Crikey - is it really Day 16 already?!?
We're very much feeling the effects of doing back-to-back shows around these parts - I must remember to ensure we have a day off next year! This morning found me at my most lethargic (despite a quiet, early night before), and I needed a few prods to get my brain engaged with the show - doing it every day means you can easily go into auto-pilot mode, which is a dangerous way to work!
Kids in Edinburgh went back to school today, which has caused some fears that our audience numbers may decrease; however, I'm delighted to say this was not the case today. We had a really healthy house this morning, with a number of people booking on the day - this suggest that our flyering is working, and that people have been reading our positive reviews. Having focused largely on getting family audiences in for the show, we're often guilty of forgetting that it appeals to a wide range of ages - with many of our previous shows being performed to audiences of our peers, there's clearly a wider appeal to the show that we've not really thought about for a while.
It's great when we talk to our friends and members of other companies who have come to see the show, as there seems to be a quality to the show which allows them to awaken their inner child; I don't know if it's the simple aesthetic of the show, the simple and subtle gags contained within or just Norman himself, but we're getting lots of laughs from some pretty big kids. With the kids now back at school, it would be nice to bring that to the fore once more.
On a producery front, I've had various bits and bobs to sort out today - I've been doing stuff all day, most of which has been unplanned. Such is the life of a producer.
We've had some issues related to some online advertising, which has dragged on for ages to the extent that the end of our run makes it almost pointless - this is both annoying and ultimately a financial grievance, as I don't think we've got what we paid for. When you're working on tight budgets, it's an incredibly difficult job to work out how best to spend the little money you have - and when the decisions you make go wrong, through no fault of your own, you find yourself tearing out what little hair you have left. Bah.
Also, we've arranged some rehearsal time in the space tomorrow morning - sadly, our dear Liz will soon be departing us, and we'll have the final two shows without her being here. We're all gutted about this, as she's an absolute star - we've been so lucky to find her, and not having her around will be a loss not only to the show, but to us personally. We're trying to arrange to smuggle her back into the country as soon as we can.
On a more positive note, though - Ronan and I have been invited to go on air with Fresh Air Radio and talk about the show. Between the two of us we can probably manage to string together a few coherent sentences, so if you can listen in at about 14:10 to hear us talk! I'm the well-spoken yet cool-sounding English guy, and Ronan's the genial, excitable Irishman.
Due to the early start for rehearsals tomorrow, we're all in bed already - so I bid you adieu...
- Dan
