Wtf Tmth and all that

Let's take a quick moment to just recap on several amazing things that have happened. Now these things are not amazing in the sense that they are awe inspiring (I'm starting to think that amazing was not a good word) but sort of surprise-y, whoa, unexpectedly positive/negative stuff that is going down right now.

Joining Mercury Musical Developments.

Now you see why I say these aren't awe inspiring! The reason this is on my list is that it has taken me ages to actually do this - it's not hard, all you do is sign up and pay subs but I just have never gotten round to it. This group of writers, theatre professionals, producers, composers etc are united by their interest in writing new musical theatre (if you write something surely it is always new?). Various people I have worked with in the past are members and said "hey you should join this" but I didn't. Having joined i am just staggered at the resources available from collaborator mixers (hopefully I can find a new collaborator for Duchess of Malfi - the one I had after Margaret fell through because of other commitments), to lectures from pros like Stiles and Drewe and Sondheim which they record so you can go back and listen to the talks if you missed them or need a future reference, showcases, peer feedback sessions and so on. I think this will be a fantastic resource and I'm really looking forward to participating in this more thoroughly.

Suddenly it all seems so easy - it's not but you feel like you CAN get somewhere and that there are other people who want to do it too. That you're not some crazy person who has unrealistic dreams - that they can be realised if you apply some logic and science to the way you go about it. You finally feel like you can make it happen - that it's not about luck or being discovered. Did I know this all before? Yes, probably but joining a community who believe that and being around people determined to make it happen and hearing from the experts that this is really true is really affirming.

Working with a new collaborator.

I mentioned another project which I'm working on at the moment after a writer approached me. The show is based on the Steglitz Student tragedy and the film which was also based on those historical events, Love In Thoughts. There's only about 6 characters in the show and I am writing for a small band -very acoustic. The wow has really been working with the collaborator who is so open to ideas, has a clear vision and who isn't afraid to work in a way he wants to work in. It's nice not being the driving force behind a project for once as well and to work with someone who is committed to that project. His style is also very different as well - he writes all the lyrics first and I set them to music. He breaks from traditional rhyming patterns often which means the melodies are a lot less sweeping than I normally write. It is so refreshing to be forced to write in a different way and produce things to which you wouldn't normally be drawn.

Needing to clear my name.

So it seems there was a mix up about plans I had arranged with Margaret to have her company use the rehearsal space of my previous venue for her Edinburgh show. Co-incidentally I have no idea whether this show still features my music - I wouldn't have thought so, but you never know. Margaret approaches the venue (why not call me first?) and says she arranged it with someone who no longer worked at the theatre (why not say "I arranged it with Xander"?). It seems she didn't get the latest e-mail from me during our initial discussions in December/January/February which hasn't helped either. When she found out that the theatre had not confirmed/cancelled the provisional booking because they hadn't heard from either of us since February, Margaret uses her blog to publish an attack on me believing that I did this maliciously to her.

Such a shame really.

From my point of view, sure we fell out and we don't have anything to do with each other, but it's not all out war. It just seems to unfair I'm being bashed for something that really isn't my fault - or rather to have an intention projected onto a situation that was a misunderstanding or administrative error.

The day I left the theatre, I surrendered all control of the booking process. I guess I could have taken extra steps to remind her to check in with them or checked with her at a later date and fed back to the theatre, but I had no clue she still wanted them. I think the theatre were faced with a few bookings that I'd pencilled and knew of discussions (because I'd had to get clearance) but with no contact and me long gone, put their own bookings in. It's an unfortunate set of circumstances, but I can't really blame them. They have to make money. If I'd still been working there or if Margaret/I had confirmed in say April, this probably wouldn't have happened.

Note to self and anyone else who works in this line of business: think carefully about how you use the word confirmed. Confirmation of availability can be seen as confirmation of a booking - can be misinterpreted. Margaret believes that she "confirmed" the dates twice meaning that she said she wanted them - which isn't the same as a venue confirming a booking, which isn't the same as confirming that it's OK to give a freebie.

A learning curve huh? I can feel the pins in the Xander doll. What doesn't kill us....

Fifteen Week Plan Breakthrough

I had thought about posting this as a sort of separate thing and I might go into more detail because blogging your weight loss and search for physical hotness is very much the thing to do right now. (Aint no way I'm Youtubing my butt though!). Here are the basics...

Xander decided enough was enough when it came to being a FAT BASTARD. Xander realises that in his new job, he can afford to go to a gym. Xander realises that there is a new gym about 5 minutes walk from his flat. Turns out this gym has been up and running over a year now but hey, who's counting. Xander signs up and has his induction - actually this is kind of a funny story so I will do a separate blog on that!

