Day 19 - And now, the end is near...

So it's a little after 11pm on Saturday, and in a little under half an hour I'll be going back out to a show.  This is clearly the best possible way to prepare for our final show.

Preparation for today's show was a bit manic, what with the switch-around of roles alluded to yesterday - nails were bitten, and nerves were slightly frayed; the good news is, a supportive audience helped us on our way to a good show - after a slightly nervy start, everyone relaxed and began to enjoy performing.  We had some friends in the audience, which also helped.

It made a massive difference to us not having Liz, though - it was a bit sad that she wasn't with us today, and we definitely felt that something was missing.  We still want her back!

I'm afraid that I'm going to have to cut this short, as I have to make my show - but, with one show left we'll leave you with a treat.  Here's a company photo (albeit sans moi, as I was talking to someone important from the industry):

Goodnight!

- Dan

Day 18 - Ooops!

Howdy folks,

It appears this blog is slightly late.  However, through the magic of reflective writing I shall make you believe this entry was written on Friday!

"Today has seen us wave a fond farewell to our dear Liz.  It's incredibly strange to think of performing the show without her being a part of it, and we're fully aware that it's a massive loss to not have her with us for the final three performances of the run.

The company ventured to Edinburgh Waverley station after the show, in order to wave Liz off as she heads back to London - before boarding a flight back to the US.  Fortunately, Norman did not go with her - so at least he's still in the show!

Due to Liz's departure, we've had to change things around a little in terms of who does what in the show.  Lisa will now be 'assisting' Norman during the show in place of Liz - and Naomi will now undertake the role of narrator.  Having viewed the show from the capacity of Director during the run, Naomi has seen Lisa's performance so many times she probably knows it inside out - but still, there needed to be some rehearsing to ensure everything goes off smoothly, and Naomi and Lisa have been running their respective lines around the flat most of the day.  Lisa also has the added task of getting to grips with Norman, and ensuring all of his movements and gestures read correctly - Liz makes it look incredibly easy, but Norman can be a tricky customer when he wants to be, so care and attention is needed!  The boys in the company still have the same roles - so we've have a comparatively easy day of it!

Yet again tiredness has been sneaking in as the day has progressed - but having been getting a decent amount of sleep, it seems as though it's mental tiredness which is affecting us (well, me at least).  I must again state that not having a day off is a BAD IDEA.

We've had some lovely comments from audiences during the run, and today we had a couple of industry people we know watch the show.  They had some really positive things to say, and genuinely enjoyed the show - but they also gave us a few pointers on how to make things even better.  As an emerging company it's incredibly useful to be able to draw upon the knowledge and experience of others, as it can only help us improve.

Anyway, off to bed - it'll soon be Saturday!"

FIN

Day 17 - Farewell, Liz!

Morning, all!

Apologies for the lateness of this blog entry - of course, we usually do these in the evening, but due to the events of last night it's had to wait.

Alas, yesterday was a sad day for EmptyBox Theatre.  We're incredibly upset that Liz - our amazing puppeteer, and all round wonderful person - is leaving us on Friday afternoon; unfortunately, she has to return to the States, abandoning us for the final couple of performances.

To give her a proper send-off, we all took her out to dinner last night - we went to a nice little Italian place, where we enjoyed some continental cuisine and a couple of drinks so we could toast her properly.  Max and Lisa had been given the task of getting Liz to the restaurant without her knowing - and it seems as though they probably need to brush up on their skills at keeping secrets!

However, there was a proper surprise when Liz returned to the house to find a farewell banner and some decorations awaiting her.  Lisa had gone all-out in setting everything up, and I think it's fair to say Liz appreciated the effort - although there weren't any tears, I'm sure I saw some welling-up...

So were now sat at the breakfast table, going through our morning routine for the final time with Liz here.  She boards her train away from us at 1pm...

DON'T LEAVE US, LIZ!

- Dan

Day 16 - Ch-ch-ch-changes!

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

Day 15 - Our humblest thanks...

(Clockwise, from top left) Max, Ronan, Lisa, Liz, Dan

A big hello to you all!  Above is a photo of the company (sans Naomi, who wasn't feeling well) taken by Ronan's sister Dee, whilst we lunched in the Udderbelly Pasture.  Those of you who don't know us - I've labelled the photo so you know who's who.  I also need to apologise to Dee, as it seems my suggestion that nothing really happened yesteday may have made her visit seem unimportant - she is a lovely lady, and we all enjoyed meeting her.  It's also great that she liked the show.  Thanks, Dee!

Getting 'Norman Shadowboxer' up to Edinburgh has taken a lot of hard work, and we've had a great deal of help from some lovely people; this post is dedicated to them all:

Elizabeth Fazzio - For coming up with the first itineration of Norman, and being at the centre of the company's foundation

Heidi O'Connell - Our Associate Dramaturg, for being a founder member of EmptyBox Theatre, the original narrator and a continuing source of support whilst developing the piece. Come back to us, Heidi!

The International Student Puppet Festival - For hosting the first ever showing of 'Norman Shadowboxer'

Central School of Speech & Drama - For giving us somewhere to start out, and providing us with space to start finding out what the show could be

Penny Francis - For being such an inspiration to us, and for supporting us in our work

All Saints C of E Primary School - For allowing us to come in and do our first school show (and for then getting ALL the kids to see it as the day progressed!)

Heather Young and Siva Zagel - For believing in us early on, and for persisting in trying to get us to bring the show to C Venues!

