My recent run of shows reminded me of a lyric from Baz Lurman’s song Sunscreen – ’Do one thing everyday that scares you’.
It’s a good mantra for regularly taking a leap out of your comfort zone, something I did recently with my one man shows at the Colchester Fringe in October.
I’ve been meaning to take the next step and perform a solo show for the past few years. So when the opportunity came with a local fringe festival in Colchester in Essex I knew I had to take on the challenge.
Since my show, Magical Maestro, was confirmed in the festival’s programme a few months ago, I’ve been in full-on preparation mode; creating new pieces, refining magic routines, scripting, making props, practising and rehearsing. Right up to the opening performance, changes were made, routines edited, cut and replaced. Some props were even being remade an hour before the curtain went up.
A lot can go wrong both on and off stage in a 55 min one man show – accidentally cutting my finger on a very sharp razor blade during the show was a reminder that you and your crew have to think on your feet, and quickly, during performances! (It was relatively small and healed up fast, thankfully)
Other than that everything went very smoothly the audience enjoyed the four shows. The crowd grew throughout the run, feedback was very positive and the show got some great press coverage.
Huge thanks to the Headgate Theatre and Colchester Fringe crew, team and staff – what a brilliant festival that was!
Last but never least, enormous thanks goes to my stage manager AJ Green, who was responsible for hitting my sound and lighting cues perfectly throughout the run. His skills and expertise meant the shows went without a hitch, I’m always grateful to him being part of my crew.