Xander sets himself a 15 week goal to stop being a FAT BASTARD. Xander does about 6 weeks and feels that, although he's sleeping better (in fact dosing off at about 9.30pm - how pathetic is that for someone who used to stay up until 1am?!) and is generally healthier that he is still a FAT BASTARD.

Until week 7 or maybe week 8 - I can't remember which isn't great considering this is supposed to be a carefully monitored plan that I designed and I'm imposing on myself. Finally my body fat drops significantly and my weight dips and I think that I'm starting to look better. I was/am disappointed that I'm not seeing more immediate results but 7 weeks is really only about 15 sessions in the gym - so it's not that much at all really. The 15 week plan may soon become a 15 month plan.

Following Friends, Going Places

I'm always jealous of people who go and support their friends in professional shows because well, isn't it cool to know the people who are doing so well in their field and whom other people look up to? It's also great because you get things like insider gossip, insight into what a show or project was like and I imagine that it makes you proud that someone you know just totally kills in an area you love.

Well it suddenly struck me that this is happening to me - not that people are coming to support me (they do and I love them for it but actually I'm not great at self promotion when it comes to dragging people to stuff I'm involved in), but that people I know are going places. This realisation dawned on me as I booked tickets to see a friend of mine, Cathryn Short perform in Company at Royal Academy. I met Cathryn during Witches of Eastwick and spied her as someone with a real talent. Glances were exchanged from across the stage into the orchestra pit and we kept in touch after the show. Cathryn graduates from the Royal Academy Musical Theatre course soon. I fully expect to be sat in a West End house soon and being there to not only see a show but support a friend. That's pretty cool.

I have had this experience with other people I know who now are doing pro work but they have never been performers and it had never really clicked with me before. I just think it is so cool to say "I reckon you'll do well" to a friend and then to see them succeed.

I'll put up a review of the show when I've seen it next week!

Working in a new job for 3 months.

It's really been that long. Time has flown and it's almost 4 months now. I can't believe it. It's been difficult to settle into a much bigger organisation, an understaffed team in the middle of a restructure. However, I really enjoy the vast array of things that come up in my day and I am feeling more confident each day. I also love being in a centre so committed to each artform and the venue as a whole. It is great to be in the middle of the City - if only for the great sushi shops (mmm sushi) at lunch time and having my travel cut down from 4 hours a day to just 2 is a wonder in itself. I no longer get exhausted by the time the weekend has come round. I can get home at a decent time. It's great.

At my 3 month review I have apparently been doing very well but they are aware that I'm a bit frustrated. This is partly due to not doing exactly what I want in terms of a longer career and adjusting to the level of autonomy I've had in the past. There may be more news on this shortly!

In Times of Need

It's pretty widely thought that one of the great things about songs (and musical theatre songs probably more so) is that they have meaning to us and to our lives. That's why it makes me so angry when people write off shows either in general or specific works as being "fluffy" - what doesn't have meaning for you, may have meaning for someone else. I often find songs really helpful when coming to terms with various life events. For example, in a previous break up I thought a lot about Back To Before from Ragtime. It just seemed to sum up how I felt; that sense that things had gone too far but that there was still regret or mourning.

When my dad opened up my grandmother's eulogy he quoted a Beatles song which had been going round his head at the time. A particular lyric has stuck out for him and he used it to expand on his thoughts. I must say I have a similar approach.

This topic has been in my mind simply because tomorrow is the funeral of my uncle, Joe who died a couple of weeks ago. The death was expected because he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, but was a very sudden affair and obviously just as painful for all involved. I am comforted that the family got to stay with him for his last moments and that he had time to say goodbye to people and write some farewell notes.

In my 24 years, funerals outweigh the other life celebrations (weddings, christenings etc). In fact I've been to more than all of the other occasions put together. So what songs am I particularly drawn to? Well, I have two. The first is Days of Plenty from Little Women and the second is For Good for WICKED.

You can find either of these full lyrics sets on line but to pick out some really cool parts.

In Days of Plenty my favourite part has to be:

So believe that she mattered
And believe that she always will
You will never forget her
She'll be part of the days you've yet to fill.

I love this because it has such a sense of growth - a growth that comes from loss. I have no particularly fixed thoughts about any kind of afterlife but do take great comfort in thinking about how a person can "go on". There is often a sense that death is the waste of a life. I agree that sometimes it is a waste of potential but this lyric reminds me that we can add value to a life by building upon the way the person enriched our lives.

Also in this song I love:

I have got to learn something
How can I give her any less?

