Summer comes to a close

I do love the lull in the Summer months which allow one to get centered for the long slog of performances one has to give during the darker months. It also gives one a chance to catch up on the social circuit, with gatherings and get-togethers we thesps whisper in hushed tones the latest in gossip and maybe share the odd precious tip or trick.

There is nothing as rewarding as sharing a little device or inflection which would, in all probability make the difference between an award and a show which is 'going on tour from the West End'.

Let me assure you, tips and tricks are no different in our trade than they are in say, plumbing or TV repair or being an astronaut. In fact the latter is particularly apposite as forget your line as an astronaut and you simply drift off into the endless eternity of space to run out of air. Forget your line in Shepton Mallet Grand Theatre and it's much the same, only with the appearance of old vegetables flying stage-ward at the curtain call, something that would I am sure raise eyebrows at NASA.

While I am on the subject, I have noticed a trade in the foyer of many theatres I have worked in, namely an old fruit and veg stall positioned in the vestibule. I have mentioned this to several of my peers and absolutely none of them have seen the same thing. But there, in the foyer of the Cheadle Avalon, is small table selling a selection of what I can only describe as off-veg. Now I am not one to boast, but I have been informed that this is peculiar to me, that a small following of admirers have developed a cottage industry. To think, that perhaps I have inspired a generation of entrepreneurs and innovators to spot this business opportunity is as humbling as it is flattering.

More proof, if indeed proof were needed, that acting is, in fact, the most inspirational job in the world.