Welcome to the website of actor, writer and musician Christophe Philipps.
There’s all sorts of useful info here, as well as updates on current work and projects. Browse at your leisure and get in touch if that’s what you want to do.
I update this site regularly, and write a blog (below) covering all aspects of my work, so be sure to visit again.
Connect with me on LinkedIn and Skills Pages, ‘Like’ my Facebook page and follow me on Twitter to read quick updates of my work , or email me.
It’s been a while since I’ve updated you all on the development of Holy Land: Resistance – for several reasons.
For those of you who don’t know, HL:R is a dystopian epic based on a screenplay I wrote in 2005. Since around this time last year I’ve been collaborating with artist Simon Newbury on adapting and updating the screenplay into a graphic novel; and more recently (alongside the graphic novel project), writing the novelisation too.
There’s a huge amount to report – from the sample artwork, synopsis and blurb development, to ongoing discussions with publishers, development of the themes and exploration of the production process – not to mention the new and intriguing proposition of an illustrated novel, encapsulating elements of both the graphic novel and the literary novelisation. All in all, it’s been an amazing experience, and very full-on. And that’s why it’s taken so long to give an update – I’ve been too busy working on the project(s) to stop to talk about it. But that’s a good thing.
So, to kick start I thought I’d pick one aspect to explore in some depth. The intenet.
Our first step was to launch the official site of Holy Land: Resistance, securing the name officially and ensuring that any contacts could be directed to a central informational point. But that makes it all sound incredibly boring, so we (myself, Simon, and my friend Pete, a whizz at all things internet-y) got to thinking: how can we make the end-user experience more interesting? Even that’s a boring way of saying we wanted to tell the world about HL:R while also being true to what HL:R is. The trick here: how can we get people excited?
Firstly, we launched the website – www.holylandresistance. Obvious domain name there; but instead of this being a one-page, boring website, we opened with something of a gambit. When you go to the site, it asks you to ‘Choose Your Allegiance’, and gives you the option of choosing ‘Path-Walker’, or ‘Magdalene’. Instantly the reader has a choice, and is engaged.
And for whichever they select, they are led to a sub-domain site – www.pathwalker.holylandresistance.co.uk, etc – which explores a great deal of backstory in the ‘voice’ of The Path – the fundamentalist regime in power in Holy London where HL:R is set – or in the ‘voice’ of the Magdalenes, the insurgency in opposition to The Path. It’s an interesting way to give back story and flesh out elements of the story and setting. It also slyly introduces many of the important characters, delivers core information which, although explored in full in the story itself, enriches the narrative, and gives the whole piece a wider context. And also, we think it’s kinda clever too. Most importantly, though, it enables us to divorce the fiction of the story from the developmental information we want to purvey: our production process, audience profiling and, crucially, how HL:R is a credible and financially-viable product. So, along the footers of both sites, there are links to pages exploring exactly those aspects of the project, as well as info on us as creators and how to get in touch.
There’s still a huge amount of work to be done. Just this week we discussed how to better present the sample artwork and conceptual cover designs to explore why there are alternate versions of the same essential image (hint, it’s all about different audiences, homages, publishing trends, etc); but also that the site itself needs more work graphically so that it may better encapsulates what HL:R is. So we’re not resting on our laurels, but at the same time we’re pleased with the results, and think we have something interesting and somewhat innovative to hang our online image on.
But t’interweb is indeed a multifaceted beast, and no HL:R online image would be complete without the new kid on the block – social media. We’ve registered a Holy Land: Resistance Facebook page (www.facebook.com/HolyLandResistance), and since have populated it with all sorts of info, sample artwork and the blurb. And we’ve swiftly attracted a solid following, one which grows week on week and gives us the chance to do something that’s very difficult through other means: engage directly with our ‘fans’ (or at least, those people interested enough to follow progress).