The subtle message in this line is that you have a duty to "go on" for the people that have died and that you owe them your life. I think this is very true. When my best friend from school, Phillip died in Africa there was such a sense of loss but over time I have turned that into a positive reminder that I have a duty to continue living - to battle on when things are tough because, after all, I'm not dead. When I was in my previous job and had to go into London on rough days when I had no energy - I'd snap back and think of Phil because I know that he'd be proud of me or want me to continue. I just feel I have to make the most of it.

In For Good my favourite lines come from the opening;

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return.
No I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you.

I just find this verse so beautiful. First off, the quote has a sense of fate and I love that despite some doubt in the character's mind about whether this is true, that the result is still acknowledged. Secondly, I really like the idea of a meeting - people coming into each other's lives because it recognises a time before them, a time with them and a time without them. A different state is assigned to each. It is rather like the other song in the sense that it speaks of growth. I also like the idea of mutual aid - that both people bring something to the relationship that they share and that this is a permanent change.

My second favourite bit comes from the second verse (ok I admit, I love the whole song!):

So much of me is what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a hand print on my heart
And now whatever ways our stories end
I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend.

I like this verse because it gets to the heart of shared experience resulting in growth and speaks of how much someone can teach you - exacting a lasting change in you that lives way beyond a life time or a relationship. I believe it goes further too in that you experiences with someone shape you which in turn leads others to be shaped etc etc. For someone who will probably never have children, this is particularly important to me. Like the other song, it speaks of permanence which is obviously very attractive at a time of loss.

Without doubt the best lyric in the song is:

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
but because I knew you
I have been changed for good.

Stephen Schwartz's use of the word good is very clever throughout the entire show but here it is particularly cool. The lyric speaks of the character's ambivalence about the future but what is not disputed is the lasting impact of a relationship (no matter what that relationship was).

Songs help.

An Updated Biography

Xander Hough is a freelance musician and theatre professional. He is a self taught composer, experienced orchestrator and trained instrumentalist.

Works of Musical Theatre & Drama

Xander co-wrote the musical Dracula with writers Margaret Pritchard and Grace Burson. A demo CD recording of the show features singers Katie Roehl and Jessica Lynne Cromhecke in the roles of Mina Murray-Harker and Lucy Westenra. He is working on a second, the Duchess of Malfi which will hopefully be premiered in 2009 by Curtainraiser Theatre Company in Malta.
Songs he wrote were featured in the 2007 national tour of the London Shakespeare Workout's Black Atlas which was directed by Bruce Wall. The play was described as "gripping", "moving", "powerful" and "intense" moving by BBC reviewer Helen Otter and "a joyous and affirming experience" by Artsweb Wales. Black Atlas will receive it's American premier as part of a double bill with Lifting the Mask off-Broadway in 2008.

Music by Xander was written for Bartholomew Road Production's Alexander which will be premiered at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival at The Studio at St Augustine's. The verse play about the personal life of Alexander The Great will be feature actors Constance Dalrymple, Ivan Todorov, Ben Reves, Scott McFarlane and Alek Hayes in the title role.

In April 2007, Xander worked as a copyist for the development of the musical Raindogs written by Andrew McBean (Theatreworks, Sunset Boulevard, West Side Story, NINE) which is based on Lanford Wilsoni's play Balm In Gilead. The show was premiered in London's West End afer being developed at the Actor's Centre in May 2007. The showcase featured musical theatre performers Julie Atherton (Avenue Q, Fame, Mamma Mia) and Oliver Tompsett (WICKED, Our House, Mamma Mia). The project was musically directed by Tom Deering (Aspect of Love) and Toby Higgins (Mamma Mia international tour, Little Shop of Horrors West End run). Xander's work on the project was described as "so fast" and "amazing" by the clients.

Film Works

Xander's first major film score, Leon Herbert's (Emotional Backgammon, 9 Dead Gay Guys, Dark Floors) Shoot & Score will be featured at the Pan African Film Festival in 2008. It was premiered in central London in May 2007 and was written by Darren Raymond (Shakespeare in Love, William Poel Festival). Shoot & Score features noted theatre and television actress Cathy Tyson (RSC, Grange Hill, Liverpool Nativity, Emmerdale).

Instrumental Works, Orchestration & Notation

He has also written several short pieces for woodwind instruments, songs and choral works and pieces for solo piano, some of which have won first place in regional competitions. He is currently working on Nexus - a piece for tuned percussion, drum kit and piano as well as his debut piano concerto, Phoenix.

In June 2007, Xander's string orchestra piece Stop All The Clocks (based on WH Auden's poem of the same title) was shortlisted in the Fauxharmonic Orchestra Adagio Competition out of over 160 entries worldwide. It was judged as being an"impressive work that deserve to be recognized" which "stood out in particular for outstanding quality and emotional power" by a panel featuring composer Mason Bates, violinist Laura Frautschi, and Steven Scott Smalley, master film music orchestrator and teacher. Xander has been mentored by one of the finalist's of the competition, celebrated composer Andrew Lowe Watson.

