Time has flown this October, so that I’m only just sitting down now to think of the production of Marlowe’s ‘Edward II’ I was in during the first week of October. I played the Oxford scholar Baldock. I love her (for she was a she in that production) and although relish is an overused word, I really did relish my moments on stage in a rare opportunity to play that male role. I played Baldock with a seething hatred of blue-blooded nobility, crater-sized chip on her shoulder and sharp intelligence, hidden beneath her ‘curate-like… attire’. It was a great listening part - some of my favourite moments were those when I had nothing to say, just watching, listening and constantly analysing. The constantly twitching mind of someone cerebrally working hard to grasp her place, as one of the very few characters in the play without the easy advantage of noble birth. In Baldock’s view, and my own performing her, Baldock was the centre of Marlowe&rsqu…

I’ve had a pleasantly busy beginning to the autumn. This weekend I happily worked with the company Rift again, doing a couple of nights guiding for ‘Shakespeare in Shoreditch’ (The Hoxton Path). I had a thoroughly enjoyable time, both guiding and seeing the shows; it’s fantastic seeing how others have been inspired by Shakespeare, especially in the streets he once trod. I found the shows inspiring in their turn – a play is already forming in my mind. The variety of the Hoxton path was one of its real strengths and it’s great seeing the different directions people took with Shakespeare as a starting point.  

Such is this acting malarkey that I got my most recent job via the barman at the theatre where I am currently working, who also happens to be a documentry maker and needed an RP female voice for his most recent pitch, a documentry on Byron. As the other actors happen to be Welsh, Mancunian and Italian, and I'm on friendliest terms with the said barman I got the job hands down.

One of my favourite things that I’ve done in Venice is the tour of the ghetto. Venice has the oldest, and original ghetto in the world. It’s a slightly misleading name now, ‘ghetto’ simply comes from the word ’getto’, meaning ‘iron foundries’, which is what was made on the little island in the middle of Venice that was given to the Jews. The first Jews to arrive were German, and unable to pronounce the ‘j’ sound of ‘getto’ so referred to it as ‘ghetto’, and the name stuck.

I haven't blogged in a long time, so I figured that I ought to fill the dead space with some words.

Day 1: Applied for a role of my ideal casting. I got offered an audition within the hour and decided to go for it great guns and work my butt off. Located script in library next town over.

I rented 'The Descendents' last night from Lovefilm. It's ironic that Hollywood spends so much time searching for their perfect formula, and then well made, different films come along and get all the glory. Maybe not box office smashes. I guess it's the difference between Hollywood's money making formula and artistic films that someone's passionate about making. Anyhow I liked 'The Descendents'; admittedly I haven't thought about it much today, but I really enjoyed it when I was watching it. I liked Clooney, I liked the supporting actors, I liked the characters and stories and script. But do you know what I really liked? Hawaii. As someone raised in Britain, 'The Descendents' was basically climate porn, and it was great. Couldn't get enought sunshine, blue sky, golden beaches, palm trees and warm ocean. I'm ready to move there right away.