The extract (Part 3 for those who saw the full production at The People’s Theatre last month) meets Helena twenty years after the magical goings-on in the forest and asks what kind of life can she lead with a man bewitched to love her?

The role was originally played by Penny Lamport and Moira Valentine, and Moira (pictured below) will reprise her performance at the Sage.

For booking details and information about the other RSC events, click [here]

• In other news … Live Theatre are pulling the plug on Short Cuts after 10 years to make way for new Live Lab events. As a former winner (Yackety Yak, fact fans) I’ve been invited back to present an extract from a work-in-progress for the farewell event Short Cuts: The Final Cut. Bring tissues, it’s gonna be emotional …
• In other other news … clearly Live Theatre can’t get enough of me (snarf) cos I’m also writing a couple of shorts for Ten Tiny Tyneside Plays – part of the Mega Bites Youth Theatre Festival in August. When I say ‘shorts’ I mean it - a 5 minute two hander and a 2 minute monologue. How hard can it be … (famous last words!)

1. I had a Boots meal deal + a Mars Bar on the train down. I consider a Boots meal deal a treat, so imagine that + a Mars Bar and you can see things got off to a good start.
2.  I discovered that the two shows I was seeing were in theatres right next door to each other. I wandered past both, staring at them and getting in the way of proper London folk as I took photos like the loser tourist I was.
3.  I took my seat for Sweeney Todd.
4.  I developed an anxiety headache that one or both of Michael Ball/Imelda Staunton were going to be off sick.
5.  I convinced myself that the woman who looked very much like Imelda Staunton (but wasn’t) was her understudy and Imelda Staunton was DEFINITELY off sick.
6.  Me and the lady next to me discussed how Imelda Staunton was off sick and how disappointed we were not to see her.
7. Imelda Staunton came on.
8. Half an hour in to Sweeney Todd I realised that it was beyond brilliant and I never ever ever ever wanted it to end.
9. Sweeney Todd ended.
10. I went to Kew Gardens, it was very very very sunny and hot but I didn’t moan cos very very very sunny and hot should be cherished.
11. I saw Justin Lee Collins in a pizza restaurant. I hope he didn’t have the same pizza as me cos it was horrible.
12.  I arrived at the Vaudeville Theatre so early the house hadn’t even opened, so I passed the time getting strangers to take my photo with pictures of Tyne Daly.
13. I took my seat for Master Class.
14. I developed an anxiety headache that Tyne Daly was going to be off sick.
15. I read up about the understudy so I’d be ready for her because Tyne Daly was DEFINITELY off sick.
16. Tyne Daly came on.
17. The play was average.
18. Tyne Daly was mega.
19. The play + Tyne Daly = mega.
20. I had a packet of mini Jammy Dodgers on the train home.

I am shortlisted alongside Michael Chaplin and David Almond, which is a teeny tiny bit intimidating but very flattering to be in such fine company.

So thank you to everyone involved in bringing my 2011 productions to the stage.

And thank you to everyone who submitted a nomination.

Keep your fingers crossed come April 16th … x

But in my giddy eee-look-at-this-how-clever state I forgot to take any paper to said meeting on which to take notes.

The result - the back of an envelope that was languishing in my bag and a pen borrowed off Tony. No swish-swoo technology needed after all …

 (Please note the use of the word ‘shenanigans’. It and ‘brouhaha’ are currently my favourite words!)

So. Right. Here’s the thing. I had a bit of a slump work-wise in January – I just couldn’t get motivated so spent a lot of time moping, fretting and eating Toblerone. 

And then last week I suddenly got a spurt on and started working on a brand new idea. It’s not ‘for’ anything, it’s not a commission (although obviously I hope it’ll go on to have a life somewhere).

But.

I also have to write a pitch (already woefully overdue) and get on with a 3rd draft of something else that starts rehearsing in a fortnight!

But my new idea is all I can think about. And I’m reluctant to stop and get on with the other things in case the momentum is lost.

