Cripes, the Rank play is long and needs some serious scythe-wielding. But the reading went well, some of it sounded luvverly, other bits (the bits requiring the scythe!) bored me to tears.
The facts and stats and figures and history and the months of Arts Council-funded research, in some places, are screaming off the page and need a good kicking into the background.
It's the possibility of boring other people that really strikes fear into me. I do remember having lofty goals for creating my own type of high-octane theatre that doesn't give audiences the chance to relax or even contemplate flipping up the red velvet seat, where the laughter (I write comedy, this is important to me, maybe not to you tragedians out there) just builds and builds until people are overcome by apoplexy (you know, that kind of laughter you get when you're watching a comedian, rather than the clever-clever and smug 'I get it, you don't' titters that are so prominent in the theatre), where characters are all uber-articulate and bombard and attack each other with long streams of flowing words and lists. Course, the reality is that a lot of that has to go out the window when you take into account commercial considerations and other creatives get involved (hey, why not have a character that just grunts?) and those lists I used to dream up are, in themselves, I quickly realised, rather boring and impossible to perform. I suppose my new type of theatre had very little to do with drama and was actually lots of disjointed stand-up routines. I know better now but, when I can, I do like it all to work like a charge out of the trenches, a total and utter assault on the senses. It's all a reaction to the decade I spent as a critic when, far too much of the time, I was bored shitless. I can certainly relate to what Anthony Neilson said in yesterday's Guardian.
Much more work ahead for the Rank play then but, you never know, the end result might be quite good. If you're a theatre, just a reminder that RANK: Not Bloody Likely is available to purchase for further development.
Discovered a ridiculous distraction yesterday via Roy - Twittervision. I must admit that I can't really get my head wrapped round the point of Twitter but watching all these comments pop up from all over the world - which I did for about an hour - was a peculiarly numbing experience and one that I fear I am hooked on.
There were other distractions yesterday. Mainly the song Ta Douleur by Camille. Such a lovely, fantastically happy groove. I even know what it's about. But you can find out for yourselves. Regard:
Listening: Camille - Le Fil
2 comments:
I,m guessing it's about knitting, yeah?
Close but no cigar, Bazza!
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