Microfiction Monday #56 & #10

Autumn is here and Microfiction Monday is back, here's the photo:


And here's my attempt:

She shivered.

There was definitely a chill in the air.

"I must be getting old", she sighed, "I remember when all this was green."

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And here's the tenth, picture:


Here's my response:

Apart from at Christmastime, Santa didn't expect letters.

The restraining order was a missive too far.

He'd been a very bad boy...

The Death Of The Death Of Tintagel

Tonight is the last night of The Death Of Tintagel. There is apparently another review in the TLS, bus since I can't seem to get hold of a copy it'll have to wait, but more extraordinarily we even made the Malaysian press.

You can still buy tickets here

The Death Of Tintagel Cast & Crew
Ygraine: Vera Chok
Tintagel: Freddie Machin
Belangere: Caroline Kilpatrick
Aglovale: Adrian Gillott
First Handmaiden: Grace Willis
Second Handmaiden: David Black
Third Handmaiden: Catriona James

Writer: Peter Morris
Director: Vik Sivalingam
Producer: Anna Sulan Masing
Marketing: Jessica Stanley
Lighting by Jason Osterman
Graphic/Web Design: Federico Zinelli
Sound: Austin Spangler
Music: Alejandro Pelaez
Stage Manager: Teresa Gage
Costumes: Charlotte Randell
Props: Marc Barnes
Marketing & Party: Danielle Addley

TLS Review and Crossword Answers to follow...

Malice In Wonderland

A few months ago, the actors from A Dickens Of A Christmas 2008 heard from the liquidators, that despite our best efforts (and being featured on Watchdog), none of the money owed to us is going to be heading our way.

I was resigned to this, despite really needing the money. I had left a good job as a hospital porter for an acting job. That was always the plan, but then the acting job defaulted on my payment. As a result of this show, 2009 began for me with my finances in a shocking state and this blog was born out my frustrations and in an attempt to remind myself what I did, whilst going through a period in which nobody wanted to pay me for it. As the credit was crunching, nobody seemed to want to pay me for anything.

Once again my finances are in a less than impressive state and as if to add insult to injury, Dickens impressario Adrian Walker is back with a new show, another Christmas party this time based on Alice In Wonderland. Talking to Event Magazine he said: "In 2008 I had only paid myself £20,000 in salary up to the point the event was supposed to take place.", it's difficult to have sympathy when I can think of a group of people who would love to live on only £20,000, but then I'm sure Mr Walker accustomed to better.

Another quote in the article: "That it failed was my fault, I hold my hands up, but I’m not some guy who is going to fly off to Rio" paints a picture of a bungling businessman who made a mistake and I'm willing to believe that could well be the case, but this is still the same man that pulled a show after selling more tickets than the capacity of the venue, rather than running the event at a loss and being able to disappoint fewer revellers, pay his employees and face fewer angry creditors months later.

The Event Magazine article also states that Walker claims that some people that attended his event in 2007 have already booked for this one. I would be astonished if any from the year after would do like wise.

As a result of our experiences in 2008, Walker's Amazing Events was blacklisted by Equity and he is organising this event under a different company name: GRI Events. In these times of almost puritanical austerity I would hate to see people out of work and at Christmas no less, but it would be remiss of me not to warn all actors, stage technicians, promoters, caterers, security staff, waiters and potential customers and partygoers to think twice about engaging in this.

Tellingly, at the time of posting, the website's testimonials page is not working...

Microfiction Monday #55 & #9

Microfiction Monday celebrates Halloween:


And here's mine:

She's heading down your street.
Calling "Trick and treat."
Misbehaving at your door.
Nobody told her it should have been "Or."

- - - - -

And the ninth Microfiction Monday.


Here's my response:

He wept when he finally saw the sea. They'd trained for the surfing contest in the absence of water. The horse was always going to drown.