Xander Hough assisted with the set up of new independent London publishing company STAUNCH Music Publishing in August 2007. Set up by Joel Garthwaite, STAUNCH specialises in modern music by composers such as Eric Schwartz, Ashley-John Long and Andrew Keeling. Their publications include commissions by the critically aclaimed Lunar Saxophone Quartet. Xander performed copyist and score setting for many of STAUNCH's debut publications as well as setting the publisher's house style.

Xander's flute work, the Vento Flute Sonata was critically acclaimed by leading flautists Andy Findon (Harry Potter, Michael Nyman Orchestra, Lord of the Rings, WICKED, The Woman In White), Gareth McLearnon (Southbank Sinfonia, Ulster Orchestra, The London Pops Orchestra) and Gareth Hanson (Southbank Sinfonia, Guildford Philharmonic, Boston Symphony).
He has provided orchestrations and arrangements for a variety of organisations over the last three years including Oxford Gospel Choir, Pewsey Vale, Woodhouse Players, Royal Holloway Music Theatre as well as for all his own work.

Instrumentalist

Xander is a trained flautist specialising in the more unusual members of the flute family including the piccolo, alto and bass flute, playing in shows and several ensembles. He has worked on such productions as Jesus Christ Superstar (RHMT), Witches of Eastwick (OBSU Fortune Players), Annie (Pewsey Vale), Nunsense (Binfield Bards) and Stepping Out (Binfield Bards). He is also a first call flautist for Stage Fright Theatre Company performing at their debut cabaret, From West End to Broadway. Xander is one of the principle flautists for Beenham Band and has worked with soloists such as Caroline Woodhouse and conductor Robert Roscoe. He also performs with Reading Flutes which is run by flautist Clare Mellor (Trio Inspiroso). Xander is also trying to learn the saxophone but until he stops making honky noises, will keep this to the confines of his flat in central Reading.

Other Work & Experience In The Field

At Royal Holloway, University of London, Xander conducted research into performance anxiety in West End and professional orchestral musicians in London under supervision of top music psychology Liz Valentine. His work involved interviewing and psychometrically testing musicians from a variety of shows and ensembles.

Xander works at the Barbican Centre and Guildhall School of Music and Drama as an HR advisor providing support to managers and employees for their HR needs. Prior to this, he worked at the Broadway Theatre in East London as an Administration Manager. Xander worked as an executive producer providing administrative support for all in house productions including co-productions with Wishbone Publishing in December 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Xander was Marketing Officer for Beenham Band and managed campaigns for their 2006 and 2007 seasons.

He is currently taking commissions and projects for 2008 and can be contacted at mail@xanderhough.co.uk

Some Project Updates

Not really for my hundreds of blog fans but more for my own memory!

DRACULA

On the back burner really because the creative process has gone as far as it can without development. It is ready to be marketed so later in the year I might look at pitching to some theatre companies in the USA who take submissions. We have the demo music and I am going to look into getting a small number of CDs pressed so that it looks quite tidy and clean.

DUCHESS OF MALFI

Also on the back burner (all is explained below) while I secure a lyricist. I had hoped Margaret Pritchard would take on the project because I thought she would be perfect. She initially accepted and was pretty instrumental in developing the concept and how we would move the story from the 1100s to the 1930s. However, I think she quickly lost interest and just wouldn't return e-mails, text messages, facebook messages and blogpostsing. This was obviously really frustrating because I wanted to get ahead on this project. In the end I got pretty sick of this behaviour and started talking to some other writers. Margaret eventually sent apologies saying she just didn't have time given that she was working on her play, Alexander and that she couldn't get to grips with the characters. I said it was fine, I'd found someone else to replace her and big Margaret strop followed as I knew it would. Such is life in the arts; dealin wiv the divas. Rather ironic considering Margaret and I always joked that if we were ever famous for writing together that we would have public bitch fights for the media outside pretentious West End clubs.

To be honest I had felt that this was coming ever since I categorically wouldn't buy Margaret's plea for sympathy over not having her cake and eating it (i.e. coming to the UK on a conditional visa and then complaining that visa restrictions were stopping her from becoming a successful actress/director). There are many thoughts on this really which were put forward until the topic was done to death so I won't recap them too much but basically my point was that someone saying "if only I had the right visa, I'd be able to make it as an actress" just won't wash with the hundreds of struggling artists out there who understand the realities of the business. Margaret's point was that at least those people have the opportunity to try - fair enough but this "it's not fair" tantrum was basically the result of Margaret wanting it all. She had the choice of staying in the USA and following any career she wanted, but she wanted to come to London which involved a sacrifice. She gets to London, hates the restriction of her visa and then complains. Another friend of mine from the USA who has come to London summed up by saying "oh my god, anyone who can get into this country (England) should go to Leicester Square each day and kiss the pavement". True, I have never had to make the choice between industry and country but I know which one I'd pick.

