Below are the 12 most recent journal entries recorded in Scott's LiveJournal:

Monday, September 8th, 2003
3:52 pm	I'm tired of being compared to Britany Spears Working on the audio script for A Christmas Carol at the mo. It’s a real head trip writing a script that’s set at Christmas, in the coldest depths of winter, when the sun’s shining and the little birdies are going ‘tweet tweet’ in the trees outside your window. I keep shouting at them to give it a rest, as they’re spoiling the atmosphere, but they’re having none of it. Little buggers. Got a horrible feeling that once I finish the first draft of this audio script I’m gonna have to do a major rewrite for draft 2. The role of the Narrator in the story has been giving me a few sleepless nights. I’ve got a sneaking suspicion that his continued appearance throughout the play is a tad on the intrusive side. It works well for the stage play version, but I’m having serious doubts about his contribution to this one. Oh well, I’ll worry about that when I get to the end of the first draft. And if that’s not bad enough, I’m now entering the last week of my 20s. A week on Thursday I turn 30. Don’t think it’s quite hit me yet. In the past couple of years I’ve watched loads of my friends and family run around, panicking like headless chickens, as they reached the 30 mark. But I’m being strangely calm about it all. Probably won’t last. Come next Monday I’ll most probably wake in the middle of the night to find myself curled up in the corner of my bathroom, sweating and hype-ventilating. Current Mood: My phone ain't ringing Blues Current Music: Sounds of Silence...no, not the Simon & Garfunkel track, actually Silence, you know, the abscence of (Comment on this)
Friday, September 5th, 2003
5:10 pm	To my number 1 Scottish fan!! ;-) Yet another long pause between journal entries. Becoming a bit of a habit. Still, I’m not the only one. I notice Lee’s been rather lacking in the ‘entry’ department too. Hmmm. Could have phrased that better...but, you know what I mean! ;-) Still, I have a good excuse. Me and Lee paid a visit to Edinburgh last week on a venue reccy for 2004. Won’t go into too much detail here cos we’re still in the negotiation stages but we’ll reveal all (oops, there I go again) the moment we have definite news!! Lee travelled back alone to York on the Friday while I stayed on with a friend. Got back yesterday. Now Lee’s gone off to Wales with his wife Gina and I’m left all on my own, house and cat sitting. :-( Still, things aren’t too bad as it gives me plenty of time to continue work on a couple of scripts that I’ve got on the go at the mo. Speaking of which, we’re pushing ahead with the first of our planned Audio Plays (A Christmas Carol), and hope to have the script ready for next month when we hope to get into a recording studio for a couple of days. All going well we’ll have something ready within the next two months. It promises to be a good ‘un and we’re very excited about it all!! We’ll keep you informed both on our website and in our newsletters. Finally, a big "Hello" to Kirsty whose been waiting for this journal entry all day. I’ll try and remember to update my entries regularly from now on. Sorry! Current Mood: Lonely, but writing! Current Music: Laid by James (Comment on this)
Monday, August 25th, 2003
7:18 pm	Mel Gibson is the greatest living Scot Not long got back from two weeks in Scotland. Wasn’t meant to be two weeks. Just a few days. But it all kinda got out of hand. And, as a result, I’ve had about 2 mins sleep in 4 different beds, worn out the 4 T-shirts I took with me through constant washing, and speak with a Scottish accent. Fab place though. Particularly Edinburgh. Lovely people!! ;-) I’d like to start by saying a big "Cheers" to Lee for buggering about with the website in my absence! ;-) Go away for a few weeks and there’s new pages and a new menu system. Tsk! Democracy eh?! Although it ain’t mentioned on our website yet, our planned Autumn Production of Jekyll & Hyde has been postponed until 2004. Sad, yes, but owing to problems with venue negotiations it’s just been unavoidable. Bit of a bugger really. First draft is all but finished as well. We all cried for days!! Nevermind though, we’ve got something insane planned for next summer! Which, if a success, will make us look like Greek Gods...but if it fails we’ll look like a right bunch of tubes. So, keep your eyes peeled and be ready to cheer and applaud or point and laugh...depending on the outcome. Current Mood: Lemon & Lime Current Music: Six letters, begins with K, ends in Y ;-) (Comment on this)
Friday, August 1st, 2003
6:33 pm	Dulce Et Decorum Est It’s frightening how much damage a person can sustain during the course of one single theatre production...both mentally and physically. One of the things I’m not too keen on is heights. Yet, most nights, I could be seen tip-toeing across the roof of Clifford’s Tower, trailing electric cable behind me, as sure-footed as a mountain goat...well, an old, blind one that’s a bit unsteady on his pins, at any rate. Two Sundays back we had a cast & crew outing to Delta Force, a paintballing centre just outside Wakefield - it was here that I sustained most of my injuries. I should have been warned, however, the day before when talk amongst the cast was of whether we were going to take our own protective boxes along. Boxes? Eh? It’s just paint, surely! How dangerous can a bit of emulsion be? We need protective goggles, yes, I mean, if it gets in your eyes and all that...well...it can blind, can’t it! But boxes!?! My worst injury came from friendly fire. Lord Vassenego himself, Mr Andy Welch OBE, caught me a right good ‘un in the calf moments before final whistle. And he was on my side! Tsk! With friends like that... ;-) Hurt like a real bugger too! To make matters worse, only moments before, me and fellow team mate Kirsty were doing a brilliantly executed two man attack down the centre of the battlefield, giving each other covering fire, and were only yards from the enemy flag when we both copped it from behind….again from our own team mate!!! We’ve talked about it since and we have a strong suspicion that it was the guy who’d turned up in his own camouflage outfit. I mean, I ask you, it’s bad