This is most inconvenient.

Not to mention that fact that the bang-bang-banging next door is driving me insane and the final disc of The Killing is calling to me from the shelf to be watched.

In trying to do all of the above at once I am, in fact, doing nothing. My Wall Chart is being very little help, just sitting there smugly with its different coloured highlighted squares mocking me.

I need to devise a plan. I fear the new idea script may have to be sacrificed for now. I just hope I can get back in to it with the same enthusiasm when time allows.

Dolly Would goes out on the airwaves in about 5 hours time.

As a writer coming to radio from a theatre background, this whole thing carries an element of the unknown that I am not used to. More often than not, I am able to see at least one performance of my stage plays with the audience and witness their reactions first hand, actively sharing the experience as it unfolds.

But with radio it feels like I am throwing Dolly Would out in to a black hole. I don’t know who is listening, where they’re listening, when they’re listening, if they’re enjoying it, if they’ve switched it off already, if they laughed at that hil-arious joke I am so proud of, and so on. I have no control and no idea of the response it’s getting. And that is terrifying.

If you’ve found your way here having listened to the play then maybe drop me a line below. Even just knowing that somebody other than me and my parents heard it would be a plus! 

***Dolly Would is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 today at 2.15pm. It will subsequently be available on iPlayer until 11 January. I’ll add the link below once it becomes available***

]]> http://www.alisoncarr.co.uk/dolly-would-dolly-did-dolly-is/feed/ 6 http://www.alisoncarr.co.uk/what-would-dolly-do/ http://www.alisoncarr.co.uk/what-would-dolly-do/#comments Sat, 19 Nov 2011 17:15:02 +0000 Alison http://www.alisoncarr.co.uk/?p=1997

Gawd, some people (read: me) are just never happy.

One minute I am moaning on about Dolly Would’s rather tortured journey into being [read the post here] … but now the script is finished and recorded, I find myself missing it – moping around, not sure what to do with the Dolly-shaped hole in my schedule.

What would Dolly do? Probably not try to fill the hole with cake. But heck, I like cake!

I’ve been prepared for this eventuality, mind you. The play has been part of my life for such a long time, to now not have it will take a little getting used to. We recorded at BBC Broadcasting House last week. 18 hours to record 45 minutes worth of drama might sound like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things it was nothing. Five years since I had the original glimmer of the idea; working on the radio commission since January – when I look back at my 2011 Wall Chart (yes I have a Wall Chart, what of it) it is peppered with pink highlighter pen signalling the various Dolly deadlines throughout the year.

There were times when I thought the damned thing would never end, when I could quite happily have thrown my Dolly CDs out the window and never wanted to hear 9 to 5 ever ever again. But I didn’t throw anything out of any windows, and in fact yesterday when I was in a shop and they started playing Dolly’s Together You & I, I found myself singing and jigging along before remembering I was out in public!

When all is said and done, I worked bloomin’ blinkin’ hard and was able to hand in a script I was proud of and had (overall!) enjoyed writing. That’s not to say I think it’s perfect, but for my first radio drama – learning a new medium on the job – I feel hopeful that I have delivered something entertaining and true to my ‘voice’ as a writer.

The two days recording were quite an eye-opener. Director James assembled a great cast, led by Sharon Percy as Denize, Lee Ross as Martin and Libby Davison as Joanne.

There’s no time for messing around – rehearsal time is virtually non-existent, it’s straight in and the clock is ticking. Cuts and rewrites are quick and after a handful of takes per scene, that’s it. It’s recorded, it’s committed. It was a steep learning curve, but I left definitely wanting to write more radio drama. (Let’s hope radio drama feels the same way!) 

The play is being edited over the next couple of weeks, with a confirmed broadcast date of Wednesday 4 January. And so we’re back to never being happy because on the one hand, I cannot wait. Christmas has turned into an inconvenience, something getting in the way of the big day! On the other, though, I am trying not to wish the weeks away. Not least because it’s Christmas and I like this time of year, but also because once it’s broadcast, that really is it.

