Prototype

Well that was interesting, I did a performance of The Middle Bit as an almost totally audience driven improvisation session. It was interesting but might have had a tendency to become white noise rather than a symphony. Next time, as every time, I will do a few things differently. I learnt a lot, which is the idea, this time it was the more subtle suggestions that, on reflection, were the most interesting. Namely John Arbuckle seeing his own death and having a happy thought.

I'm am going to be presenting 'The Middle Bit' at the Tobacco Factory's Prototype. This involves me improvising with 8 character prompted by audience suggestions. It will be much fun!

Watching Iain Morrison and Leiza McLeod's "Gimme the Beat Girls" last night at Prototype has made me think. The show presents a series of poems by female Beat poets, which are sung whilst the two performers respond to each poem with props and actions. The female Beat poets have been a marginalised and largely forgotten part of the Beat narrative that focuses upon the genius of the lone, rebellious male. The poems themselves are full of genius and like much Beat poetry they really need to be spoken, better still performed, to be brought fully to life.

A gazillion theatre points to the Tobacco Factory for another excellent night of work-in-progress. Just as many are due to the fine burghers of Bristol who turned out in droves for the second time. There seemed to be a similar number of people as last time, so that's around 150! It is just brilliant to be getting that number of people through the door on a night like this.

If you're looking for a double dose of Mr Rapley (and who isn't?) then get yourself down to the Tobacco Factory in Bristol for the Prototype scratch night.

I'll be presenting some of my own work and also working with Fairground Theatre on a larger piece of physical experimentation. Here are the details:

Tickets: £3

I've just come back from a great scratch night called Prototype at the Tobacco Factory. I just want to say a bit about why I thought it was important and what, for me, it says about the strength of theatre in Bristol.

Right from the start, as the audience walked in, I was amazed at the number of people who turned up, I've done a mass of scratch nights across the country, including some of the most well know ones and i have never seen such a large audience, (later i found out that there were 148 people there!) 148 people, for a scratch night! I've been to scratches were there where only 6 members of the public in the audience and two of them were my mum and dad.

Seeing so many people supporting up coming, and unfinished work with their time and money (even if it was only £3 on the door) is really encouraging and it shows how committed and engaged the audience in Bristol is.