Letters To Sparkle - London matinee performance, and other ideas

That was a pretty lively week, started with me turning 29 and feeling actually rather flattered by the amount of lovely messages (via Facebook, text and good old fashioned phone calls) wishing me well, I've got some lovely friends, I have. The whole 'must have done more before 30' thing is very much happening, more on that in a sec. On Thursday we saw the incredible Daniel Kitson at the Junction in Cambridge - Kitson is a storytelling comedian and is easily the best storytelling comedian in the country, if not world. He is a genius. Friday we had a meeting to discuss our forthcoming sketch show, 'The Hedgehog Collective', which is practically written now and initial rehearsals start next week, tickets already on sale and the brochure looks lovely.

Yesterday there was a matinee performance in London of my play 'Letters To Sparkle', and after a frantic rush to get there (because I waited too long at the hairdressers and eventually gave up so I still look like a girl, and then the Northern Line not going to Kings Cross due to engineering works also really confused me) I met up with my old boss, Bobby, and her family at the venue, The Old Queen's Head in Islington. Firstly, really good to see her and her lot again, lovely people, a further reminder that there are so many lovely people in this world, and a good few of them support my work too. The performance itself was on the bill with 3 other pieces, and was the first ever 'Saturday Matinee' showcase of work, which is set to run once a month from now on at the venue. The Old Queens Head was the perfect space for it, with a lovely little stage and relatively convenient location, and the show itself was brilliant - Luisa Hinchliff really understood the piece and got the changing of pace to perfection which really demonstrated it's full dramatic potential. Actors Shinead Byrne and Kevin Kemp were both top class and were completely believable as the contrasting characters, and the audience were also very enthusiastic - it's not lough-out-loud material, but they did laugh out loud. And 4 of them cried at the end, people always cry when they see this play because of the viscous twist, and I feel very proud of that.

After networking briefly I dashed back to Cambridge, to pick up a parking fine, and then off to see my good friends Andy and Luci's wedding reception. Andy's my bandmate from Eureka Stockade, and it was a wonderful evening with lovely people, complete with good muso chat, and the excellent band Indietones playing. All in all, good times.

Anyway, alongside the sketch show, which seems in really good shape because Pam is directing it and my co-writer Alan is so damn organised, I've got this radio sitcom idea on the go. It's called 'The Modest Adventures Of Patrick And Cameron' and all 5 episodes are written, and currently in process of casting it, with recording to take place at the end of June. By August we'll have 5 gloriously produced episodes, and then our many plans for world domination with this idea will kick in, more on that soon, I just want things to start happening first before I go into great detail about what it could lead to. I'm also currently writing a play about a carpark attendant - I picked up the fine yesterday (and was angry about it because the machine at the train station confused me, I DID get a ticket, but got the wrong one) and have 14 days to pay it off, or they'll double it. Within those 14 days, I'm also going to write a play and finish about parking attendants, it's a nice challenge and I work better to tight deadlines. Writing wise things are in shape, just need to sort out my band life now, I never thought I'd ever say this but: I'm just not playing enough.