Done.

Gone.

Finished.

Of course, that won’t stop me talking about it. On and on and on and on and on, long into the New Year ….

Let’s get one thing straight before I continue, ‘lying’ is a very strong word. But my ‘yes absolutely’ may possibly have given an impression that wasn’t entirely accurate. I had nothing written down, but thinking … I was way ahead in that department!

For a while I had been harbouring an idea about a hoader and her relationship with a woman who has lost her home and family in a house fire (cheery, eh). A woman with everything and a woman with nothing – how they might be the solution to each others problems.

For a longer while I have been skirting around the idea of writing a solo show that I would also perform. Recent projects like Come To Where I’m From and my first appearance on The Verb with Yackety Yak have made me realise that maybe this isn’t such an impossible dream.

During rehearsals for Poppyfield I broached the idea with director Rosie Kellagher, to see if she’d be interested in coming aboard. ‘Written by and starring’ is veering far enough in to Kenneth Branagh territory without adding ‘and directed by’ to the list. Another perspective would be an absolute must.

If anything, the call from The Verb simply spurred me in to action. Writing the solo show must, for now, run alongside my other projects when I have the time to spare. Of course, the risk is that nothing ever gets done. But this gave me a reason to get started and a deadline – there’s nothing more motivating than the thought of debuting your new work on national radio!

The recording was on Wednesday at the ARC. A couple of days before Rosie and I spent some time working on my performance – our relationship to this point has been director/writer so it was a bit weird being directed by her as an actor. But once I got over my self-consciousness, it was a productive session. And it turns out I was able to perform better when I had a pencil in my hand that I was able to point for emphasis. Of course, pointing-pencil will be lost on the listener but it became indispensable. It went AWOL, briefly, on Tuesday but turned up again in time for the show – phew.

The night itself was very enjoyable. Ian McMillan is a great host and got the crowd on side straight away. The show was recorded ‘as live’ and I think sitting on a stage, having an audience there to perform to, really helped – the ‘look-at-me’ show-off part of me kicked in and kept any crippling nerves at bay. I was more anxious for the interview part than the performance, and while I can’t now remember any of my answers I know there was no repeat of the ‘as’twere’ debacle from last time!

The show is broadcast tonight at 10pm on BBC Radio 3. Do tune in if you can, or you can Listen Again on iPlayer until 28th … x

• In other news … Ian McMillan was kind enough to ask me about my BBC Radio 4 Afternoon Play Dolly Would during my Verb interview. Bat-eared listeners (surely the aural equivalent to eagle-eyed viewers) will hear that the broadcast date is confirmed as Wed 4 Jan @ 2.15pm.
• In other other news … rehearsals are well underway for When It Falls, my contribution to Forward Theatre Project’s forthcoming Scratch My City event at the Soho Theatre, London on Sunday. Starring Esther Smith (most recently seen in the critically acclaimed Many Moons at Theatre503) and directed by Jacqui Honess-Martin, the play is inspired by designs by Left Luggage Theatre. Click [here] for more details and how to book.

Some of my ideas go the distance. Some of them flounder and fall at the first hurdle. But some flounder and fall only to be dragged back up again and hauled over the finish line due to sheer determination and bloody mindedness. I say ‘some’. I mean one.

Back in 2006 I took part in New Writing North’s Emerge scheme, during which we had to pitch three ideas for a one-act play. My first was Mam, Dad, Monkey and Me about a girl who comes home from Uni to find she has been replaced in the family by a stuffed monkey toy. The second was Parton of the Ways, a comedy about a former Dolly Parton impersonator whose boyfriend reappears after ditching her some time earlier. The third I can’t remember – maybe something about women’s football (clearly I was clutching at straws by number 3). A glance up in to the top right hand corner of the screen will give you a fairly fat clue about which idea went into development! I had a great time writing Monkey, it is (in my opinion) one of my best works and I got to work with the fantastic Deborah Bruce and a great team.

