Wednesday, February 15, 2006

A lack of response from theatre PRs following yesterday's revelations that I would no longer need plying with alcohol in return for a nice review. Apart from Sheffield Theatres, who said the news was "sad" and added some other nice comments that made me feel all slushy. I forget, of course, that being a PR in the arts world is a very intensive job that takes up many, many hours and that replying to my heartfelt "So long, goodbye, auf wiedersehen" message would eat into their valuable time. You don't think they nurtured a friendly relationship with me just to, gulp, secure press coverage, do you? I feel used.

Another parking ticket yesterday to throw in the car boot with the other unpaid ones. Headed home and read the script with M and pinpointed a few problems in advance of tonight's meeting. I feel I'll need to exert my authorship and chair the meeting, lest it all spiral out of my grasp and I start sulking and, even worse, start wondering what the actual point of being "me" is. I find it hard to articulate my ideas unless they're presented as a fait accomplis and I struggle to explain what I want in the grammar that theatrical sorts require (how on earth did I survive as a theatre critic for so long?) so am currently drawing up a big list of points to make. This is the tricky part of the collaborative process that putting on a play is - the start of the collaboration. Up until now it's just been me, a laptop and the USB memory stick travelling everywhere in my pocket. Now someone else wants to stick their oar in. It's inevitable. It's exciting. It all serves the play and will result in Sully being the best piece of theatre it can be. But it also hurts.

Listening: Richard Aschcroft - Keys To The World

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