Nothing Quite Like It.

Sometimes things just work out for the best. 

Last Monday I thought I had a venue booked, at least, I didn't think it would be an issue. Then I got an email from said venue to say my email had been found in their junk mail folder and they hadn't actually seen my request. So they booked the room out to someone else. So the reading it had taken me weeks to coordinated around everyone's busy schedules looked as if it was about to slip through me fingers once again. AARRRGH!!! Read the subject line of my email to the cast. No, I'm not a pirate, but I was frustrated! 

Luckily the cast know Dublin, and the spaces available, a lot better than I do. So Wednesday the problem was solved, thanks to Keith Ward (below), who made The Complex available to us. A great space and perfectly suited to Derelict, itself an empty warehouse. So we all met there at 12:30pm yesterday for a couple of hour and the second reading of Derelict.

Above: Michael Bates as J and Keith Ward as Tone have words, during rehearsal.

There seemed to be a good vibe in the room. I enjoyed myself anyway. It's always interesting to see what's working and what's not working when you hear your words read back to you. The mistakes become glaringly obvious. As it stands at the moment the script still needs a lot of work. Too much exposition, something I hate to see in a script anyway. But it's still at 'mind-dump' stage, where everything in my head is getting put on the page, without too much editing.

Michael Bates as J tells Elaine Reddy
as Kate what he thinks of her

It's early stages though, and I've purposely brought the actors in at this early stage because I really wanted them to be involved in the creation of their characters and their backstory. I felt, as the audience are dropped into an hour and half in the lives of these characters, without knowing who they are, where they're from or even what the situation is, we really need a strong sense of who these people are without it being rammed down our throats. At the moment it's still being a little bit rammed!

I know we'll get there though. The tone is there. The characters are there. The structure is there. The backbone of the piece is intact, we need to start layering the organs, the muscles, the fat, the flesh.

Steve Gunn as Davey-boy gives Rory Mullen
(Standing in as J) a piece of his mind.

After the reading we went through a couple of scenes to camera. More as something of a preview at the fundraiser this Thursday, give everyone a taste of what they are supporting. But it was great fun. I love getting behind the camera, and while there wasn't much in the way of direction, or delving the recesses of the characters minds and motivation, it was still fun to be holding a camera and have actors in front of it saying my words and see them come to life... there's no buzz quite like it! I Love it!!!

So everything is on track and ticking along nicely. I'll have a busy week ahead in the run up to the fundraiser and hopefully that will be a success! At least bring in some much needed funds. Id I can cover the cost of the location, or the insurance, or the food, I'll be happy. But in the meantime things are looking up.