In effect, it’s crowd sourcing on a potentially-massive scale – but even in its infancy it is also sublime. Being small scale, we’ve been able to post several different cover designs and ask for feedback. This being only a handful of responses at a time enables us to look closely at who likes what, and what sort of person they are – a vital trick in audience profiling and, most importantly, giving our prospective market what they want. Also, in doing so, we can prove to publishers that we have gone with what people want – and prove that it’s what they want.
We’ve followed suit with alternate taglines and loglines, and made efforts to place the story into a wider context of current world events (although, hopefully not too crassly), such as the death of Kim Jong-Il (HL:R opens with the death of a dictator), and a look at Remembrance Sunday (HL:R deals with remembrance in a number of ways, and explores war from several angles). So the HL:R Facebook page has so far proved, in the short term, a valuable tool for road-testing work in progress and hearing from (and refining) our prospective market audience first hand. And in the longer term, it’s proving that we know what we’re doing (because we can show why it’s right), building a loyal fanbase, soft-launching the marketing, and showing that we are fully committed to the project as a commerical product. And you can’t say fairer than that.
There is of course more to do with social media too – for example, we have yet to engage the graphic novel fan forums directly or explore Twitter, YouTube and other networking sites like LinkedIn for their potential uses for marketing and developing HL:R. But it’s a solid start (and at least we’re aware of the challenges ahead), and great for us to hear directly from you, our reading public.
I’ve also added a detailed page on HL:R to my website and entries on my professional Facebook page, and Simon has done similar. And on a purely-developmental note, we’re also using cloud computing in the shape of Dropbox to share artwork and written materials and have a central pool of all things Holy Land.
If you haven’t seen them yet, be sure to check out the websites here, and the Facebook page here. And most importantly, please SPREAD THE WORD about what we’re developing here – feedback, and just general awareness is absolutely vital to us making Holy Land: Resistance the hit we believe it can be; and we sincerely want it to be every bit the graphic novel and novel you’ve always wanted to read – so be sure to give us your feedback too!
I’m pleased to announce that I now have a brand new showreel to showcase some of my acting work and give casting directors, agents and producers a clearer idea of what I’m like as a performer.
Certainly, a healthy CV and full credits listings are invaluable. But there’s no substitute for the real thing – seeing in the flesh what I’m like in front of the camera or on the stage, and in a variety of roles. So I recently commissioned the excellent two-d photography to edit together a showreel of the various films, stage appearances, online promos and music videos I have appeared in recently.
I have to say, I’m very pleased with the results! And I’m hopeful it will be yet another arrow in my job-hunting quiver. Needless to say, I have now added a Showreel page on the Actor tab of this site (Actor → Showreel), uploaded it to the many casting websites I apply for casting calls through and passed it onto my agent, Diana Marshall.
Naturally, much of my work I haven’t got access to, and lots more – particularly my improvisational events work – wasn’t filmed in the first place. But a showreel isn’t meant to represent your entire back catalogue, nor slavishly show the same sort of role over and over. It’s to showcase range and charisma in situ.
To that end I think it does rather a nice job, showing clips from two stage appearances (Little Shop of Horrors and Patience), the music video Feels Like I’m Still In Love for Sweet Gorilla Band, an online testimonial promo for Your Space Apartments, a comedy short entitled Two Birds, a brief montage of my headshots and my full contact details.
But what do you think? I’d been keen to receive any feedback, and always listen to tips for more successfully picking up work. So if you have any thoughts, or like what you see and would like to work with me, please get in touch.
You can watch the full showreel below, or find it on YouTube titled as Christophe Philipps showreel 2012 or here. Altenatively, you may wish to see each clip used in their entirety, and can do so on the Files page of my Actor tab (Actor → Files) , or by clicking here.
Lastly, if you’d like a showreel of your own, I’d highly recommend two-d photography. They didn’t ask for the plug; I just believe in giving credit where credit is due. Visit their website here.
With planning for the 2012 Hastings Beer & Music Festival well under way, I’m happy to bring news that our charity fundraising event has made the Top Ten list of world – yes, world – beer festivals.
