Up Out O' The Sea: Turbot Time

The second week of rehearsal is over and it has gone swimmingly(!). We have gone through the whole play and we are beginning to work off-book. We have been able to work on our lovely set this week, which has provided it's fair share of inspirations and challenges.

As we begin to block the play and introduce the many props you can really see it all taking shape. The moment you put the book down is the moment you really get a chance to play and I think we have all had an opportunity to do that this week.

One of the good things about this week was all the sweets! Penny's "luxury snowballs" appeared at the end of the week as did Jon's Jelly Babies, and on Monday Mike brought in some lovely marshmallow hearts which his lovely fiancé bought him for Valentine's Day (Ahhhhhhhhh that's so... (vomit!)).

We had Andrew Clarke from the East Anglian Daily Times come in to do an interview with Lisa-Marie (playing Emily/Milly) and me on Thursday which was fun. I think the "media spotlight" suits me. We are both locals in one way or another and we spoke about Thomas Mills and about our time with Mouth Youth Theatre in Halesworth. It's odd doing interviews like that as you babble on in the vain hope you might say something interesting, with no real idea of what the journalist wants or what he will use for the article. I can just imagine the headlines... 'Suffolk actors both seem pretty normal', or '"I am now based in London" claims Leistoner Woolf'

As we get further through the rehearsal process we are also getting to know each other a lot better and we decided that the cast really needed to go out for a drink together... so on Thursday, we did. After finishing for the evening, Lisa-Marie, Laura (plays Carrie), Claire (Design Assistant, Prop Maker, Photographer, Dogsbody and Sneaker-Freak), Karen (EA Marketing Officer and General Media Pimp) and I went back in time to the sideways Dickensian alehouse that was St. Judes. Wow. It was maybe the best pub I've been to in a long time. Skulls and books on the fake tar-stained walls; sawdust on the floor; candelabra with candle bulbs complete with authentic flicker; large farty chaps with bellies, metal tankards and greying beards; and probably the best selection of real ales and ciders in Ipswich. I am a proper beer fan (minus the beard and sandals) so I loved it. I'm not sure what the others thought, but unfortunately we only stayed for a couple and went on to the Greyhound for food. There we met Mike and Lisa (playing Mrs Jope) and we gorged ourselves on fishy delights, gossip and treacle tart.

Speaking of fishy delights... the puns and fishy songs have continued through the week. I think I am becoming a Dab hand at it, until I Flounder. I hope they're not so bad I make Anemone because that might create Tenchion... hmmm.

"Another amazing made-up, yet relevant, joke!" I hear you scream... I am sorry loyal blog fan, but I tried very hard this week but all I could come up with was one based on the "How do you turn a duck into a soul singer? Put it in the oven til it's Bill Withers" joke... here goes...

How do you turn a fish into a soul singer?

Leave it to go mouldy until its gills-got-hair-on (Gil Scott Heron)...

...But I tried. Sorry.

(Not hard enough - Ed)