Monthly Archives: March 2023

As I did with my last show, I’ve been keeping a diary charting my progress from the very first day I started work on my new show, to the present moment. Obviously, as the show has not yet been performed before an audience, there may be spoilers here. But not many people read this blog, so that should be OK!

Bouncer diary

23.8.22

Decide on theme of show to be based around appearance on BGT

25.8.22

Write some linking material about poetry, and start work on opening poem ‘Welcome to my Show’

26.8.22

Work on ‘Welcome to my Show’ and an autobiographical poem called ‘Orange Juice’, which may or may not be used to add background character.

28.8.22

Sat in the sun in the back garden in Brixham. Worked on a new poem, provisionally titled ‘This City Never Seemed so Cruel’, the obligatory downbeat poem for near the end of the show. Also worked on some linking material about my Great Uncle, and a bit about Thundercats. 

29.8.22

Back in Paignton. Heard the Squeeze song Hour Glass on the radio, and then some show tunes, and the idea for a call and response poem came, with a similar structure as the chorus of the Squeeze song. Called ‘Everyone Wants Fame!’ Jotted it down on a ticket, then home, worked on the poem. It’s the bare bones of something fun, but it really needs to be 30% funnier.

30.8.22

Worked on ‘Everyone Wants Fame!’, added two jokes.

31.8.22

Worked on ‘This City Never Seemed so Cruel’, ‘Orange Juice’ and ‘Welcome to my Show’.

1.9.22

Wrote new poem ‘You Should Write a Poem About That’, plotted the storyline and poem list for the show, then worked on a new version of ‘Fabaranza’ written from the point of view of the BGT producers.

4.9.22

In Brixham, worked on linking material. Wrote the goose joke, and then one other joke, and then thought, ahh, that’s two jokes, a good days work, let’s relax for the rest of the day.

5.9.22

Back in Paignton, more work on linking material. 

6.9.22

Paignton, worked on linking material, then started to put the show together so far, right up to the Covid section.

7.9.22

Worked on ‘You Should Write a Poem About That’, then typed up all of the show so far before working on more linking material. Worried that the version of my portrayed in the show is negative, whiny, too much like a victim, and generally unlikeable.

8.9.22

Worked on rewriting linking material, added a few more jokes and funny lines. Worked on ‘You Should Write a Poem About That’, took out the line about all other poets being bastards! 

9.9.22

Unexpected day off due to yesterday’s death of HM The Queen. Started work on the BGT phone call linking material.

11.9.22

In Brixham. Worked on new poem, ‘The Contestants Await’.

12.9.22

Worked on linking material and ‘The Contestants Await’.

14.9.22

Worked on the start of the BGT section. Worked also on the ‘Everyone Wants Fame’ poem.

16.9.22

Worked on the BGT hotel section. Went to a coffee shop and thought of two jokes about the contestants which made their way into the show script. 

18.9.22

(In Brixham). Worked on the BGT section. Almost finished the first draft of the script, just need to write a kind of summing up section. Current word count is over 7000 so it may need editing down.

19.9.22

First draft completed!

24.11.22

Had a read through of the linking material having worked on the Cold Callers project in the intervening months. Pleasantly surprised at the cohesiveness and tone of the show.

27.11.22

Had a complete table read run through of the show at Brixham’s Sunrise Rehearsal Studio. 52 minutes, happy with that. Had a couple of rewrites to ponder: Fabaranza as a poem instead of a song, and tightening up the lyrics of the opening song Welcome to my Show. Also, does the show need the Covid section? Seems put in just to get on the one liner list! Later on, back in the Rehearsal room, rewrote the opening song ‘Welcome to my Show’.

28.11.22

Paignton. Ran through ‘Welcome to my Show’ a few times, then rewrote the song ‘Fabaranza’ as a fast-paced poem.

30.11.22

Began line learning ‘Welcome to my Show’.

1.12.22

Line learning ‘Welcome to my Show’.

2.12.22

Line learning ‘Welcome to my Show’.

3.12.22

Line learning first batch of linking material.

5.12.22

In Brixham. Ran through ‘Welcome to my Show’ several times and videoed it so see how it looked. Worked on linking material.

6.12.22

Paignton. Line learning linking material.

7.12.22

Line learning linking material and began line learning ‘Zach’. First five minutes of the show memorised.

8.12.22

Line learning ‘Zach’.

9.12.22

Line learning ‘Zach’.

26.12.22

Been ill for two weeks so unable to line learn or rehearse without erupting into coughing fits. Staying in Brixham for Christmas. Had a great line learning session in the Sunrise Rehearsal Studio, memorised the whole Zach poem and videoed it too.

27.12.22

Brixham. Worked on the Zach poem and the subsequent linking material. Started a video diary.

29.12.22

Paignton. Linking material and You Should Write a Poem, which I also rewrote.

30.12.22

Learning You Should Write a Poem

31.12.22

Learning You Should Write a Poem.

1.1.23

Brixham. Learning You Should Write a Poem, plus ran through whole show so far, about 12 minutes.

4.1.23

Paignton. Line learning You Should Write a Poem.

