March 13th 2017

[Barry]

September 8th 2017

The threatened cloud has passed away......

I start work on a new tv series on Monday, saved not just from financial disaster but also mental breakdown.

[Barry]

September 26th 2017

I really must reorganise these pages.

But heck, it's been a month, and quite a month. I have started a new job, but I have still to get the measure of it. It's confusing but I'm glad, and relieved to be working and have that routine again. And financially, things were getting disastrous.
But of course the new job happened as I opened the play Ladies in Lavender which made for a rather long week. I was elated as a result of the production then slumped. I think, and yes I am biased, but I think we got this production right, well more than right. Every department gave so much and pulled it together. We took what was on the page and took it somewhere else and made it a beautiful, unique to the theatre and cast piece of theatre. So much detail and thought went into it, and it does frustrate me when we have considered everything that some other productions are no more than what was on the page. We had disappointing houses as well, but everyone seemed to absolutely love it. Amanda came over from Ireland for an action packed weekend and was swept up into the strange family that is the Garrick. The last play she saw of mine was the first I did there which was Communicating Doors, and that was a strange but vivid theatrical experience. This was certainly more controlled and sophisticated and utterly professional. a big gap without the play, and I'm trying not to be disappointed at the amount of chums who did not make it. Life simply gets in the way sometimes.
I had a lovely trip to Falmouth University - the train was an adventure and the students were chatty and interesting. a gorgeous part of the world - Cornwall keeps coming up this year, and it's certainly a place I'd love to retire to. A sea view would have to be involved. The hotel had a truly magnificent view. I've got quite a few trips coming up. Norwich next.
I also did some judging, and some filming for a piece about Cosgrove hall.
Not much spare time....I even managed an evening at the ballet with BRB's ravishing Aladdin, but underneath all this is still the shadow of gone Monteverdi.....how I miss him.

[Barry]

An epic few weeks indeed.
I am on a new tv series, but we are still all finding our feet. it's a technically complex show, and we don't have the full picture yet - we will, but at the moment we are meandering somewhat.
But I seem to have done a quick lecturing tour of the UK - was it Donald Woolfit who was the tour de force forced to tour. Ah well. And my talks are full on and draining, but I think pretty lucid. That's the frustration - I know what I'm talking about now, but don't have the outlet to practice such creativity. However, I had a lovely time down in Falmouth at the University - mind you the beautiful hotel on the water and the location had a lot to do with that. And the lecture hall was in a very colourful chapel, and the students stayed with me for over three hours. A week later and I was in Norwich, staying at an equally beautiful guest house, and talking to a great bunch of students. I do seem to be able to get them thinking and fired up. If only I could use this energy towards a project.
I'm still both glowing and depressed from the aftermath of Ladies in Lavender - glowing because, from all of us, it was so good, with every element considered and working, and depressed because of the indifference of those who did not come to see it. Possibly I blame the title, and some confusing artwork, or time of year. who knows, but I do know it was one of the slickest and warmest pieces at that theatre for a long time.
I have certainly done a lot of culture, which again sends me out into the night elated and depressed, but alive and nourished. But frustrated.

[Barry]

Another week, and another bit of travel to a college. This was down in Plymouth and involved early starts there and back, and OK, I didn't see much of plymouth but the College of art was very exciting with all manner of different things going on from costume to ceramics. I did what was in essence a seven hour monologue with a break. The first section was about 'what is it' and 'finding the device', and I certainly go into unusually varied topics. The second half was more about my films. I enjoyed the day, and the students were all still with me at the end. And, as usual, I had my slump having been clear and lucid but then back to face the lack of concrete creativity elsewhere....I really do have to make a film soon, or another play. No more travels and only a local university, but hopefully the tv series will have kicked in properly by then, and we will all be buzzing again.
The need to be creative is a terrible drug and I've never learnt to wean myself off it.

[Barry]

Still doing a lot of admin for the new series, but I got to test a puppet this week, and ignoring standing for a good few hours, and struggling with close-up work ( inspite of new glasses, it's still hard to get these 62 year old eyes to focus quite so close), I had a great time and got a half decent performance out of the puppet. Outside of a theatre, this is where I am happiest, hands wrapped round a complete puppet, giving a performance. Satisfying.
I did a lightning quick TV interview this week about the exhibition of Cosgrove Hall artifacts that has opened with a small fanfare at the Waterside, sale. There seem to be two train of thoughts - one that is a joy to see these puppets, all aged and decaying as it shows that they are the real thing and have a long history - and the other that is sad that they can't be restored to as new. Interesting - if you do restore them do they stop becoming what they were. They are then not the real thing? My own puppets, and indeed the films themselves, need restoring ere they disappear. Good to get so much history at the opening of the exhibition.