All this would have been fine because I'm the sort of person who can disagree, have an argument and 10 minutes be friends again because I reject the point, not the person. Margaret obviously works in a different way and I eventually came to a bit of a realisation that, well, Margaret wanted people around her who would tell her that everything was OK and that she was always amazing and funny and that she was on track and basically provide unconditional love and support and agreement. For the record, Margaret is amazing and she is on track and everything is OK and she's very talented.

But I'm not that kind of friend.

I'm the friend that will say "I love you, but you're being unreasonable" or "get real" or "you need to think this through". I felt like I supported her in coming to the UK in the way a friend would rather than a collaborator. I helped her to get all her luggage from Heathrow to Hackney via a one hour wait at Kings Cross underground. I checked out her flat for her and I felt I supporter her in her career by writing music for her play, coming to see her perform in amateur dramatics and offering advice for her Edinburgh production including offering my company's rehearsal space. Those favours weren't repaid (for example, Margaret never came to support any of my freelance projects) and there were very few thank yous. Again, I was fine with this - but it seems that it wasn't possible for Margaret and I to work together unless we were friends (and "friends" wasn't a mutual or two way thing for her). I wasn't prepared to make that compromise so we have pretty much gone our separate ways. Maybe our paths will cross in future professionally. Maybe one day we will be really good friends. I don't know.

Anyway wasn't I supposed to be talking about Duchess of Malfi? Well at the moment I am in talks with a couple of writers and showing them my material to see what they think and they are showing me their stuff to see what I think. I am sitting back on the music side of things because I want my voice to develop a bit more and there are other things in my life right now that need attention.

FREELANCE MUSIC SERVICES

Well the dotcodotuk is finally up and running - it's pretty basic at the moment, but when I have the money I will develop the site a bit more. I am advertising at the moment and seeing what comes my way. I am going to have to be careful to balance my freelance work with my own projects. Towards the end of last year, I was doing so much work that I didn't really do anything on my own shows because I was too busy working on other people's!

OTHER PROJECTS

I am currently in talks with quite an establish writer about a new musical (not my idea this time - he approached me!) and also a film score. On the subject of films, Shoot & Score will be at the Pan African Film Festival in August of this year! I am also in talks with a theatre company about writing music for their next show.

Oh and my Dad wants me to write his ring tone.

UPDATES (10/05/2008)

Well as you can see over at Margaret's blog and the comments that the Margaret protection possee swung into full action and wanted to debate the toss again. Seems I hit a nerve and well, often when you hit a nerve it is because you are a little too close to home. Luckily the discussion that followed did include Margaret acknowledging that she had been or is being a bitch. Not my words, but her's. They say admission is the first step to recovery so let's hope so folks. At the end of the day, protracted arguments aren't going to solve anything. Margaret can return to her cocoon of friends and family who will reassure her that she is amazing, never wrong and that Xander Hough is the big mean nasty monster.... and I will go on safe in the knowledge that I really couldn't give a damn what the Margaret fan club think of me. I'll continue to work on my projects (which Margaret believes will never go anywhere) and see where I end up.

This has got me thinking about DRACULA a bit though. Two school's of thought really. Firstly, I do think that is a very good show and by far the best adaptation I've ever come across and therefore probably worth saving for later or promoting now to see what happens. The second school of thought is that of all the people who have seen the material so far, all said the music was stronger than the writing so I could potentially bottom drawer the lot and use it for other work. I guess I can wait and see what critical reception Margaret's writing gets at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as it will be the first time that Margaret's writing has actually been tested or assessed in the real world. Why should I continue to promote the work of a writer who is not proven like me (despite my faith in her ability) and who believes that the project couldn't go anywhere. Frankly I think I deserve better.

Cotton Wool

Last week I had the pleasure of attending Cotton Wool which is the debut production for Buckle For Dust, a new theatre company set up by my ex-boss from the Broadway, Claire Birch. Cotton Wool is a piece of new writing by Ali Taylor, who Claire tells me is a man. For some reason that surprised me.

Cotton Wool received rave reviews in both the Times and Time Out - and four stars from both rightly so. The Guardian review was less kind at 3 stars. This really was something special.

The play centres around two scottish brothers in a modern retelling of the Selkie myth. Selkies are mythical creatures (from Scotland but also apparent in Irish mythology as well) - a kind of seal that can take on human form.