5.1.23

Line learning You Should Write a Poem.

6.1.23

Line learning You Should Write a Poem. Managed the whole poem with no mistakes, 3m30. Then performed the first 12 minutes of the show with no mistakes.

7.1.23

Line learning linking material.

8.1.23

Brixham. Line learning linking material (producer phone call section), then started work on a possible backing track for Welcome to my Show. Very camp.

9..1.23

Line learning linking material.  Chatted to film maker John Tomkins about filming the show with an audience.

10.1.23

Line learning linking material.

11.1.23

Line learning linking material. Chatted to photographer Jim Elton about taking photos for the publicity pictures. That evening, performed two minutes of linking material at the online Woking Write out Loud gig. People laughed at the funny bits!

12.1.23

Rewrote ‘Who Wants Fame?’

13.1.23

Line learning Who Wants Fame?

14.1.23

Line learning Who Wants Fame? Chatted to photographer Emily Appleton about taking publicity photos.

15.1.23

Brixham. Line learning Who Wants Fame? Then to Paignton, to Emily Appleton’s studio, had head shots taken in various poses for possible poster designs.

16.1.23

Paignton. Line learning Who Wants Fame?

17.1.23

Line learning Who Wants Fame?, and adding some choreography.

18.1.23

Went through all the material I’d learned so far. Then line learning linking material. To Exeter, performed five minutes of material and the Zach poem at Taking the Mic. On the train home I started rewriting Fabaranza.

19.1.23

Rewriting Fabaranza.

21.1.23

Rehearsing the show so far and experimenting with different tones of voice.

22.1.23

Brixham. Line learning linking material.

23.1.23

Line learning linking material.

26.1.23

Bristol. Line learning linking material. Back to Paignton. Started learning ‘London’.

27.1.23

Line learning London.

28.1.23

Early morning session, line learning London.

29.1.23

Brixham. Didn’t get into regular Barnstaple Theatrefest so applied for an ‘alternative space’, pledging to do four shows.

30.1.23

Line learning London.

31.1.23

Line learning London. Barnstaple Theatrefest alternative space application successful! 

1.2.23

Ran through all the learned show so far. Experimented with using song or different tones of voice on Who Wants Fame. Line learning linking material. Then in the evening, completely rewrote Who Wants Fame, now based on the music to Three Little Fishes, with an incredibly stupid chorus.

2.2.23

Continued rewrites of Who Wants Fame. Line learning linking material.

3.2.23

Line learning new version of Who Wants Fame.

4.2.23

Line leaning Who Wants Fame.

5.2.23

Brixham. Line learning Who Wants Fame and linking material. Also worked on the poster after Emily’s photo arrived.

6.2.23

Paignton. Line learning The Contestants Await.

7.2.23

Line learning The Contestants Await and Who Wants Fame. Then worked on the show poster.

10.2.23

Line learning The Contestants Await.

11.2.23

Line learning The Contestants Await.

12.2.23

Brixham. Line learning linking material and rewrites of Fabaranza.

13.2.23

Paignton. Line learning linking material and rewrites of Fabaranza.

14.2.23

Line learning Fabaranza.

15.2.23

Practising random bits of the memorised material so far, then line learning Fabaranza. Evening, went to Exeter and performed five minutes and Who Wants Fame?, at Taking the Mic. Fluffed one line but generally it went well and people laughed at the jokes.

19.2.23

Brixham. Line learning and practicing Fabaranza. Afternoon, went to Totnes and performed at Word Stir, tried out some linking material in front of an audience.

20.2.23

Paignton. Fabaranza more light rewrites.

21.2.23

Line learning Fabaranza.

22.2.23

Ran through all of the show so far and was very pleased at how much I remembered. Then line learning the section after Fabaranza. Good progress.

23.2.23

Line learning linking material. Also, ordered a game show style buzzer as the only prop for the show.

24.2.23

Line learning linking material at the shop before work. The buzzer arrived. Evening, performed a little of the new linking material at an event at the Little Theatre, Torquay.

26.2.23

Brixham. Line learning linking material incorporating the buzzer.

27.2.23

Paignton, Line learning.

28.2.23

Line learning linking material.

1.3.23

Line learning linking material.

2.3.23

Line learning This City Never Seemed so Cruel.

3.3.23

Line learning This City Never Seemed so Cruel.

5.3.23

Brixham. Line learning This City Never Seemed so Cruel and linking material. Made decision to read the final poem from a piece of paper during performance to accentuate the fact that it was a piece written, so therefore the line learning phase is completed. On to actual rehearsing, now.

6.3.23

Line learning This City Never Seemed so Cruel.

8.3.23

Ran through the whole show so far. 58 mins so will have to prune maybe the last poem. Also decided that the back of the piece of paper uses for the last poem will have David Walliams written on it in big letters. Email from Guildford Fringe offering a date which I accepted.

9.3.23

Rewrote ‘To the Celebrity’.

10.3.23

Rehearsing ‘You Should Write a Poem . .’.

12.3.23

Brixham. Writing the show blurb and publicity material.