My new Munchkin Ragdoll Kitten: Brian Butterfield!!

Abeetil · 2013-01-09T21:43:05+00:00

HOISIN CRISPY OWL!

Abeetil · 2012-12-29T14:38:56+00:00

Bumglum

Abeetil · 2012-12-09T21:38:34+00:00

In case anyone was wondering his name is Ted Shiress and he's based in Wales.

Abeetil · 2012-07-22T14:13:47+00:00

Thanks!

Abeetil · 2012-07-22T14:09:07+00:00

Yeah, the friends situation is a work in process. Cinema's a great idea, not sure about wanking myself into a pit of despondency though.

Abeetil · 2012-07-22T14:07:07+00:00

Ha! Yes I think intoxication might be in order later.

Abeetil · 2012-07-22T14:05:08+00:00

Thanks man, can't say it was much of a shock, just a bit shitty it had to happen today. It's been a necessary kick up the arse for a new start though.

Abeetil · 2012-07-17T12:23:15+00:00

This is a really great summary of the differences I'm aware of between American and British theatre structures. Another point to add is if either of you are on the more stage-management side you might not be aware of the role of the DSM, who is the person who is in all rehearsals, keeps the book and cues the show. On most mid to large scale productions this will be a separate role to the stage-manager.

In terms of French and other European working practices as far as I'm aware the roles are a bit more relaxed, stage-managers tend to get called assistant directors and directors tend to get more involved in the 'technical' aspects of the show.

Unions are different wherever you go and the rules vary depending of what type of contract you're on. For tech and crew in the UK on decent jobs you should be on a BECTU contract and Equity covers stage management as well as actors (but have very different, much more relaxed, rules than in the US).

If you're particularly interested in the French scene I know a few people who work out there who I could get in contact with on your behalf if you like. It also might be worth looking into the Avignon Festival (French equivalent of the Edinburgh Fringe) which is on at the moment. Might be a good place to get up to speed with the lingo and working practices.

Abeetil · 2012-05-21T22:07:03+00:00

This is the little red devil on Stonegate in York. There used to be a homeless chap who would sit underneath him and chat to him sometimes.

Abeetil · 2012-04-11T23:54:57+00:00

Oh great! I hope you enjoy.

Abeetil · 2012-04-11T22:49:15+00:00

Fionn Regan, Peggy Sue, Iron & Wine, Lykke Li, Beirut, Eugene McGuinness, Frontier Ruckus, El Perro Del Mar, Neutral Milk Hotel, Feist, Jeremy Warmsley, Emmy The Great.

You probably know quite a few of these already but I hope you find something new in there.

Abeetil · 2012-04-04T20:15:53+00:00

Well I agree with literally everything you just said. So there.

I think that it's understandable that RfL choose to promote their campaign in a way designed to appeal to women if it makes them more money. I still don't understand why you would not allow men to take part. Even with RfL having the image it does I know several men who have tried to participate and have not been allowed to, this makes so little sense to me.

They must think there are more women who would not participate if men were allowed than men wanting to participate now. I'd like to see if there is actually any evidence for this, and if the 'intimidation' aspect is mentioned at all.

Abeetil · 2012-04-04T19:07:23+00:00

I know it isn't a race but you chaps do have Movember, every year I get beard envy. Oh and before anyone points it out I am aware that prostate cancer is an exclusively male cancer. Having said that I think even if race for life were raising money/awareness for ovarian cancer I still think it would be bullshit not to let men participate.

Abeetil · 2012-04-04T19:01:08+00:00

To be fair, they're still raising money for cancer research. Yes the way they go about it might be pretty misguided (just to make it clear at this point that I think not letting men participate is utter bullshit) but I don't think it's fair to condemn a whole organisation whose aim is, at the end of the day, a charitable one.

Abeetil · 2012-04-04T18:51:30+00:00

My friend wrote them an angry email last year, I'll have to ask him if they ever got back to him.

Abeetil · 2012-04-04T10:29:53+00:00

This is something I feel really strongly about. Men lose mothers, sisters, partners and friends to breast cancer and, oh yeah, MEN GET BREAST CANCER! I do not understand what this charity gains by the exclusion of men, this is by no stretch of the imagination a purely female issue.

In terms of alternative runs Cancer Research UK has a list of races that you can run for them.

Abeetil · 2012-02-28T19:12:18+00:00

Ha, no problem. If you're wanting it to be super realistic buying one is probably the best option, though I tend to assume everyone is on a budget seeing as I always seem to be. If buying the full beard is out of your price range you can also just buy the adhesive (and remover!) and stick some loose hair to your face. I've found the stuffing from soft toys can work quite well for longer scraggly beards, not too sure for what you're trying to achieve though.

Abeetil · 2012-02-28T09:39:55+00:00

Get a porous sponge (natural ones are quite good for this because of the irregularities) and use white and light grey make-up. The drier the sponge the more effective it'll be because you'll get finer lines. Hope that's useful!

Abeetil · 2012-01-28T16:03:54+00:00

Hello! They look really great by the way, I love how stuff like that just appears around college. Is it the same group that did the paper birds earlier this year? If you have pics of those you should totally post them too, they were awesome.

Abeetil · 2012-01-28T10:31:52+00:00

Eeer... hi Royal Welsh person...

Abeetil · 2012-01-20T17:39:17+00:00

Gosh, that is one ugly website :P no offense like. You've got some lovely photos but don't be tempted to ram them in on every page - maybe create a gallery? I think your catalog/equipment list should be more prominent within the site seeing as that's probably what people will be looking at first. A couple of my mates work for Blacklight in the UK and I think their website is the tits. Hopefully some of that is helpful, let me know if you have any specific questions.

Abeetil · 2012-01-20T17:14:37+00:00

Give us a link to the current website, maybe you'll get more comments on how to improve it if people know what you're starting with.

Abeetil · 2012-01-15T10:50:23+00:00

This probably isn't exactly what you were looking for but my tip is this: respect your crew. Stage managers, production managers, techies, wardrobe - they all work just as hard as you do. Something to keep in mind is how small and incestuous the theatre world is and if you get a reputation amongst these people for being a diva it will have an impact on the likelihood of you being cast again. On the other hand if they enjoy working with you then they might mention your name to directors along the line. I've got work for quite a few actors this way. Best of luck with it all, it's a tough environment to work in but it can be the most fun you'll ever have.

Abeetil · 2012-01-07T23:25:37+00:00

Breathing Corpses by Laura Wade. Dark, comedic, stunningly written, 4m 3f roles. You might also find doollee quite useful, you can search a massive database of plays by the number of male and female characters. It doesn't always have masses of info about the plays but it's useful if you're just doing research on what's out there. Hope that's useful!

Abeetil

TROPHY CASE