So, it’s been four weeks since we left the home of The Half Moon Theatre in Limehouse and Begin/End started its national tour. We’ve been to Lough, Gateshead, Bethnal Green, Cambridge, Barking, Lancaster, Deptford and are currently playing at the Salisbury Playhouse. Our first priority was to get to know (and love) our amazingly fabulous bright orange tour van...Jessie! After loading and re-loading the set into the van three times over, way back in Gateshead, we’ve learnt our lesson and have perfected the art of packing. Service stations have also become a second home; de ja vu has set in as we head up and down the M1 weekly.
A great thing about touring is seeing so many different venues and constantly meeting new people. Every theatre has been so welcoming and has really helped Begin/End’s small (but perfectly formed) crew get the show up on time with the sound, lighting and video as the production team originally designed. Often this is difficult due to different theatres having different equipment, but that is all part of the fun of touring.
As we travel from place to place, something which has kept the play fresh for us is how the audience reaction changes. This can be anything from what people laugh at, whether we hear chatter or gasps, and what questions are asked during the text chat back which happens after the show. We’ve definitely been kept on our toes with questions and comments about the play which we hadn’t even considered. When audience members come up and chat to us after, especially young adults, the feedback has been really positive; we even had our picture taken with one youth theatre group!
Today we’re going to gatecrash the resident youth theatre’s workshop to say hello and see what they’re up to. Next stop on the tour is The Birmingham Rep so we still have lots to look forward to, and Jessie is still going strong!
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