Thursday, October 8th, 2009
Beyond the Front Line at The Lowry.
Slung Low Theatre Co’s Beyond the Front Line is on at the Lowry now. Buy tickets. Now! Sorry…got a bit miltaristic there. I went to see the show’s preview on Monday and the effect still hasn’t worn off. But, in all seriousness, the show definitely leaves it mark on you.
If you’ve somehow managed to avoid me blabbing on about it in recent blog posts, tweets and facebook statuses there’s an in-depth interview with artistic director Alan Lane here as well as an interview with Dave Toole, one of the central performers, here.
Monday was also the first time I saw the chapter I wrote brought to life. As this is my theatrical writing debut, I really couldn’t be happier as the amazingly talented Dom Finch (above) and director Alan have created an amazing sequence that really delivers a powerful, emotional punch.
As the audience you will follow one of four different paths providing different experiences (so there’s a 75% chance you’ll steer clear of my writing altogether 
) so I was very pleased to see the other three paths by the other three brilliant writers - Matthew Scott, Joel Horwood and Chris Thorpe - on Monday as well. Considering we all had the same brief, it’s amazing how different yet equally engrossing each story has turned out.
I’ve learned a great deal contributing to this show, not only from working with Slung Low on something so original but researching the subject matter and trying to do it justice. So if you are able to get to Salford and see a performance, I would strongly recommend you ready yourself with a steady mindset and sensible footwear. It’s a show unlike any I’ve seen before.
It’s also Press Night tonight so I want to wish the entire cast and crew all the very best for another powerful performance!
Monday, September 21st, 2009
Beyond the Front Lines of Dialogue.
Now the vampire fun of ‘They Only Come at Night: Resurrection‘ at the Lowry is all over, we are only a few weeks away from Slung Low’s next extravaganza ‘Beyond the Front Line’.
Not only am I looking forward to seeing the show in all it’s military splendour but I am becoming increasingly excited/petrified as the show will contain my first proper stab at writing for the stage. Luckily for me (and maybe for you) I’m not the only writer on board. The uber-talented Matthew Scott, Joel Horwood and Chris Thorpe are also writing chapters of the production as well as the Slung Low team providing their spectacular blend of sound and vision to the show.
I know that it’s all coming together over in Salford from the teasing tweets of gentleman director Alan and technical wizard Matt but I was very happy when the splendid Sally Proctor (on the right) came over last night to record an audio role with the lovely Heather for the bit I wrote:
But you should be warned my own voice makes a brief appearance as someone who ’sounds a bit like Frasier’. This is, of course, a voice I can put on what with being v vocally talented etc and not at all what I sound like in real life …sigh…
Turns out that all my higgeldy-piggeldy piles of comics, books and other nerdy crap that line every wall in our bedroom make for an ideal, dry recording environment. That’s my excuse anyway 
Am looking forward to this! Join Slung Low’s facebook group here to keep up to date and maybe see some of you there?