Bailey Lock and Lyric Hammersmith - For inviting us to come in for some R&D on the back of one scratch performance

Vicky Ireland - For some invaluable feedback about the show, helping us improve it even further

Linda Lewis and Emma Leishman at Puppet Centre Trust - For welcoming us into your family of puppetry enthusiasts - we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with you!

Mark Tinkler of Music Platform - For helping us have a base to try things out over the past few months

Pooles Park Primary School - For being that base, and for allowing us to trial performances and workshops with pupils

The Cochrane Theatre and Birbeck College - For providing us with rehearsal space when preparing for Edinburgh

Rymans - For providing us with 50 boxes for Edinburgh, free of charge

All of our families, friends and loved ones - For your continuing support of our work, and patience with us as we try to get things just right (hopefully we'll make a living off this soon!)

And, most importantly, to all those who have seen the show and have enjoyed it in some way.  We'd never claim to have made a perfect show, but if you've taken something away from it - be you child, adult, critic, important theatre person or A.N. Other - then we hope we can continue to make work that makes you smile.  We plan to be around for a while yet, so feel free to tell us what you like and how you think we can become even better!

I'm sure I've forgotten some people, so apologies - I do this not out of malice, but tiredness.  Everyone we've met along the way on our journey has helped us make the show we have today, so we all owe you a huge debt of gratitude.  Here's to many more years of appreciating your support.

- Dan

Day 14 - Our influence spreads (well, maybe...)

Evening', all.

Today has actually been a largely uneventful day, so this blog post will be quite short (quiet, you lot cheering in the back).  After running around seeing lots of shows yesterday - as you were all well informed by Naomi - it's been quite nice to have a relaxing day.

So, this morning Ronan's sister came to see the show, so there was a little family reunion there - she also used to live in Edinburgh, but I doubt she ever saw anything like 'Norman Shadowboxer' whilst she was here!  Much of the day was spent flyering, and whilst the rest of the company went to see the excellent 'Bane', I spent some time updating the website - particularly to include our reviews.  Huzzah!

Whilst out and about today, though, I did spot a couple of interesting things in shop windows...

The house model is made of cardboard - and inside is a lamp, incredibly similar to the shadow boxes we use in the show.  Unfortunately I didn't make a note of the shop this was in the window of - but it's pretty close to our venue, so I'll pop along again tomorrow to find out, and take another look.

The cityscape is also made up almost entirely of cardboard, and is one of a number currently on display at Schop  - an art gallery based just off the Royal Mile in Edinburgh.  The attention to detail is fantastic, and is yet another reminder of just what can be done with something as simple as cardboard.


Anyway, the reason I'm showing you all this - other than showing the amazing things you can build from cardboard - is because the childish part of me is imagining taking Norman to these places, and acting out a Godzilla-esque scenario where our hero towers above the world he inhabits.  If enough of you think it's a good idea, I'll pursue it


To be fair, that's probably as good a time to end as any.  Mainly because my delirious ramblings are suggesting I need to sleep.  Goodnight, world!

- Dan

Day 13 - Massages and reflections (but mostly massages)

If you've followed the wise words of our producer, Dan Baker, on this blog, you'll know that he was planning to see lots of shows today - eight, in fact! Eight!! So, today...I...Naomi O Kelly...am your SPLOGGER.

Today we have more energy. Note to self, though: Dan and I agreed, on our wee* walk to the venue this morning, that in future a day off during a fringe run would be A Good Thing. This year, we have no days off, and it's tough. (* Note my effort to seem Scottish.**) (**We met a TV man from Newcastle today who was very proud of having a tartan print notebook.)

The show went very well. We're now using a Frank Sinatra version of "The Girl from Ipanema" for when the audience enter and exit; This is referenced when the Spanish mosquito (a character in the play) hums that tune during the story; The adults in the audience often get the joke, which is lovely!

Other lovely things:

Lovely thing: Today we discovered a wonderful review of our show, from reviewer Jo Caird for Fest magazine.

"Norman Shadowboxer is the company’s debut show, but you would never guess it, such is the understated brilliance with which this sweet story is told."

Here's the full review: http://www.festmag.co.uk/reviews/180-norman_shadowboxer

Lovely thing: While we were lunching at the Udderbelly, a woman came by who is selling massages at the fringe, and massaged the bejaysus out of each of us (except Dan, who was off seeing his eight shows.) She left us light-headed (in a good way), and also told us about a clown show we should see. Her name is Lynsey Tash.

Lovely thing: Ronan (Artistic Director) and I went to a fringe symposium about children's theatre yesterday, where we listened to More Experienced Children's Theatre Makers, and where I laughed a lot with a few people over slightly too much red wine afterwards. Certain folk have promised to come along to the show and give us feedback. Fantastic.

 

I'm asking some soul-searching questions about our show after that symposium, including: Is Norman a children's show, or is it a show that children just happen to enjoy, along with their parents and other adults? How much does this matter? How might this affect how we market the show, and how we create our next show? Are we courting the "children's theatre" thing, or should we make a show and then ask ourselves who would like to see it?

Lovely thing: Ha ha ha, this is so funny: We (EmptyBox Theatre, except for Dan, who is seeing eight shows right now) have been in the sitting room for the past two hours, watching TV and generally relaxing; I've just realised, however, that three of us are sitting on the floor, simply because one of the two sofas is already occupied by two  puppets!

Goodnight, all.

- Naomi