Imagine the door ajar...

...Inside is the murky interior of my cave-like imagination. Bats, spiders, a few skeletons. That sort of thing. I don’t advise you to come in, but as I’ve been told by my much more worldly-wise peers at The Rude Mechanical Theatre Company, it’s the thing I must let you do. That is, to blog. (Sounds a little too like ‘blag’, but never mind.) It’s all in the interest of promoting the Rudes’ brand. So, brave it. Please! (Note the desperate pleading.)

You will see around you bits of shell, the remnants of previous hatchings, now flown off into the world. The most recent being ‘Who Saw Marjory Daw?’ Currently it’s still in the vicinity, pecking away at the memories (or should I say mammaries?) of our extraordinary actors, who, like the mythical pelican feed it with blood from their own breasts. God! That’s a disgusting metaphor! But in fact an actual legend (if not fact?) & rather haunting if you think about. The point is it recognises exactly where it is going to find strength to face an average Rudes’ audience (and they are no pushovers). So at least for the moment it hasn’t dropped stone dead out of the sky, or fluttered off like a wimp to the graveyard of minor playwrights, but rather stands a more than decent chance of being quite good. Hopefully after another three weeks of feeding by - or should I say ‘on’? - the team, it might even flourish into something...quite... beautiful!

Notice I haven’t yet given you the lurid details of how it was conceived, nor indeed anything of its features. I don’t want to spoil the fun on the day, but ‘what I will say’ (as the politicians trot out when they actually mean they’re not saying anything) is this: it is of a darker and more swarthy hue this time. Shall we say, the blacker edge of comedy – and Fosca is going to make an appearance. Some of you will know him. He’s the snide and somewhat uncooperative Death figure from Mediaeval Naples who occasionally gatecrashes our performances. But as always love and hope will triumph.

I guess, given the extended metaphor, that this should have been a tweet not a blog.

There! I was right! It should definitely be ‘blag!’

Pete's blog

Well, here goes! My first ever blog! 

Let me say right from the start that putting myself ‘out there’ on Social Media Street' isn’t entirely something I am comfortable with. On the whole I prefer to creep up on the world and observe it discretely through a gap in the hedge. However, the younger luminaries who help me run The Rude Mechanical Theatre Company tell me it is the thing to do.  So I suppose I’d better get used to it. Around seven thousand people each summer come and see our performances and keep coming back, so I guess you must be enjoying them. Notice the ‘you’. This presumes that I have an audience for my blog and I am not talking to myself - by no means an impossible scenario. (What was that echo I just heard?).  So briefly what’s my contribution to The Rudes?

I founded the company (in 1997), write the plays (apart from the first three, which were written by some bloke from Stratford), and the music, and I sit in my office at The Peppe Nappa Studio in Eastbourne answering emails and phone calls and organising tours. All the other professional contributions are bought in, including, of course, the real stars of the company, the actors, who transform my words and tunes into things of beauty.

I have been instructed to ‘blog’ on a regular basis - and who am I to argue? I will try, therefore, to let you in to the very private and slightly weird world of my imagination – Through ‘the door’ - where I go on a very regular basis to take refuge from the real world by creating others and where I do have some sort of capacity to restore justice, make fun of fools and empower the weak – and hopefully create characters and stories which will give people a good laugh and make them feel better, in particular our new show, ‘Who Saw Marjory Daw?’ 

I will also keep you up to date with the week by week business of The Rudes and, if you’re interested, the devices and techniques we use, and the commedia dell’arte, our style, heritage and passion. 

I will end by quoting may favourite email of the last year:

"My sister forwarded her newsletter to me and I would love to be added to your mailing list. As for feedback, it is sooo difficult to put into words how your theatre productions elicit so many emotions. This is my second year attending Lewes. I went to the show this year feeling somewhat sad due to circumstances not expecting much of myself. Not only was I in awe of such talented actors, musicians and singers but I hadn't laughed as much for weeks. GPs should prescribe your performances for anyone who is depressed....much cheaper than medication and counselling but a million times more effective." 

Ah! Well, there y'go! Keep 'em coming.

Illuminating moment of the week: Noticing that men with white hair, or indeed no hair, were running past me at speed down Eastbourne seafront while I was walking my dog.