Hastings Beer & Music Festival - returning in summer 2012
The list, compiled by Teletext and published on their bog, sees HBMF ranked alongside the likes of the Munich Oktoberfest, as well as large-scale events in Helsinki, Ontario, Qingdao in China, Stockholm and Chicago.
HBMF appears sixth on the list, making it the highest ranked UK entry, with the only other UK fesitval making the list being the Cambridge Beer Festival.
And a little research into the other beer festivals reveals that HBMF is the only not-for-profit festival on the list, and the only one run entirely by volunteers.
HBMF, launched 30 years ago, is run by the Hastings Round Table charitable organisation, of which I am a member. Since its humble beginnings, the event as grown in scale and popularity, and now attracts an annual audience in excess of 12,000 and has to date raised well over £600,000 for charities and good causes in the Hastings area. Last year alone, we saw over 5,000 audience members at the Saturday Rock Night in our huge marquee housing Europe’s longest bar in Alexandra Park, Hastings, and upwards of 2,500 people come for the inaugural Saturday Showcase (giving a stage to new accoustic musicians from the area). Over the three-day event, we raised more than £45,000.
Two years ago we also launched the Battle of Hastings Proms event for the opening Thursday night, which brought the sounds of a 150-strong choir and full orchestra soaring over the skies of Hastings once more, attracting a new raft of music lovers and helping to expand our reach to raise more money for charity.
Hosting the Saturday Showcase at HBMF 2011
Since 2010, I have worked as the volunteer Creative Director, Publicity Manager, Resident Performer and – as of last year (for one night and the Saturday Showcase) – host. These are all roles I am reprising for this year, working alongside the relatively-small group of other Tablers on the organising committee. It’s a hell of a lot of hard work, but the rewards speak for themselves.
I must say, it is nice to see the event recognised in this way. That the blog was published in November 2011 means also that the event has been reconisged under my tenure as Creative Director – which feels great on a personal level, and means our hardwork in keeping the festival alive – indeed, building on it and improving it year on year – is working.
Plans are well underway for 2012, and we think it’s going to be bigger, better and bolder than any year before. And with a prestigious thirty-year history, there’s a lot to build on.
Watch this space for details of how HBMF 2012 is coming together, and if you’re one of the thousands of volunteer helpers and staff who have helped build it into the festival it is today – one now recognised as a world leader – give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back. We couldn’t do it without you.
To read the full list on the Teletext blog, click here. Or find out more about HBMF - and lend some time in future to helping us raise money for charity.
Full dates for HBMF 2012 are 5th, 6th & 7th July, at Alexandra Park, Hastings. Just look out for the big top, and remember to book your tickets nice and early!
I am pleased to announce I have been cast as Gabriel in a mid-length film titled Jenny Ringo and the Cabaret from Hell.
The film, produced by Wolf and Fox Films, will shoot over the next few weeks in and around Brighton. It is a follow up to their first film, Jenny Ringo and the Monkey’s Paw; and follows the titular character into the seedy underworld of… Well, let’s not spoil the surprise.
The role of Gabriel is set to be something of a challenge, but a rewarding one at that. He is described as an angel who has become ‘stuck’ in our reality here on Earth, working in a night club. During the audition last Saturday, I tried interpreting the character in a variety of ways – friendly, detached, animated, stripped-down, laconic – with the most parred-back reading proving the best fit for director Chris Regan.
And I’m certain it will prove interesting to build on a fledgling franchise already in motion – working with a production team already familiar with the characters, and building on the universe they have already established with the previous entry into the series.
Judging by the first entry, and having read the script, this is set to be an interesting, visually distinctive and all-round engaging film. For my part, I’m looking forward to sinking my teeth into the character of Gabriel, and bringing an eternal spirit to life in a way that is memorable but believable.