The Echo May Whisper

The Death Of Tintagel has been reviewed:

REMOTEGOAT.CO.UK
Reviewer: Chris Bearne
28th October 2010
4 stars


"Magic in the Dark Tower"
Its genesis a long-forgotten symbolist marionette piece by Maeterlinck, the man remembered perhaps only for Pelleas and Melisande (and The Blue Bird. which was eventually to emerge as a gem of Hollywood arcana), this new treatment of The Death of Tintagel by Peter Norris (sic) is a surprise and a delight, something rich and strange, compelling and cathartic.

The scenario could be written on the back of an 1894 envelope : Matriarch Queen summons home with murderous intent her grandson, Tintagel to pre-Arthurian keep ; sisters Ygraine and Bellangere can do little to save him ; the Queen's handmaidens will prevail and bear him off to death in the underworld …

And this was written for puppets? Unpromising? Not in the hands of this writer and this company.

In black box theatres, on a good day with a good play, you can hope for immediacy and atmosphere … the spectacular, maybe not. Surprise. This piece is directed (by Vik Sivalingam) and staged with economy of means and abundance of imagination (set by Nik Corrall, costumes by Charlotte Randell), including at least two transformational coups de theatre that are literally breathtaking. I can reveal the plot, but these you have to come and experience for yourself. All this was enhanced by clever and resourceful lighting (Jason Osterman), hackles-raising sound (the Chorus and Austin Spangler - loved the amplified shears!) and some beautifully-gauged music by Alejandro Pelaez.

I seem to have begun with how the thing looks and sounds, and I'll leave it that way - it is a hallmark of this production, and pretty exceptional in fringe theatre - but this is not to detract one iota from the text or the company's delivery of it. The ongoing "thing" about the speaking of verse has become a bit of a bore, I know - why do so many actors gabble classical text, these days? - but here we have new verse writing, quirky, poetical and arresting … and delivered with relish and clarity, in particular by Vera Chok (a compelling Ygraine) and Freddie Machin (engaging and poignant boy/man Tintagel). As the eunuch Aglovale, Adrian Gillot (sic) is particularly adept in understating the text, as befits his unavailing yet illuminating character, while Caroline Kilpatrick's ever-almost-lacrimose Bellangere's words rightly speak louder than her actions.

This leaves the chorus, the "handmaidens" (read Fates), whose task (apart from offing Tintagel, that is …) is to induct us into the world of the dark tower, the powers at play, the inevitable outcome and the language in which we are to hear all unfold … oh, and a few gags into the bargain. Yes, there is light relief in there, I'm glad to say, but of the kind that is wholly in keeping with the sardonic attitude of this fateful threesome, whose otherliness is beautifully expressed in both costuming and movement, the latter I would think offering more than a nod to Maeterlinck's original marionette vision.

- - - - -

We are also Time Out's 'Best of Fringe' again:


You can still buy tickets here

Microfiction Monday #54 & #8

It's Microfiction Monday once more. Here's the photo:


And here's mine:

It was the longest of summers.
The summer that would change everything.
The summer that would change who they were.
Except for one of them.

- - - - -

Here's the eighth, here's the photo:


Here's my response:

Lily was starting to wonder whether this baptism thing was really worth all the hassle.

The Death Of Tintagel This Week

The first night is the 25th of October, the show runs until the 6th of November (except on Sundays) at 7.30pm.

People Show Studios,
Pollard Row,
London,
E2 6NB

Buy tickets here

Time Out has made us their 'Best of Fringe'.


In addition to the show itself there will be a post show Q&A on Thursday the 28th of October entitled: 'Do Killer Vaginas Have Teeth!?'


And a Halloween Party on Saturday the 30th of October called: Dark Tales, at the Tart bar, 117 Charterhouse Street, London, EC1M 6AA (behind the Fluid bar) at 7pm, £3 or come after the show that night.


Our designer Nik Corrall has put together a fantastic little trailer, which unfortunately I don't know how to post here, but you can see it on The Death Of Tintagel's facebook.


Buy tickets here