Blog: The Final (ish) Practice

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Earlier this week I entered Total Hero Team for an AWARD for being environmentally friendly - there's loads of these sorts of things around Edinburgh Fringe time, but this looked like one we were QUALIFIED for: we re-use props (and - hahaha -also - HO! - JOKES! ROFLZ!!!), we share our flyers, we don't use lights or amplification and we go everywhere on public transport. I know we do all those things ANYWAY, but hey! If there is an AWARD to be had for being UNWITTING SAINTS i am well up for it... especially after LUGGING the aforesaid re-usable props through the aforesaid public transport during rush hour last night after work. BLIMEY! You'd think people would be used to squeezing in beside a guitar, ukulele, hand puppets and HATS - isn't London meant to be COSMOPOLITAN?

This was all for the brief journey to balmy South Tottenham, where Mr S Hewitt and I were due to have our last rehearsal before we start the final big run up for Edinburgh. I bumped into Steve on the way there and he regaled me with his tales of Glastonbury. This was all very jolly, but something had been bugging me. I'd realised that we hadn't sorted out whose turn it was to have the Most Important Job at the Fringe this year: Knowing What Day It Is. This is a VITAL position that gets a surprising/alarming amount of use during any festival, so when we got settled into the studio I brought it up. "There's one thing we haven't worked out yet..." I began. "It's my turn!" said Steve, straight away. I'm glad it wasn't just me who'd been FRETTING about it, and I'm glad it's not my responsibility too. Now i can RELAX!

That agreed we leapt into the practice, and it went RATHER well. As ever the first twenty minutes were a bit nervy, but as soon as Steve said "This is my story" we both gave a SIGH of relief, as it is PEASY for thereon. We worked out a couple of IMPROVEMENTS - the word "sidekick" now appears to great effect and the bit where *A CHARACTER* climbs up a tree has been Fixed With Acting - and when we got to the end we turned round and did the first twenty minutes AGANE, to try and get it SORTED. The reason this bit makes us nervy is because, I think, it's where most changes have been made. They must be GOOD changes though, as when they come in we keep surprising ourselves with how much EASIER they make things!

When it was all done I think it's safe to say we were BOTH quite RELIEVED, also EXCITED. This show has had the longest gestation EVER (I don't even think Dinosaur Planet went through so many changes and rehearsals, and we did that TWICE in two very different versions!) but it feels like it's PAYING OFF. My big hope is that everything will fall wonderfully into place when we start doing it in the venues it's DESIGNED for - up until now we've done nearly every show in somewhere not used to such shenanigans, like pubs, back gardens, big ROCK stages etc, where there are many distractions and people are not generally USED to sitting down and watching a 55 minute (it's about 55 minutes long now, by the way: PERFECT) show all in one go. I kind of think it MIGHT be similar to training for a Marathon in your WELLIES, round an office building, and then finding everything MUCH easier when the actual race starts.

I've probably JINXED it now just by saying that, but hopes are HIGH and I'm really looking forward to getting up to Scotland and SHOWING this to people. Four weeks today I shall be PACKING ready to go - I can't WAIT!

posted 3/7/2013 by MJ Hibbett

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