And as you may know, I am working on a graphic novel (with artist Simon Newbury) called Holy Land: Resistance, which also deals with an angel character ‘stuck’ here on Earth (although he doesn’t then work at a night club), so it will be interesting to explore the possibilities of an angel character in a different ‘universe’. Who knows, it may just inform, deepen and strengthen how I treat the angel in HL:R itself…
As ever, watch this space for updates and, if possible, the finished film.
And so as we trip into 2012, it’s time to reflect on the past year. And while this is a natural compulsion, it’s worth remembering the value of doing so: to relive, take stock and chart the path that has led us to where we are now. Or, as I said in the closing line of my first feature stageplay Still Li(f)e, “Life’s not the sum total of your mistakes; it’s what you learn.” So with that in mind, here’s how 2011 shaped up.
Little Shop of Horrors poster
As the year opened it was a busy one. Rehearsals for Little Shop of Horrors, in which I played Orin the Dentist and a host of other characters (5 more in all), were in full swing, ready to open in late February. And boy, what a show that turned out to be. Reviews were uniformly excellent, and it proved to be a show that at once pushed us artistically, wringing from us performances to be proud of, but also sitting so comfortably with our natural acting styles that it was, I can honestly say, one of the best cast shows I’ve ever been involved in. I still think of Little Shop extremely fondly, and forged some fantastic friendships along the way.
Notably, it was during the show run of this show that I got to talking with Simon Newbury, who was playing Seymour (excellently, I might add), about teaming up to work on an artistic/writing project together.
Splash panel from Holy Land: Resistance
And so the start of Holy Land: Resistance was born – a dystopian thriller graphic novel based on a screenplay I wrote in 2005, with Simon providing the artwork. But more than that, it has proved to be a true collaboration, working closely to develop the conceptual artwork, character designs and storyboarding.
And since then, we’ve launched twin websites, a Facebook page dedicated to the development process, and contacted a raft of publishers – some of which, now, are expressing interest. It’s all very, very exciting, but the work is still underway, and it’s a long road. But one that is genuinely taking shape – proving that a good story in the right medium can be more than the sum of its parts. So while we’re here to look back and reflect, it’s not without a massive sense of excitement as to where working on HL:R will lead.
Poster for Godspell
Little Shop also lead to another stage role, with noted director David Fawcett seeing me in action as Orin and casting me in the twin roles of John the Baptist and Judas Iscariot in Godspell.
With barely the chance to catch my breath after Little Shop, I was in rehearsals with a truly fine young cast, and the production came together with surprising ease – aided no doubt by David’s expert direction and superb musical direction by Norman Austin.
Add to that standing ovations for every performance, and it was a fantastic experience all round – and one I’m proud of.
Following on the buzz of these two shows, I joined a murder mystery company, and met with acting agent Diana Marshall – and we got on like a house on fire, deciding to work together.
Since then she has indeed been my agent, and a very supportive one at that; and she’s helped me land roles that I would not have otherwise landed, and helped me carve the sort of career that enables me to look back, write a blog on it, and smile.
Two Birds
As the year progressed, I picked up roles in comedy short film Two Birds, which turned out so nicely I count it among my favourite projects, as well as the titular role in crime drama Solitaire: Endgame, bumbling romantic hopeful Brian in two very funny corporate training films for Gala Casinos, a voiceover for two University of Brighton educational films, a doctor in Persona Non Gratis, an online video testimonial film for Your Space Apartments, a slick banker for a Credit Suisse training film, environmental developer Nick in That’s English, an English Language teaching film for Spanish TV, an Air Traffic Controller for Discovery’s Aircrash Confidential TV strand, and as a PC in forthcoming big-budget feature film Byzantium, directed by Neil Jordan.
I also worked again in early summer with my friends at Boo! Productions on a series of Harry Potter-themed improvised events at the Tower of London, BAFTA and the Science Museum; and later, to close the year, at a series of Christmas events across Canary Wharf and Reading. Just ahead of the Christmas season with Boo!, however, I landed the role of Mr Smeg in adult panto Peter Pansy and the Pirates, in Milton Keynes.
