PIra, Pira, Pira

Hi,

I've been very busy since last posting...

Throughout July I organised the shipping of the Islands set to Cyprus, through the very friendly but uncommunicative Andreas Shipping Co. I spent a day making some very sturdy boxes to transport some of the props, of which I am immensely proud!! I was in constant contact with Nicoleta Kalatha, the most hardworking person I think I've ever met, who organised our tour of Cyprus (as well as creating all the brilliant videos in the show). I sent her the lighting plans, tech details and much more, also sending these documents to Carlos Belda for the Tenerife leg of the tour.

In mid July we took Contes Dores for a spin for two days, performing two shows in Norwich at a primary language teachers conference, before driving to Alnwick to perform at a primary languages festival for children from schools in Northumberland. Both gigs went down very well, and we had the pleasure of welcoming back Geraldine, who devised and performed in the original version many moons ago.

I also got on with preparing our next show for touring, La Pelota Magica, which involved a lot of disinfecting and washing, as mice have taken a shine to the store...everything is very clean now, and mouse deterrents are installed in the store - I had to evict a family from a box of shoes, which was pretty upsetting, but I had no choice if I wanted to avoid completely re-propping the whole show!

In early August I somewhat nervously said goodbye to the Islands set, as it was picked up by Andrews Shipping Co and sent to Cyprus...two weeks of anxious waiting ensued, before I received confirmation that it had arrived at the theatre in Cyprus from Nicoleta.

I took two weeks of well earned holiday, enjoying lie ins and the banal but thoroughly satisfying task of repairing my car and getting it through its MOT.

And on the 29th of August I left Newcastle for Paphos, Cyprus with Becky Jameson to begin our Cyprus tour of Islands. I am writing from my hotel room, at1am, having just finished our final run through before the dress rehearsal tomorrow morning. We open tomorrow evening, with the director Franzi having made a number of changes to the show. New scenes have been added, existing scenes moved, and new features also, which is challenging but also satisfying as I can see a more logical and easy to understand piece developing.

I've been passing my knowledge of the show on to Dimas Cedres, the lighting technician, who will be managing the show without me in Tenerife. Thus he must know everything I know about the show before we part ways...Again, I'm delighted to be able to speak spanish, as his english is not as fluent as my spanish, and I've learnt lots of new words, such as pulea, which means pulley...etc etc!!

It's going very well, considering the heat (which is almost unbearable in the tech box), the fairly confusing changes Franzi has made to the order, and the short time span in which we've been working to...two days tech, two days rehearsals. I'm delighted to be working with Franzi and Nicoleta again, as they are such nice people and have so much experience and knowledge from which I can learn...

So tomorrow we open, and Saturday morning I (hopefully) get a lie in and some time to see Nicosia, as I have nowhere but the theatre and the hotel yet!!! Aaaah well, such is the life of a stage manager...I wouldn't change it for the world though...I really do love theatre!!!


Ok, I'm going to sleep now as the big day is tomorrow.


Until next time


Jack