Tonight's Mostly Comedy was a good one, which was a relief for me, as Glyn wasn't there and I wasn't really in the right mood.
Running a club's a multitasking exercise at the best of times, not least when you're on your own. Your attention's all over the place as you methodically make your way through the setup process, trying not to be sent off-course. Inevitably you spend the least amount of time thinking about the material you'll do and more about the get-in and setup, which is a recipe for panic, particularly when you're responsible for the whole event with no buffer from the audience. I'd love to be able to rock up, plug in and be good to go, but instead, I'm my own lackey (unless I rope someone in to help).
This is all compounded when I'm on my own, and when, in the case of yesterday, a series of things conspired to make me arrive at the venue later than planned, not to mention the fact my dad's health issues have taken over to the extent that my brain's pretty shot. It can be daunting when a new character plays the club - in this case, it was Tony Slattery - as you desperately want them to be nice and straightforward, and, above all, to not make a dick of yourself when the process of meeting someone is, by its nature, awkward.
Thankfully, Tony and his team (including his fellow improviser Allan Lear and P.A. Erica) were super-nice and relaxed about the whole thing. From the moment they arrived, Tony was praising the room, saying how lovely it was and how pleased he was to be there. This broke the ice nicely as, as it stood, I was lacking in personality and not capable of contributing a great deal to proceedings.
Spin forward to the gig and all was good. Spring Day made her second appearance at the club and was excellent, and then Tony and Allan did about thirty minutes of improv games to a strong reaction (with bonus involvement from the actor James Payton). We didn't make a great deal on the door due to the short notice of the event, but we made some nice friends and watched some great comedy; now you can't say fairer than that.
Running a club's a multitasking exercise at the best of times, not least when you're on your own. Your attention's all over the place as you methodically make your way through the setup process, trying not to be sent off-course. Inevitably you spend the least amount of time thinking about the material you'll do and more about the get-in and setup, which is a recipe for panic, particularly when you're responsible for the whole event with no buffer from the audience. I'd love to be able to rock up, plug in and be good to go, but instead, I'm my own lackey (unless I rope someone in to help).
This is all compounded when I'm on my own, and when, in the case of yesterday, a series of things conspired to make me arrive at the venue later than planned, not to mention the fact my dad's health issues have taken over to the extent that my brain's pretty shot. It can be daunting when a new character plays the club - in this case, it was Tony Slattery - as you desperately want them to be nice and straightforward, and, above all, to not make a dick of yourself when the process of meeting someone is, by its nature, awkward.
Thankfully, Tony and his team (including his fellow improviser Allan Lear and P.A. Erica) were super-nice and relaxed about the whole thing. From the moment they arrived, Tony was praising the room, saying how lovely it was and how pleased he was to be there. This broke the ice nicely as, as it stood, I was lacking in personality and not capable of contributing a great deal to proceedings.
 |
| Pictures of tonight's action. |
Spin forward to the gig and all was good. Spring Day made her second appearance at the club and was excellent, and then Tony and Allan did about thirty minutes of improv games to a strong reaction (with bonus involvement from the actor James Payton). We didn't make a great deal on the door due to the short notice of the event, but we made some nice friends and watched some great comedy; now you can't say fairer than that.