I’ve been at a meeting with the excellent Natural Theatre Company helping plan out the template for their educational package today. It was a fun meeting, very theatre, everyone sat around a table with a flip chart and cups of coffee. Very informal, it cracked me up how close to the stereotype it played.

As fun as it was, it was actually pretty tiring which coupled with a lack of sleep last night has left me shattered and lazy in terms of blogging. Need to conserve my strength as I’m off to see Inception tonight. Was foiled in my attempt last week so had to settle for the lovely Toy Story 3. I end with a trailer for Inception.

Inception Trailer

I’m currently in the middle of writing Anti-Panto and it is tough work. The plot is all there; Cinderella meets North by North West. I’ve mapped out all the scenes and how I want them to play out, but now I’ve actually got to get in there and write the dialogue. The show IS a pantomime so I want to keep some of that  style of stuff, but it isn’t a family show. It’s older, and I don’t want to lose the audience by talking down to them. The brilliantly bizarre comic Mitch Hedburg once said of being a comedy writer: “My job is to think of something funny and then write it down. Unless I can’t find a pen, in which case I have to convince myself that what I thought of wasn’t funny.” He’s got a point. Trying to be funny is so difficult on a deadline.

I’m writing stuff and then realising that 5 lines have gone past without a gag, so I have to create one. When you’ve set your head to “funny” you can’t be sure what is laugh out loud good and what is simply amusing. This blog I’m writing right now for example is neither. I’ll pep it up with an old joke: do you say nee-ther or nigh-ther? Oh come on, you must use one! Comedy gold there. You see what I’m up against.

What is another word for synonym?

More greatness from Mr Minchin, he’s awesome buy things that send him money.

Tim Minchin is VERY funny

It’s Monday, a day that suffers its fair share of bad press. Monday is a return to the mundane for many, or the orther way to look at it is a beginning. This Monday will kick off a week of huge excitement. Yes, I already know my every movement untill Wednesday evening, but still I refuse to mourn Monday’s arrival.

People put so much store into the days if the week. Had we all been part of a communal comma for 72 hours making today Wednesday would we feel better? More importantly would I get 2for1 cinema tickets? This week should see me complete the majority of Anti-Panto, I certainly hope do deadlines are looming. Wish me luck.

I’m as much a fan of Richard Ashcroft as the next man (providing the next man is a moderate fan, really more partial to the Verve of Urban Hymns rather than this bland new stuff) but this post is not here to extol the virtues of the lank haired song smith’s grateful warble. Instead it is here for me to give thanks like a schmaltzy American over turkey.

I am a lucky boy, I love the work I do, I have a great family and my girlfriend is not only adorably sweet, she’s also banging hot. I don’t know what I did to deserve all this, I certainly haven’t been on any altruistic binges of late, but I am grateful for it. In place of any meaningful career news or nuggets of comedy cropping up in my bonce I thought I’d share my good fortune with you all. It will serve to temper the sympathy when this gravy train of good times inevitably hits the sauce sidings spilling its meaty wares on the mashed potato of ‘resting’ actordom.

As if to confirm my luck, the bus I was waiting for has arrived exactly as the heavens opened upon me in my optimistic shorts!

So if you run a small to medium sized theatre with a programme inclusive of comedy you’ll no doubt have already heard of the wonderful work New Old Friends are producing. If not check your inbox, we’ve sent you a lovely pdf selling Sketchy at Best.

Brilliantly quite a few venue managers have already opened said Email, perused said pdf and expressed interest in buying said show! Awesome huh? It looks increasingly likely we will indeed be taking our particular brand of comedy theatre National! So far its still very loose and incredibly varied from small college theatre in Truro to a big name venue in Manchester. Right now I value both equally, if they both confirm one will quickly find its way onto our publicity material and the other just be a gratefully received date on tour.

I am so excited about the prospect of this tour I quite literally could pee. I should point out in the interests of clarity I do still pee when unutterably bored.

In other news Spain beat Holland in the World Cup, but Holland did more of the beating from what I could see. Loved De Jong’s dropkick to the chest! Chuck Norris finally honoured on the biggest sporting stage of all.