In the various myths, the nature of these animals and their powers changes. In this play, the myth is that people who die "before their time" are rescued by the selkies and turned into one of their own kind until such time that they are ready to continue their lives again, at which point, they morph back into humans and swim ashore. The brothers in the play have recently lost their mother and in a post-wake drinking binge on a beach believe they see her body (or at least a body) floating in the water. In the days that follow the boys try and trace the body's journey across the bay, which just happens to coincide with a seal spotting. Is the seal their mother? Was the body her? Did they imagine the whole thing? Throw into the mix a seemingly runaway girl from London who they befriend and you have a play is an intoxicating blend of fantasy, real life and black comedy.

Cotton Wool was presented at Theatre503 - a small fringe theatre situated above a pub near Clapham Junction. Theatre503 has a reputation for housing stunning, challenging and new works of theatre. As such it provided the perfect venue - small, claustraphobic and intimate. The set designed by Polly Sullivan featured a raked stage of curved "concrete steps" and gauze indicative of sails (or waves) which was both stark and expansive yet confined and intimidating. Stunning lighting design by Tim Mascal and a fair deal of haze made this set conjure everything from the waves of the sea to the pier side, steps of a town house and the delapidated family home of brothers Callum and Gussie. It really was a very fluid and organic production because of this.

The soundscape (the work of James Drew) also contributed to the atmosphere. The presence of the selkie myth was sounded through a single synth tone, perfect for a play that could be described as a "siren song of grief and longing". Not all of the music/sound choices blended well - a recurring marching drum roll seemed at odds with the action and the flowing nature of the other production elements.

Moving to the talent - Callum and Gussie as played by Joseph Arkley and Owen Whitelaw respectively really portrayed brothers with very different personalities and in different places developmentally who shared a common and incredibly important bond. The Stage Review of the play hit the nail on the head when it described the play as "the portrayal of a generation that is too easily condemned". Whitelaw tended to lead dramatic and comic moments but this was more due to Taylor's brilliant writing and the allocation of witty one-liners than it was the actors. Arkley's Callum was beautifully underplayed for both laughs and the brief moments of pathos which really made this play. Just as the play veered towards cheesy clichees, Taylor through his writing and Arkley through his portrayal managed to divert expectation to more organic and thought-provoking ends. I believe this was probably intentional on Taylor's part - the play often refered to cheesy chat up lines or clicheed behaviour. Holding her own in a very masculine play was Victoria Bavister playing the mixed up Harriet. Although not always milking the more comic lines, Victoria kept her performance real, tender and ultimately very believable.

What really struck me about this play and the actors in it, is that the characters were real despite the very odd situation with which they were faced. The Stage review is right, this isn't particularly challenging theatre, in terms of the story line but that isn't what is important here. Taylor's play avoids the obvious pitfalls of being too depressing or going to the easy tragic ending - instead what you are left with is a highly realistic and inspiring piece of theatre.

Lisa Spirling's direction was clearly focused on an overall experience and her fixation with the bigger picture left the audience with an impression that they had witnessed an important moment in the character's lives. Spirling is also a Royal Holloway graduate (REPRESENT!). The pace was slick, letting up for the more tender moments and both arguments and the more stylised areas of the text were approached with equal attention to detail, committment and ultimately realism. While the audience didn't pick up on several great one liners in the performance I saw, this could well have been down to a decision on Spirling's part to highlight moments of black comedy or simply to make the point that sometimes we all make (unfunny) jokes at the most inappropriate moments. Like other great works and other great performances, I certainly felt that the audience were supposed to feel a sense of unease as they questioned "would it be ok to laugh at that?". It wasn't quite there on Thursday night - I felt a lot went over people's heads. A little rushed delivery may have contributed to this, but as I have already aserted it is Spirling's focus on the bigger picture that is most rewarding here.

Critics hauled the show up on the placement of the interval. I agree that perhaps it should have been done straight through but on the other hand, if there was going to be an interval I think that was the best place to put it.

Overall I was seriously impressed especially as I am not a massive fan of plays or small scale fringe theatre. Buckle for Dust have identified themselves as a serious contender and I am glad that critics have already latched on to this company, which I believe is something of a star in the making.

Ps. Loving the whole playscript/programme idea. I have a great souvenir of a wonderful night out.

Get Over It

So Kevin Spacey has a rant basically saying that:

Reality casting shows that cast roles in Andrew Lloyd Webber productions promote those productions and result in their commercial success literally providing a high profile 13 week advertising campaign. There hasn't been a reality show that has promoted (Old Vic) plays in the same way.This results in an unfair advantage of such shows.

My reaction is this...

