It was all going so well...
The last time you heard from me, I was probably dancing to 'Step Into Christmas' by Elton John (which, in case you didn't know, is the best Christmas song ever. Sorry Mariah Carey).
Back then, I was still in rehearsals for Les Miserables and Dad's Army, getting ready for A-Level Performances, editing my Media coursework, thinking everything was alright, which, to be fair, it was.
January and February came along, and most of my time around then was Les-Mis orientated. I was lucky enough to get an interview on a local radio station, as well as arrange a live performance on air (a link can be found under 'Social Media and PR' in my 'Portfolio' tab). Then after a couple of weeks, show week rolled around and everything went magically. We managed to complete a sold out run of shows, with insane amounts from the audience.
And as a side note, I took on the responsibility of creating promotional material- and the programme! I was working closely with a printing company and learning the ins and outs of Adobe InDesign, but in the end, produced a great banner and an even better programme! Not to toot my own horn... but I was super proud of it.
My dream of playing Javert finally came true that week, and none of it would have been possible for the amazing cast, crew and musicians who I had the pleasure of working with. So, on the off-chance you're reading this, thanks.
Throughout early March, I had written a script for a sequel to my short film 'Blazers'. It was all ready to go, so I made a plan to film it the week after my A Level Theatre Performances...
...
...which were on the w/c 16th March.
On the evening of our final performance exam, the announcement was made that schools would be closing and that exams would be cancelled.
It was sad to say nonetheless, but in hindsight, I spent my last days in school with some brilliant people doing what I love, so, in reality, I couldn't have asked for more.
Now, this lockdown cut off my flow of freelance acting jobs, so what do actors do when they don't have a place to act? Act at home!
I contacted my friend who played Jean Valjean alongside myself in Les Mis, and we thought one way to cure the boredom was to relive the lively memories of the past.
We produced an online duet performance of 'The Confrontation' which can be accessed on the @QELesMis Instagram account.
Aside from this, I was then able to access the footage of our shows, to which I was given to edit, and produce feature length, fully-edited videos of every show. A month passed, and I have to say, the time and dedication was a struggle at times, but it was worth it in the end!
My most recent project at this time of writing (August 2020) is a sitcom I've been working on, based on my past class experiences. I am currently writing episode 2, and while I haven't nailed down a fully-fledged narrative, I know that I want my series to be about friendship and self love.
I have written 15 characters, all of whom have their spot in the limelight at some point in the series. I have stuck with this project as I feel there is a meaning within it somewhere, and I have no doubt it'll come to me throughout the rest of the writing course. When it does, I'll be sure to let you know.