Poster for Peter Pansy and the Pirates
Directed by Steven Gordon-Wilson, Peter Pansy was a real treat of a show that called for freeflowing audience interaction, high-camp silliness, and West End-style showtunes (mine being On My Own from Les Mis) sung in full belter style, but with the words changed to be, well, filthy and funny. I’m particularly proud of that song, as I reworked the lyrics and had barely a day to learn it.
The show was peopled by really very nice cast, and the crew worked tirelessly without ever dropping a smile.
So on reflection it was a gloriously shambolic show at times, but all the better for it. And, again, some really great friends made in the course of bringing a little bit of unapologetic Christmas fun to audiences.
Opposite the Grossglockner and the Pasterze glacier
Perhaps the highlight of the year, though, was my virtually-unplanned, and certainly for me before I left unexpected, jaunt around Europe.
It’s a tale that would take a book to tell (and indeed, I’m working on the book of it), but suffice to say I made it through seven countries – France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria and Slovakia – in seven weeks, climbed my first snow-capped mountain and saw my first glacier, and went ‘off-road’ in the Alps; not to mention visiting a ton of museums, an open mic night in Berlin, karaoke in Austria, and visiting Europe’s largest biker festival.
Best of all though were the friendships I made along the way, particularly from members of the charity Round Table, whom put me up, showed me the sights, made me their special guest and took me on country treks and to meet new people. Where these adventures led will all be revealed in the book, but genuinely the Tablers I met along the way made what was already an awesome experience truly unforgettable. I can’t wait to see them all again, and hit the road once more.
And this experience led me to put myself forward for International Relations Officer in my local Hastings Round Table; and with a vote, it’s official – I am the link to the wider world for my Table. What’s more, in April 2011 I took on the role of Community Officer too, working with members of the public to develop links with the community and handling requests for funding and donations. Add to that our Table’s main fundraising event – Hastings Beer & Music Festival, for which I am Creative Director – and it’s been a busy year for me in Table; one I hope to build on, contribute more to and, in doing so, gain more from the experiences.
But a little more on HBMF. This year saw us open with the Battle of Hastings Proms, arranged and conducted by Roger Wilcock; and building on the success of the debut event last year, this year was bigger, better and raised even more money. The Friday night saw us all enjoy the expert musician ship of Hastings’ own international star Lianne Caroll, and even saw me hosting the event – something which struck the fear of God in me to begin with, but ended up being a fantastic and thrilling experience.
Poster for the Saturday Showcase 2011
Saturday afternoon saw me launch the Saturday Showcase as part of the Family Fun afternoon – a new event giving a stage to the best new and local musicians from the Hastings area.
It was a smash, with feedback universally positive, and raising a ton of cash we would not otherwise have raised. It’s this part of the event that I’m perhaps most proud of – truly something from nothing.
The Saturday night ‘Rock Night’ saw the 1066 Rockitmen round off a stonking night to record audience numbers, and helped us reach – and exceed – our target fundraising sum of £40K for charity. In fact, we topped £45,000 – making all the hard work worth it.
There have, of course, been low lows as well as the high highs – for many it seems 2011 was that sort of year. But here’s hoping the work forged over the past year will bleed positively into 2012. With Holy Land: Resistance still in development, plus the novelisation and the as-yet untitled travel book to work on, it could be a busy writing year. Then there is of course future acting work (watch this space for a new showreel shortly), my third year as Creative Director for HBMF (and it’s already shaping up to be a corker), and more adventures to be had with Round Table. But is that the whole picture?
Somehow, I think 2012 has a few surprises in store yet…
I have been cast as a policeman in forthcoming cinematic release Byzantium, produced by Freeman Films.