Reality casting shows are going to generate interest in the shows they centre upon - that's really a given, in the same way that when a bar or restaurant, person, cultural site or other place of interest is given TV profile. Basically anything featured on TV will receive some amount of interest. That's a by-product of putting something on TV.

West End shows don't need reality tv casting to be successful and more successful than plays - they always have been. That is because musicals are a populist form of entertainment. What grinds my gears is that theatre people and those involved in places like the National Theatre, Royal Court and Old Vic look down on the West End as though it is frothy hedonism of chintzy, crass and generally a tacky watering down of a sacred artform (they may have a point and generally love to make themselves look "arty" and exclusive. The upshot of that is that musicals are more popular because they appeal to the masses. Your works of theatre don't. You made your bed, you've got to lie in it. Yes a 13 week TV advertising campaign will undoubtedly help to sell a show - but it has to be a show that lots of people want to go and see. If you look at the shows which have been used so far they are revivals of the most successful and widely known shows of all time (Sound of Music, Oliver! and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). These shows, as the producers who have wheeled them out time and time again have proved, will sell no matter what. If Andrew Lloyd Webber would have tried casting The Woman In White, I reckon it wouldn't have worked at all either as a TV show nor as a marketing ploy.

Pretentious arty drama and institutions like the National or Old Vic get Arts Council funding and have access to - this is not available to West End producers. You can't really blame a commercial producer for being, well, commercial. There's a reason that places like the National, the Royal Court and the Old Vic exist. There's a reason they are the size they are and in the locations they are. There's a reason for the programme they present and the level of subsidy they receive from organisations such as the Arts Council.

Most arty professionals condemned reality casting when it first arrived as undermining the professional casting process and making a mockery of the years of training and experience that actors acquire before landing those kinds of high profile roles. Suddenly people like Spacey are asking "Where's my reality casting show?" - You didn't want one! You found the idea abhorrent. The day you are happy to employ a nobody off the street in a leading role instead of wheeling out people like Maggie Smith, Judy Dench, Patrick Stewart, Sir Ian and yourself (all of which are amazing don't get me wrong!) then you can have your own reality casting show. If you want to stick to the old boys school of casting, then you can stick to the old boys school of marketing and the old boys school of box office grosses too. You chose your way, don't criticise someone else for a different approach when they make a success out of it.

There was a reality casting show that didn't centre around musical theatre. The Plays The Thing which saw leading producer Sonia Friedman stage a play by (potentially) anyone was the second reality "casting" of it's type after Operatunity. However, it was a commercial producer involved in the process and there was a certain amount of risk taking involved which Sonia Friedman Productions/ATG had to bear. Are people like Kevin Spacey just bitter that they didn't have this money making, profile boosting idea first? There's nothing to stop someone like Kevin Spacey putting forward an idea to the BBC or using serious industry clout to get something similar up and running (even if it is just a docusoap). I'm sure there are TV production companies, networks or stations who would snap up the idea particularly with someone like Spacey attached to it.

Plays are not the stuff of Saturday Night TV entertainment. What would you have contestants do week after week? Different acting techniques? Vote for the person who you thought did the best in the laban workshop? Give me a break. Can you really imagine Kevin Spacey sitting on a panel of judges saying "Well Charlene, I thought your portrayal of the character using Stanislavski's psychophysical approach was very entertaining, but I really want to see more 'outside in' from you next week ok?". Meanwhile John Barrowman on his right exclaims "I loved it! It was Brechtian, Brechtian, Brechtian!". A sea of corduroy wearing senior citizens clap politely and poncy students rub themselves excitedly at how intellectual the whole thing is. It is also much harder for Joe Public to discern who is more talented. When West End Wannabes hit bum notes even Sharon and Tracey in Scunthorpe know they aint gonna be able to hack it. Let's face it, the work of places like the Young Vic is not going to excite millions of viewers to pick up the phone to save their favourite method actor. Give them Graham Norton, a tonne of camp, Denise Van Outen trying to give singing technique critique, John Barrowman saying inappropriately "straight" things to the female contestants (if you're gay apparently you don't sound like a perv) and let Andrew Lloyd Webber sail through the embarrassing things that the TV show's producers in good spirits with your blessing.

When One Door Closes, Another Opens

and what a door!

That's right folks - I am now gainfully employed at the Barbican Centre & Guildhall School of Music. Working in the HR department, I provide advice and steerage to managers and employees on a massive array of issues. It is a great way to meet lots of people and so far my experiences have been unbelievably positive - for such a massive organisation (and it is massive), everyone seems very friendly and the place has this quietly buzzy atmosphere. The opportunities on every front for every person who is lucky enough to get through the door (the Barbican is known for having an architectual design based on a barbican - an impenetrable fortress).

It's amazing!

