Trying out my next Edinburgh show 2mrw in London

I am performing part of my next solo theatre show The Singing Psychic at the Lost Theatre on July 8th and also July 13th  so I took the opportunity to interview Colin Watkeys, the director and curator. blog and podcast link

My show is based on an idea I had four years ago but I tried out 8 minutes of it in April at the Tristan Bates theatre and the audience made enough encouraging noises that I decided to then develop more of it. This is mainly new material around the same idea, the next 15 minutes as it were so it will be interesting to see how it goes in front of a bigger audience. The plan is to develop it enough and take it to Edinburgh Festival in 2015. I have done 2 solo shows before at Edinburgh but this one is the first written far in advance and I am hoping to get some funding behind it as well as making a short film version as well.

I have done something like 25 screen projects, 2 plays plus some live singing at the Royal Festival Hall and also at the Tristan Bates theatre and elsewhere over the past 15 months  so it will be nice to get back in front of a live audience, especially with my own new material 😉

Over  the  past  30  years,  Face  to  Face  Theatre  Festival  Director  Colin  Watkeys  has   specialised  in  producing  and  directing  solo  theatre  and  writers  who  perform  their  own   work from Ken Campbell to Claire Dowie..  He  is  now  part  of  a  world  movement  that  recognises  that  solo  performance   possesses  a  unique  quality  of  vision  in  theatre.

I asked Colin for one piece of advice to anyone who wants to write and develop a show and he said

‘Character. Character and narrative. Narrative is the character and the character is the narrative. Don’t try to manipulate anything, don’t try to put words into their mouths. Get to know the character and their narrative and it writes itself.

Colin worked a lot with Ken Campbell, director, writer, actor including A Fish Called Wanda imdb link here) and comic who loved creating it there and then, he called it ‘real acting’
Ken Campbell used to say

‘The script’s there for a bad day when the geezer is not there, but when the geezer is actually there you just let go, you just do it’

This current project is part of a ten week workshop which culminates in performance on Tuesday July 8th from myself and seven other great storytellers. I am also performing on Sunday 13th July as my character in the One to One projects: you can meet each of the performers separately, one audience member to one performer, you can meet each of the Helen’s, Clare Dowie is doing Dylan song tarot card readings, there is a verbatim artist and I am doing readings as my character The Singing Psychic. Plus a sound installation in the theatre.

My world premiere of live readings is very scary but I think will be a lot of fun. @singpsychic

Come along and see us!

Tuesday  8  July  at  7.30pm
New   Work   from   Exciting   New   Performers   including:   Martin   Stewart;;   Ayesha   Casely   Hayford;;   Marysia   Trembecka;;   Mass   Lindsay;;   Lesley   Wilson;;   Tom   Bland;;   Lola   Kotey   and  Madlena  Nedeva.
Sunday  13  July  from  2.00pm  –  8.00pm
Do   you   dare   spend   time   alone   with   an   artist   ?   Experience   a   variety   of   encounters   over   the   course   of   an   extraordinary   hour.   One-­to-­one   experiences   on   offer   feature   Claire  Dowie’s  Dylan  Tarot;;  In  Your  Dreams;;  The  Helen  Projec␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣Half   Baked  …  and  a  main  house  theatre  installation  from  Greece:  Olga  Pozeli’s   I  Remember.  Eight  tickets  are  available  each  hour  at  2.00pm  3.00pm  4.00pm  6.00pm   and  7.00pm

The Third Face to Face Festival
“New  Shoots”   8  -­  13  July
LOST  Theatre 208  Wandsworth  Road London  SW8  2JU
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www.solotheatrefestival.co.uk  all  tickets  £5.00  +  booking  fee  online no  booking  fee  if  bought  in  person
Nearest  tube:  Stockwell  &  Vauxhall   ␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣␣
Bus:  77,  87,  196,  P5,  N87

More information about the Festival

The  LOST  Theatre  and  Colin  Watkeys  present
The Third Face to Face Festival
A celebration of the best of new Solo Theatre
“New Shoots” 8 – 13 July
The  Face  to  Face  Festival  of  Solo  Theatre  enters  its  third  year  at  LOST  Theatre  in   south  London,  with  “New  Shoots”,  a  week-­long  celebration  from  8  -­  13  July  of  new   performers,  new  performances  and  new  ideas.