[Barry]

ah last week was a write off as my computer got infected by a hideous, truly malicious and nearly very expensive virus. That this is some people's job, to cause harm to others, is simply horrendous, and they are the scum. To be deliberately destructive is not something I can ever conceive. Fortunately I found an eccentric gent in Altrincham to fix things, admittedly at his own speed, but he did it with a smile and a chat. But the virus just popped up on a totally innocent site, and then I was hounded with phone calls - you know, we are Microsoft, yes we really are, don't you care about your computer stuff.
Work carries on, getting nearer to filming. In between I did a couple of talks, firstly a more intimate one in Edge hill, and then one for MMU at the old Cornerhouse. I'm always a bit drained after these as not only do I take the audience on a journey but I go on one myself, and it's always frustrating to watch my own films, especially after talking about the ambition and then the result. I also get frustrated that often the range of student's cultural references are sometimes rather narrow.This was meant to be my last but there are suggestions of a few more, and a few overseas. Yes I'm up for that.
I'm trying to kick start a few live projects and I get wildly excited at even the faint prospect, but then the familiar crash as another year goes by. I know my ideas are solid and imaginative and creative, but they are usually different and that scares people. certainly the creative juices are flowing as much as ever - I just wish there were more doors able to open.
An incident at home unsettled me - the door knocked at 4.00 in the morning last night, and by the time I had got my senses together and opened the door, there was a dalmation sat there looking at me, seeming saying 'help, there's water everywhere'. and indeed there was, but the voice was coming from elsewhere. A gent in one of the flats had run a bath and then fallen asleep, water cascading through a ceiling below. Sam, the dalmation, thought it all a great early morning jape. Oh the sound of a knock on the door at that time carries so much dread and portent of imminent disaster.

[Barry]

Heck, a week without a talk somewhere. I'm not sure I have any more this year - oh yes, the awards evening at the Manchester Animation Festival next week.
Work, well we are not quite up to speed yet.
I did have a moment of oh so brief glory having won a competition for a walk on part in the tour of Spamalot. I had just come from a funeral and this came as a rather joyous evening. I enjoyed being backstage, looking at all the props and costumes laid out and the set all lurking in place. The company were fantatically friendly with hugs and fist bumps. My moment was distinctly brief, little more than walking on and being looked at and grovelling off, but hopefully it caused a laugh. but yep, lurking in the wings ready to go on seems so natural to me. I had some friends out front and joined them for the bonkers second half. A fun evening, if a little surreal.
The Royal Television society awards tonight, with Postie Pat up for an award and twirlies up for three. I get a bit stressed by the length of these things, and the effect of the endless alcohol on those around me, but I do love a chance to dress up.

[Barry]

Where did those two weeks go......we are closer to properly getting going at work.
But there was the Manchester animation festival, and it was great to see both friends old and new and to see a few films. I did see Loving Vincent and wow, what an achievement. I confess that I do not love rotoscope in any form and that counted against the film, but what a bravura feat, and the bits that worked best were the more liberated sections, were the painted could really live. I can't paint at all so it was a marvel to me. My eyes need a rest after this. At the festival was a lovely session honouring Kay Benbow - would I be unkind to say that she was usptaged a little by her interviewer, the velvety Michael Palin. I got to chat to him backstage whilst waiting to do the awards. I think the awards went well, they were concise certainly and we had a good turn out. Always a bit difficult to make the most of the festival when working.
I took a chum to see the Ukelele Orchestra of great Britain - oh joy, and how they must define what it is to be British.
Odd times and I wish I was contributing a bit more....I'm not at that hurts, and makes me feel useless.

[Barry]

December 10th 2017

The last few episodes of twirlies have gone out, and that's the series done and dusted. Four years of my life, and a splendid four years it was too. well organised, every element thought out, lots of challenges, and very very funny. I've been in a couple of episodes recently and a fisherman and a rather flamboyant but rather grumpy actor upstaged by the twirlies. I shall miss these lovely characters. Our new series is ready to go, but we have all been upstaged this week by a remarkable BBC Christmas ident - truly extraordinary animation, especially the non stop dance sequences. Most of the recent idents and supermarket ads have all been about domestic themes, which is certainly fair enough, but I'd love to see something a bit magical next year. Even better, it would be great to work on such a project. I dug out the two BBC Christmas idents I did in 1989 and 1990, and they were certainly small scale and brief, not the epic mini films of today. Still I do remember Sheridan the frog from 1989 with some affection.
A glut of culture around at the moment but haven't really had the time to see anything. Pinocchio is previewing at the national. it sounds epic but it doesn't seem if it has gelled quite yet, but I love the idea that all the characters are puppets save for Pinocchio. What happens with the role reversal at the end I don't know. Puppets are everywhere at the moment, from an epic Aslan in west Yorkshire's Wardrobe to numerous other big shows. War Horse clearly made puppets acceptable, but now they seem an easy option.

[Barry]

Head down all week trying to get the new series together, and we are nearly there. There's a full crew and the studio is ready. here we go.
Look, no culture for ages, but I have a few pantos over Christmas. I was talking to an American this week, and trying to explain panto - his glazed expression said it all, but what's not to understand about a man dressing up as a woman, a woman dressing up as a man but with no trousers, dancing animals, good fairies, bad spirits, transformation scenes, painful puns, smutty innuendoes, sing a longs, magic, variety acts, happy endings, slapstick, and pop songs. Easy.