2009 - let the surge begin

2009 has started brightly, I think. Lots of ideas, as always, but for once I'm actually finding the time to put them together, the next few weeks should be really interesting. Work-wise still no idea what the future holds, and with the current credit crunch really kicking in this may make most people in my position feel a little uncomfortable, but this is pretty much the kick up the arse that I need, I'm very much out of my comfort zone right now. New Year kicked off with a cracking party on New Years Eve in which the strictly one-off Paul Richards band somehow got through a set of songs we don't really know, as well as performances from two of my other bands - Losers and Our Painted Nature. All in all, good, drunken fun, never thought so much fun could be had in Houghton. But now down to the serious business of utter world domination. The gigs are coming in, although I need to get Our Painted Nature out there - I think we'd go down a storm at festivals, I shall get some emails going around tomorrow I think. Script wise I have these grand ideas of radio shows, podcasts, youtube films, theatre shows everywhere etc - but none of that will work without the right team on my side, so I've decided to put together a small-ish little team of arty types that I can call upon whenever I have an idea that needs putting into shape. I did this by writing a stupidly large, and explosively enthusiastic email to those whom I've worked with before that I know will be not only fun to work with, but also whom want to work with me. Amazingly, everybody has said yes, equally enthusiastically, which is just lovely and I'm confident now that I can put on a show anywhere, or film anything, knowing I have a great team with me. Those crazy rascals are by the way: Colin Woodham (actor, appeared in the Christmas show in the lead role), Heather Yeadon (actress, did the Christmas show and also our patchy Edinburgh Fringe 08 show), Vaughan Allanson (actor, did the Christmas show, and our patchy Edinburgh Fringe 07 show), Victoria Welsh (acclaimed actress locally, did the Christmas show and has also done bits and bobs of my work at WriteOn), Sarah Ingrim (director/actress, directed the Christmas show, and various other bits of my work at WriteOn), Alan Morgan (technical lights/sound genius, did the Christmas show and WriteOn stuff, as well as the 209 radio soap which I pulled out of a couple years back) and Gytha Lodge (director/actress, never worked with her before but spoken a lot and she seems to get it). And of course, they're all friends too - which helps a lot...writing wise a few opportunities have already crept in even though I've not been actively promoting my work so far this year (merely trying to write new material), with a London theatre group in constant contact about 2 of my pieces (An Ambulance Stuck In Traffic, and Love Awkwardly) with a few to performance soon, and also WriteOn keen to use my older piece 'The Healthy Option' in their forthcoming Directors Cut series, which is a nice start, but I'm planning a lot more...in the meantime just finished new play, Breakers, which I'm happy with but it's gone a lot darker that it was supposed to, and not right for Edinburgh Fringe, so I'd best get writing the Fringe show now then...2009 - less talk, Richards, more doing. Yep.