How this all came about is a little unusual, so let me set the scene. A few weeks ago a message circulated in my local area about a film shooting in Hastings in the first few weeks of December in need of extras. I don’t usually go for extras work, but being so local I thought I’d go for it – another quick job to fit in around all the other commitments I have in the (busy) build up to Christmas. Extras work also gives me the chance to learn my lines for the forthcoming Peter Pansy and the Pirates I am performing in Milton Keynes later in the month – so win win: get paid for what I would need to do anyway, with only a few breaks from that for the actual filming. And another credit for the ol’ CV – and a cinema feature at that.
So, I emailed my details to the head of casting, along with – just for luck – my acting CV. I heard back almost immediately, and at the casting call discussed my availability for taking on a larger role – being a professional in the area, they were keen to have me on board should a more significant role come along. Which it did. Towards the end of last week, I received a call offering me the part of a policeman who discovers a body – a major plot point in the film. So, an obvious step up from simple extras work – which is great news. And a role, too, which is very likely to make the final cut.
Best of all, Byzantium is due to hit cinemas in the new year – which means little old me is coming to a cinema near you. Freeman Films are the team behind How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, so I’m in little doubt that Byzantium will successfully navigate the difficult road from production to release. All in all it’s very priomising – and proof that putting yourself forward (if your credentials are genuine) is well worth the effort.
Filming is slotted in for early next week, and shouldn’t take too long – a day at most. I don’t have details of the production schedule or likely release date, but I’ll do my best – and revel in it – to sound the promo alarms when I know anything concrete.
As some of you may know, I have been a member of charitable organisation Hastings Round Table (21) since 2009. In the few short years since, I have done my bit to work towards its goals – to adapt, adopt and improve – becoming Creative Director for their annual Hastings Beer & Music Festival (HBMF) and Battle of Hastings Proms fundraisers, and launching the Saturday Showcase to give a stage to aspiring musicians from the Hastings area – and becoming host along the way. I have also taken on the role of Community Officer, handling applications for donations to local charities and good causes. And with the raft of new friends and unique experiences I’ve had along the way, it’s been a thoroughly rewarding experience – and one that I feel honoured to be a part of. But something was missing.
You may also recall that over the summer I took myself on a European backpacking jaunt – hitting the roads with nary a plan of where to go and what to see, save from the idea that I would ultimately see and climb an Alp. I genuinely had no idea of what to expect, and still less idea of how I would get from one place to the next, what to see there, and how to navigate the ‘wilds’ of the European continent. The only guidance I had was the thought that I could meet up with some Tablers I had met during my time with Hastings Table.
So, without really knowing the protocols on such things (or if that’s how Table operates), I emailed and Facebooked a few people I had met through Table – Tom Willems in Tienen, Belgium, who put me in touch with Peter Loosen, Michael Brandstatter in Graz, Austria, who put me in touch with Werner Kolbl in Vienna and Hannes Otter (who took me to Europe’s largest Biker festival). My message was simple: I’m coming to Europe, and would like to pop along to say hi – don’t know quite when, don’t know for how long – I’ll work around you. That’s the nice thing about travelling without a plan – you can go anywhere, anytime. So the message went out, and I was heartened and very pleased to hear back from them both.
To cut a long story short, meeting up with the Tablers was the true highlight of the whole endeavour – they put me up, showed the sights, showed extreme generosity, friendship and selflessness and made the whole trip so much more than it would have been without meeting them. In effect, they showed the best of their countries: the real side.
So, what’s missing from Hastings Table? In a word (or rather, an acronym) an IRO: an International Relations Officer.
Let me explain. Many Tables have an IRO, someone in charge of keeping connections with our international friends (some we’ve met, some we have yet to meet), building relations and being active on the world stage. For various reasons, Hastings Table (and in fact, many in Briatin – perhaps it’s a British thing?) don’t have an IRO. And I think that’s a huge shame. Without an IRO in our Table, for example, I had no idea until I was abroad just how international, open and rewarding Table could be. Thankfully, I discovered it along the way – but think how much more I could have got from the trip, and how many more Tablers I could have met, if I’d known ahead of time.
