mostly david ephgrave

Today I stumbled across a picture my wife took through the window of a caravan that acted as the backstage area for a gig in what essentially amounted to falconry display venue in Liskeard back in 2009. Glyn didn't get the memo. It was a memorable gig as the audience were up on their feet and dancing throughout (probably because they were surprised we didn’t all have Kestrels and Tawny Owls balanced on our outstretched arms); the set certainly made it feel like a bird display. The sound wasn’t great for that one, as we had someone different to usual behind the desk, so it was a little ropy, but the audience loved it. As ever, they didn’t really seem to mind or notice. I quite like doing outdoor gisg for the novelty value, but there was a red alert when I noticed’ all the signs where just a step away from saying “Puppet Show and Spinal tap; be that as it may, I still had a great time, primarily because my wife came down to join me and we s...

I’m a little bit obsessive-compulsive. It’s not debilitating – I haven’t washed my hands once since starting this sentence - but it definitely plays a part in my everyday life. Incidentally, OCD would scan a lot better alphabetically. Part of it probably comes with being an actor. It’s quite common to go through a series of little rituals before a performance; partly out of superstition, partly out of the necessity to warm up. I definitely do this - though sometimes it’s hard to tell whether my little pre-show routines fall more into the former or the latter category.   Sometimes it’s just about clearing your mind. When you’re onstage in a play, it’s very easy for your personal thoughts to intrude; the last thing you want when you’re trying to concentrate on what your character should be thinking. This is particularly common if you’ve been doing the same show night after night; I remember Hugh Laurie once describing this in an inter...