hands where the fingers can be there and then lost through frostbite and with the general staging of the piece - what do I use? what furniture? how much does it need and how much can be the imagination? It's always a debate that you have with theatre in odd environments like an education room but think I've now sussed this.

Two days of rehearsal and then it's on for two performances. Here's hoping it all goes well!