So at the last monthly meeting, I put myself up for the job – for the job, that is, to be created within our Table. I was the obvious choice, having made many connections across Europe, and even with the former world chairman Rikus Badenhost, a very nice Finnish Tabler named Markus Laine – completely randomly (because I was wearing a Table shirt) in a bar in Bratislava – and dozens more along the way. I even insisted my Table vote on it – you know, to make it all official.
All of which is a longwinded way of saying that I am pleased to announce that I am now IRO for Hastings Table. My hope is to extend the hand of friendship to Tables worldwide – not just for me, but my fellow Tablers too. And with an influx of new recruits joining our Table, it’s an exciting time – and I hope I can help them get from Table what my travels across Europe gave me: lasting friendship, and a window into their lives I could see in no other way.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Round Table, or our Hastings Table, click on the links – or contact me. I’m happy to tell you all about it. And click on these links for more on the Hastings Beer & Music Festival and Battle of Hastings Proms.
I am very pleased to announce that I have been cast as Mr Smeg in ‘adult’ panto Peter Pansy and the Pirates, written by Steven Gordon-Wilson and produced by Cackle Street Entertainment.
The show explores the murkier – but highly-entertaining – side of the Peter Pan story, with all the naughtiness, tongue-in-cheek filth and campness you’d expect from a panto.
My character’s name, for example, is a riff on the classic character Mr Smee – which goes some way to telling you the tone of the show from the start.
That said, the script is funny and fresh, the characters three-dimensional (well, for a panto anyway) and the pace swift enough to keep the show ticking along nicely. And of course, there’s plenty of songs, silliness and audience interaction along the way – oh no there isn’t! Oh yes there is!
I have to say, writer and producer Steven’s enthusiasm for the show shined through when I auditioned, as did the talent of the actors I read with. So I am in no doubt the show is going to be a real highlight of the year – for me personally, and for the audience.
We’re performing in Milton Keynes – first at City Limits comedy club at Xscape, then at Cranfield Social Club. And while it’s a short run – only four shows in all – it’s nice to leave an audience wanting more. Besides, any longer may see us run out of town for lewdness!
And talking of short runs, the rehearsal period is just as short – just four days! But that’s all part of the fun, and a way of working I personally enjoy – thrown in at the deep end, exploring and discovering the script and characters almost as the audience will be on the night.
And it also marks a return to the stage since performing as John the Baptist/Judas Iscariot in Godspell in March. And what better way, too – in a show so unashamedly entertaining, fun and frivolous. I can’t wait.
Show dates are 12th & 13th December at City Limits, and 14th & 15th December at Cranfield Social Club. Or you can find out more details at http://www.cacklestreet.co.uk/peterpansy/.
Come on, you know you want to – oh yes you do!
I just wanted to write a blog to mark Remembrance Sunday and the impact this very important and powerful occassion has had on me creatively – specifically, with the writing of Holy Land: Resistance.
Please don’t think this is an attempt to jump on the bandwagon of the sacrifices made by so many for so few. But remembrance is that very rare thing: a way for us all to connect, if only fleetingly, with the bravery of all those who lost their lives in war, and for the freedoms they fought to protect to be celebrated.
Many of these themes are explored in-depth throughout Holy Land: Resistance, the graphic novel I am currently developing (as writer) with artist Simon Newbury.
What’s more, the opening sequence – in which a huge ‘Grand Assembly’ of the faithful ‘Path-Walkers’ is devastated by a terrorist bombing – was directly inspired by an Armistice Day ceremony at Portsmouth Guildhall Square in 2004.
