Ben McClure???

After a hectic few days of travelling and rehearsing it was a pleasure to have a lie in. And yes, when making a show an 8:30 rise can be considered a lie in. The previous day was very long, and today was a chance to settle down a tad and reflect on the show.

Now I pride myself on bringing to my fans a detailed insight into the creative process behind ‘In Our Hands’. But it must be said, some things are hard to leave out. Now I’m certain George will inform you on the discovery of the coffee shop/letting agency he found but my blogs first so I get the head start. In brief, THE COFFEE WAS AMAZING. And considering that it was in the direction to the rehearsal space at St Ives Arts Club, it almost felt like a necessity, an obligation to visit Cornish Gems coffee shop/letting agency.

After purchasing our beverages and entering the studio, albeit a tad later than anticipated, we began by looking at the feedback forms we asked our audience to fill in the previous evening. We received some important feedback on the work-in-progress. We were looking to see how Alf and his Son’s (who we have now named Ben……..McClure? Ben McClure, I’ll suggest that to the group later) relationship came across. This was the first time we had included Ben into the piece as a physical puppet and we were interested to find out what the audiences reactions were. Some of the comments included that we should clarify Ben’s occupation and perhaps develop on the father/son relationship in general. Based on the feedback we have already received there is a strong quality to the work we have shown, but for myself I am amazed at the sheer quantity of material we have been able to fit in. It seems impossible that in what is a 40 minute work-in-progress we have visited as many environments, introduced as many characters and explored as many themes as we have. I’m very excited to spend more time picking apart the show and developing on the potential that is already there. I hope this doesn’t read as ‘tooting my own horn’ but really it is just another reason why I feel so very lucky to work with Smoking Apples, Gemma, Sam and George.

After taking turns reading the feedback, we decided to take some time to concentrate on Ben, filling out his character and discovering who he is and his background. It is obviously important in a show where many of the characters are puppets to spend a significant amount of time on the puppets. However, a significant amount of time is not something we have so far been blessed with. A lot of work has gone into the characters and the puppetry but I feel that in an ideal situation we would have gladly had more. This is why it was beneficial to spend some time discussing and exploring Alf and Ben in particular. We have planned to spend a large part of tomorrow dedicated to the puppets, which will also give me time to practice on Gertie, whom I love. Gertie, in case you are not aware is the name of the seagull character in the show that I get the privilege of puppeteering.

A few coffees later we reset the show and dressed into costume to prepare for another show run which we filmed. We would then be able to send this recording to Gemma later on to give her an idea of how the show has been developing. Recording the work is especially useful when puppetering as it helps to highlight any mistakes or moments that may need practice. The run went smoothly, probably in part because of not having an audience but also because we had the scene list backstage. Now before you all roll your eyes and accuse us of cheating, we wanted a recording without any hiccups so that we could reflect on the work effectively without attributing any difficult areas or quarrelsome transitions to the failings of our own memories.

Rehearsal finished we headed to the local Weatherspoons for a chill and a pint. We said goodbye to Sam who was heading back to London and we made our way back to the house (which is INCREDIBLE). Then the rain began to pour and pour and pour. I’m sitting now finishing this blog on a chair by the window in the top floor of the house, listening to the rain outside and feeling very lucky. However, I haven’t heard from the rest of the group (who are supposedly downstairs) in about an hour so just in case they have all reached some horrible end I’m going to sign off and go check on them, then have a cuppa.

Thanks for reading

Goofy Apple

p.s. They said no to McClure being Ben’s last name. Shame.