But.

Parton of the Ways stayed with me. And not just cos of the FANTASTIC title (admit it, it’s genius!) … the idea just wouldn’t go away.

Fast forward a year to late 2007 and I had written PotW in to a one act play and the opening scenes were shown at Northern Stage’s showcase night for work-in-progress.

Fast forward to early 2009. I approached Deborah and asked her to mentor me writing the one act play into a full length piece. We changed the title to Playing Dolly to reflect a more serious tone and got to work.

Fast forward to 2010 … you get the idea.

The play had become a millstone around my neck. Nothing worked. There was always *something* lacking. That bloomin’ elusive *something*. Over the years since I’d first had the idea I had done plenty of other work, but ‘The Dolly Play’ was hanging over me – a reminder of the one I just couldn’t manage. I nearly jacked in this playwriting lark altogether because of it. It tormented me but I couldn’t let it lie – somewhere inside me I knew that this story, these characters, had potential.

Somewhere inside me, however, I was also familiar with the phrase ‘flogging a dead horse’.

So. Last gasp. 

After going on the BBC Sparks programme last year I was invited to pitch an idea for a radio drama. I hummed and harred. Dare I? Last chance saloon and Jolene was playing on the jukebox. I dared, I pitched, it got commissioned. (Which is a very brief summary of a long, difficult and stressful process, but let’s not dwell!)

Dolly Would was born. Not a rehash of the stage version(s) but a brand spanking new start for a brand new medium. Which is what it (and I) desperately needed.

I have just handed in draft 4. It hasn’t been without its difficulties but it’s heading in the right direction (touch wood). We record in November. I can’t quite believe that Denize and Martin are actually going to come in to existence after all this time, and that their story is going to be heard on BBC Radio 4. When I got notification that the play had been commissioned, I burst in to tears. Loser.

With a broadcast date of January 2012, it will be just over five years since that first A4 pitch. And the cherry on the cake of my tale – a couple of weeks ago I got to see the legend that is Dolly Parton herself when her Better Day tour hit Newcastle! As I sang along to 9 to 5 (I know all the words having accumulated 7 Parton albums over the years, you know, for research) I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad that my time with ‘The Dolly Play’ is coming to an end. Then I remembered all the years of tears and swearing at the computer …!

• In other news … the Rascally Scoundrels were at large last month at ARC Stockton … you can read about our exploits [here]
• In other other news … congrats to Hazel Osmond who has recently signed with Quercus for another two books, following the success of her debut novel Who’s Afraid of Mr Wolfe? I am under strict instructions not to call her a bitch again. So I won’t.

Writing is re-writing to quote Paul Abbott at you. But sometimes a re-write isn’t enough. Sometimes it’s a case of opening a brand new document and starting all over again. Not as catchy a quote, admittedly.

It’s difficult and frustrating and the blank white page staring at me makes me want to throw things and/or cry in a corner but sometimes it’s just plain necessary. Trying to write over what I’ve already done can be more limiting than helpful, so starting again from scratch is the only way.

Of course, the work already put in is never wasted (even though it might feel that way sometimes) and some of it may still be included. But often, I find, I end up with nothing of what came before save maybe a couple of lines.

No point in flogging a dead horse – clear the decks, take the feedback and critique that is going, use it and come out with something better.

Easy to say. But – put the hours in and it’ll come good eventually, won’t it. Won’t it?

• In other news, Forward Theatre Project braved the rain and saw the Tobacco double-bill staged at the Latitude Festival. Congrats to all involved and click [here] to read Paines Plough’s blog on the event, which includes a nice mention for the show
• In other other news, August = Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I can’t make it up this year, but shameless plugs for Donna Disco by Lee Mattinson and Taketh Me Away by Frazer Flintham. I’d love to have a show on at the Fringe again, finding it difficult to believe it is 7 years since Patricia Quinn Saved My Life. But. Never say never …