Here’s what happened. In 2004 I was leaving my Screenwriting lesson at Portsmouth University, during which I had started work developing Holy Land: Protectors of the Faith: the screenplay upon which the current incarnation of Holy Land is based, which was also my final project for my undergraduate degree. As I took my usual shortcut from the lesson into the town centre, myself and a friend crossed the Guildhall Square and stumbled across – or rather, through – the Remembrance ceremony in full swing. The crowds were silent, marking the minute’s silence – so silent, in fact, that we didn’t notice them until we were well onto the square. We had inadvertently walked into the middle of it. Of course, we quickly scampered away. But I vividly remember the power and eerieness of the scene – the quiet contemplation, the formalised reverence, the perception that day-to-day life had come to a complete standstill. And then the rifles fired their salutes.
The opening scene of Holy Land: Resistance directly reflects this moment. Without giving too much away (I’m tied in negotiations with publishers, so unable to give the game away), HL:R opens with this same eerie scene, but amplified: the crowds are huge, their reverence has slipped beyond contemplation to outright fervour, and the 21-gun salute has grown in scale, and seems to threaten the people themselves. We hope the eerieness is as palpable as it was that day; but suffused with a similar reverence, power and subtle beauty as shared by all Remembrance ceremonies.
And aside from the ceremony, the tenets of remembrance are strongly felt throughout the narrative: it is a story concerning a dicatorial regime, the resistance movement whom oppose it, and those caught in the firing line between them. Freedom of choice, expression, faith and aspiration are all vital themes, as is the tangible loss the characters experience for their fallen comrades on both sides. More: they question the validity of their cause, while never questioning the bravery and sacrifice of those whom committed their lives to it. Effectively, the opening scene represents – on a grander, more dramatic scale – what we all experience in remembrance ourselves: the palpable, tangible experience of Remembrance.
So here’s to the fallen – they are not forgotten. And for my part, I hope Holy Land: Resistance appropriately brings the complexities of their sacrifice to life. Remembrance has many faces. I hope our contribution works to keep their memory alive – lest we forget.
I am very pleased to announce that I have once again been cast to appear in Boo! Productions’ excellent themed events running over the 2011 Christmas season.
I first joined Boo! in November 2010 for a raft of corporate events they had secured which saw a rather large company of actors and event staff creating Harry Potter, Wizards, Circus and Narnia-themed events. Through an intensive process of devising, improvising, working with the production crew and existing company members, and generally pitching in to help make the events really good fun, believable and accessible, we put on what I consider to be some really great events. Truly fun for all the family.
Over these events I have devised characterisations for a dark magician called Mandrake (complete with magic routine, booming voice and malevolent laugh), a potion master called Doctor Proctor from the ‘world’ of Harry Potter (complete with potion laboratory with ‘real’ potions and ‘mad scientist’ hair) as well as a ‘cockney geezer’ for other Potter parties, and a security guard named Harry, or Larry, or Barry, or Gary at Narnian castle Cairparavel (alongside my ‘twin’, also confusingly-named). What characters will this new set of events see brought to life?
That’s the fun – and hard work – of working with Boo! Productions. But while devising is indeed hard work – there’s no script to work from; it’s all improvised with the audience – it’s also incredibly rewarding: seeing a character grow, working with your co-actors within the show remit, and gradually honing the characterisation, use of props, setting, etc as the events unfold. And there can be up to 3 events a day, so there’s no rest for the wicked.
And the events themselves can be on a massive scale – and wonderfully produced. Previous events saw an entire former gothic-styled church decked out in Harry Potter paraphenalia, while other events have seen us ‘take over’ the Tower of London, an entire wing of the Science Museum, the BAFTA offices at Piccadilly, and a host of other no-less-atmospheric London venues. So where this year? It’ll be fun finding out…
I am also pleased to be cast, as this will be the third block-booking of events I am joining Boo! for – which means I must be doing something right for me to be asked to return time and again. And what’s more, I have made some very good friends along the way. So while it will be hard work, it will no doubt be very rewarding and great fun to see old friends/colleagues once more.
Exact event themes and dates are to be confirmed, but I am sure to be improvising happily in the build up to Christmas. And for me, that’s a great way to spend the Silly Season.