Old Ends & New Beginnings

All the frustration, exhaustion, pain, indifference, incompetence, interefence, disrespect, stringing along, lack of recognition, ignorance... washed away.

All of the faith, belief, relationships, effort, growth, change, development, fun love.... remembered.

BROADWAY THEATRE, BARKING

Administration Assistant - October 2005 to May 2006

Administrator - May 2006 to July 2007

Administration Manager - July 2007 to March 2008

Annie Reviewed

I am pleased to announce that Annie at Pewsey Vale School recieved a rave review from local reporter Nigel Kerton. The band, of which I was part, was described as "excellent".

A full review can be read here

One could be a bit miffed that the orchestrations, backing tracks and general amazingness of yours truly was given only a line, but Treacle the dog recieved an entire paragraph. Did Treacle spend 3 months preparing and carefully studying the score to create a dramatic and fresh new interpretation of the music? Did Treacle have a solo that opened the show? No, Treacle did not. All Treacle did was walk around the stage (not always in the right direction) eating dog biscuits that were dropped on the floor for him. But who am I to criticise? Clearly this dog deserves a paragraph for eating.

This marks my second collaboration with Pewsey Vale School, the first being their production of Bugsy Malone which I wrote about in my blog here.

In that article I described the school being at the start of its journey. What was great to see is that prediction turned out to be right and the school is definitely moving onwards and upwards in terms of bigger, more demanding productions... and pulling them off! What is also so rewarding to see, looking back at my article then is that I said that I had never had so much fun on a show in my life. The same is true for this run of Annie. I laughed so much that I that my stomach has never been so toned (allbeit under the layer of flab!). On the downside, I am still trying to learn to play the saxophone. 13 months on - nothing has changed. So what has?

Well the kids who were involved in Bugsy Malone have come on leaps and bounds, not only in their personal development but also in their performance which is wonderful to see. It was so much fun seeing some familiar faces and getting to know new kids. In such a small secondary school it was amazing that such a talented cast could be drawn. My own secondary school was approximately 3 times the size, but in terms of talent, was probably inferior.

Secondly, it was great to use the technology and tools of my craft to augment a 4 piece live band. With Bugsy Malone you can kind of get away with a minimal set up, but Annie, which requires nearly an entire orchestra of woodwind specialists (in the original orchestrations one instrumentalist has to play flute, piccolo, alto flute, 2 saxophones and clarinet I believe), you really can't scale it down without decimating the impact. The set up which I normally just use at home received its first road test in a live performance setting and worked incredibly well. With a bit more investment in the technology and honing my skills I believe that this could be a great solution for other small scale productions.

Also new was....

BREAK IT DOWN WITH XANDER - An Interactive Vocal Warm Up (Coming Soon to DVD)

Ok, so I was originally only contracted to orchestrate this show and play flute/piccolo in it which is cool but as I entered the consultation/production process nearer the date I started to help the musical director with her heavy workload in rehearsals. This included offering to do a vocal warm up with the kids, who at that point in the proceedings were feeling pretty scared and low in terms of general morale. NOW, I am the world's worst singer and not particularly confident when it comes to teaching kids anything so the only way I thought I could a) get the kids excited and warmed up and b) not look like I take my self too seriously when I suck big time at singing, was to basically make a fool out of myself and have fun. I started thinking about the various warm ups that I've been taught in the past particularly as a kid as well as ones I know are used in professional circuits. By far the most popular was one where you exercise your face by pretending you are being pulled in different directions by magic strings. The first time I did this, the kids probably thought I was on drugs (and judging by the amount of caffeine in my blood stream at that moment they probably had a point) and spent most of that exercise laughing but in laughing it did achieve it's aim of getting them to work their facial muscles and raise their spirits. By the end of the run, this warm up had developed to do more traditional breathing and sound production exercises as well as just for fun stuff. Kids are funny when you can make them do things. Personally, I was quite suprised at what I could do with my voice after the week but it has inspired me to.

TOP 7 THINGS XANDER LEARNT ON THIS PROJECT

1. If your microphone is on, people can generally hear what you are saying.

2. (Therefore) saying "F*** me!" when your computer crashes in front of 30 children aged between 11 and 16 in a secondary school, 3 teachers including one senior teacher and a local reporter is probably not a good idea.

3. Drummers will take the piss out of you because you don't use correct drumming terminology but they don't actually know the terminology themselves.

4. Even guitar tab users don't understand how tab works.

5. If you are gonna teach anything you need to know what you are doing - apparently children can't read your mind.

6. Listening to a click track and playing in time with a metronome is actually difficult and mastering it is like learning a new skill as a musician.

7. To be really effective in these situations - I need to play the piano so I can help out a musical director.