Brighton Part Four: My Last Week By The Sea

My time in Brighton is nearly at an end. I'm back working at Sunny Arts for a few more days before I go. A few of the tech people were away for yesterday's show, which meant I had to rig the entire venue on my own, something I am most definitely not trained for. Thankfully I completed everything within my (short) time limit and the show went well. I was complimented on how calm I was, but I've never seen stressing out (in any visible way at least) as a constructive and positive use of my time. So I don't do it very often. We've got a matinee and our final evening show tomorrow, and with yesterdays success fresh in my mind, I'm not concerned about tomorrow's workload - although it will be a long day. 14 hours at least!

Today was my last entire free day so me and Shaun did something fun. We began by visiting The. Most. Amazing. Tea shop in the whole country.We had some delicious Earl Grey and scones with jam and cream. Then one last wander around the lanes before dinner in a Japanese restaurant.


I'll be heading back to Sheffield on Sunday and I'm excited to be going home. It will be fleeting as I'll be in London a week later. Then I'll return to pack up my Sheffield home before moving to London again for more directing work. Very exciting stuff, but I'm all over the place! I've got a number of projects I want to get cracking on while I'm able to, so hopefully I can post on these next week too.

Brighton Part Two: London Calling

Having a very low key day today, hanging out in Shaun's living room while he's going to work. But I've had a very busy couple of days so doing nothing is alright. Yesterday I went for lunch with my cousin Alice, who's at uni in Brighton. Then I had a quick meeting with Will and Cliff at Sunny Arts about next Thursday's show (lots of tech people aren't in on Thursday so I'm preparing to orchestrate a get in near-solo, should be a fun challenge) before dashing off to London for.... a job interview. And I'm pleased to say I got a phonecall this morning offering me the job. I will be working on my first directing job in London next month. This is a big step for me and really exciting.

I also visited London on Sunday to properly see my friend Ellie. We went to Camden (standard) and took in the gorgeous shops, looking for lovely clothes and ideas. I'm hoping to stay with her while I'm directing. The job is only for a week so its not too long for her to put up with me!

Its been handy being in Brighton this month, as I can pop to London fairly easily. Trying my best to visit people around the South while I'm here too, because I don't usually see them when I'm in Sheffield.

I bought some really cute fabric from Ditto yesterday. Its the Royal Pavillion at Brighton on a blue background. Once I return to Sheffield I hope to make a Brighton-themed skirt to commemorate my time down here.

Brighton Part One: Crap From The Street

Greetings from Brighton. Work is going very well. The play, Keep Taking the Tablets, has been well received in previews, now to kill two weeks doing nothing while I wait for the next show!

I love being in Brighton. I've visited twice before, but in January both times so the weather this time is a massive improvement. I enjoy looking around the fascinating shops and sitting on the beach. The nightlife is pretty vibrant too and we've had a few nights out already.
One thing I've noticed about Brighton, is that it has an interesting "culture" (for want of a better word) where people leave their unwanted stuff on the roadside and others can pick it up and take it home. For instance, if you're cleaning out your bedroom and you no longer want those books, or clothes or furniture, you can just leave it outside your house. And someone, somewhere will find your junk a good home. I've never seen anything like it. The house of my friend Shaun (where I'm staying) is full of cute furniture, interesting vases and other knick knacks, all from the street. Its brilliant!

So when we were walking home at 2:30am the other morning we came by one such by-product of a clear out. Shaun, now a seasoned "recycler" began to look through the piles of stuff. We found:

a set of beside drawers
a candle stand (for the garden)
3 board games
a big rug
a small display cabinet (to hang on the wall)
a vase
some hatpins
one of those fancy jars with the metal handle and rubber seal
a pile of material, including a scarf
an ornate table filled with...bobbins!

AND

a Singer sewing machine


And the sewing machine works! It does something funky with the stitching on the underside of a piece of fabric, but it sews and the light works too. It was a pretty profitable raid. My cut includes some of the hatpins, the handbag (a brown mock-snake-skin affair) a couple of the bobbins (of course), the scarf and the fancy jar (I've always wanted one). Obviously I have to consider what can be brought home in my suitcase. But you can bet that once we get the sewing machine running I'll be knocking up a "street skirt" with the material, sewing machine and bobbins we found.


My cut of the loot :) a handbag, a scarf, a jar, some hatpins and some fabric

The Magenta Machine now has a Brighton counterpart - but I still love my pink pal, all alone in Sheffield. And I thought I'd have to give up sewing for the month I was down here!

A long overdue update.

A lot has been going on in the past few weeks, which has taken me away from the magenta machine, and the blog – but all for good reasons. So now that I have a spare minute, allow me to update.

I’ve gotten a new job as an ASM (assistant stage manager) at a play in Bradford. Its called The Mill: City of Dreams and we’ve been experiencing some very nice reviews. The hours are epic (hence the no blog situation) and the place is freezing, but all the people are lovely and friendly and its a welcome change from epic sandwiches.

After I finish this current job in Bradford, I’ll be doing a front of house job at Meadowhall for the In The Night Garden tour. I’m really pleased because this means I have paid theatre work until May!So things have picked up dramatically work-wise, which brings me endless joy.

Working in Bradford is lots of fun. The show I’m working on is in Drummond’s Mill. It’s an abandoned cloth mill which drew workers from around the world, hoping for better things for them and their families. The play explores their dreams and the reality of working in the mill. Its really moving stuff – and its sold out! But the best thing about the play, hands down, is the fact that there are bobbins everywhere:

My cousin’s dog is called Bobbin and everywhere I look I am reminded of her. In town there are endless haberdashery stalls and markets

too. There’s so much adorable fabric that I am definitely going to stock up on my days off. Here are the patterns I’ve already bought:

Upon returning to Sheffield for my weekend off, I passed the time by performing in a play I wrote myself. With a pen. Its all about the cup of tea, and its magical properties for making bad situations better. We met up at 12noon on Sunday and rehearsed and made tea bag flyers to hand out before performing at 4:45pm on the same day. And we pulled it off! It was well received and I’m really proud of my achievement, and the two other actors who joined me in this breakneck speed rehearsal period!

Our poster and our flyer (which IS a tea bag)

And now I have updated, its back t'mill wi' thee!