enough shooting, not one, but two of your own team mates in the back, but WHO owns (let alone WEARS) their own camouflage outfit for paintballing? If nothing else, paintballing has taught me one important lesson...if ever there is another major war and I’m called up, I’ll be coming home in a body bag before they call half time. We must have played about 8-10 games and I was the first one shot in about half of them. Still, the bruise on my calf has nearly faded now...and the bruises on my hip bone from carrying chairs...and the red welt behind my ear where a stray paint-pellet somehow got under my mask...and the cut on my arm from carrying benches...and the bruising on my ribs where I was routinely beaten up by various cast members... ...and the emotional scars are clearing up nicely too, thank you very much! :-) Current Mood: convalescing Current Music: Mostly those lovely lads collectively known as Green Day (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 30th, 2003
6:41 pm	(Insert amusing subject title here!!) Nothing much really happening at the moment. My time seems to be divided between occasionally chipping away at the Jekyll & Hyde script, listening to lots of music or trying to finish the latest Harry Potter book. Because of being really busy with Eric and everything I’ve now been reading Order of the Phoenix for about three and a half weeks. I prefer to finish a book in as few a sittings as possible, and this one is just getting way out of control now. Bought two books yesterday while in Ripon; Porno by Irvine Welsh (sequel to the fantastic Trainspotting, and set in Edinburgh) and Lord of the Flies by William Golding. I’ve already read Lord of the Flies years ago when I was in college but I was chatting about it recently with a friend of mine and it compelled me to get my hands on a copy and reread it. Not that I get much reading time, cos I just can’t stop listening to music at the moment. Green Day, Queens of the Stone Age, R.E.M, The Who, Queen....you name it I’ll probably be listening to it. Probably because it’s a great thought-dampener. Stops me getting withdrawal symptoms for the smell of the audience and the roar of the grease paint...erm...or something! Well, guess I better go and listen to some music...er...I mean, get some writing done. Scripts don’t write themselves, you know. And if I don’t keep an eye on it then the bugger starts branching off all over the place... (A little joke there for all the Eric cast who may be reading this! Miss u guys....and gals!!! ;-) ) Current Mood: Missing the strong odour of a friend!!! ;-) Current Music: REM, Queen, Green Day...you name it!!! (Comment on this)
Monday, July 28th, 2003
6:57 pm	The Terry Pratchett's Eric Blues It’s been a long time since my last entry (over three and a half weeks, in fact!!), and I feel a little out of practice.... Well, it’s a bit of a sad time here at Dreaming HQ. Eric has finally come to an end. The set has been dismantled and packed away, all equipment has been put into storage and the actors have taken their loot and cleared off. But, never mind, it has been great fun. We’ve all had a marvellous time and we were only rained off twice...well...one and a half really as we did manage to almost get through the entire first act before the sky fell down on us. We had some cracking audiences along the way, but none better than the final performance. What a fantastic way to bow out!! Clifford’s Tower was packed to the gills and everyone laughed in all the right places. It brought a lump to the throats of everyone watching backstage. Now it’s time for me to get my finger out and crack on with the other scripts. It’s Jekyll & Hyde next and I’ve still got the first draft to finish. Sigh. I’m missing everyone. :-( Current Mood: sad Current Music: R.E.M - Adventures in HI-FI.....because.... (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Saturday, June 28th, 2003
8:07 pm	Counting has an 'N' in it!!!!....contrary to what the heading of my last entry says!! Spent most of the day travelling over to Thirsk to see how our stage flats are coming along, then to the York Theatre Royal to pick up costumes. Desperately want to get all the props finished by tomorrow so I can get back to rehearsals next week. Luggage needs wood-staining so it looks a lot older and is protected in case it rains (open air theatre, remember!), then we need to attach some handles, a padlock, and Discworld ‘place stickers’ so it looks like a well travelled trunk - that’ll get done tomorrow. Then we’ve got to get it up the 55 steep steps of Clifford’s Tower on Tuesday night….and that should be a giggle cos it’s the size of a VW Camper Van. It’ll probably take about 10 of us. We’ve decided to make a bit of an advertising event out of getting Luggage to Clifford’s Tower. Instead of throwing it in the back of a van and driving it there, we thought it’d be a bit of fun to tack some posters to the side of it, and get one of our actors to dress up in costume and hand out some leaflets as we wheel it through the busy streets to the Tower....hopefully it should cause a bit of a stir amongst passer’s-by and the posters and the leaflets will let them know what the hell it’s all about. Little bit of writing done the other day, when I slightly extended our Unseen University Wizards scene....only by three quarters of a page (which amounts to about 50secs), to allow one of our actors to make a quick change before getting back on-stage again. Must crack on with the other stuff. Current Mood: chipper (just because I love that word!!) (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Friday, June 27th, 2003
4:47 pm	One Week and Couting..... Only a week to go until First Night and the props are almost done. Just small things are being finished up now - a child’s ball, 3 short Morris Dancer’s sticks, a demonic scroll, that sort of thing! With a bit of luck (and a trailing wind) we’ll get the props finished off over the weekend and I’ll be able to put my Producer’s hat on once more and re-join the final stages of rehearsals. Monday sees the last day of rehearsals, then on Tuesday & Wednesday night we start our technical and full dress rehearsals in Clifford’s Tower, in the evenings. That should be lots fun. To tell you the truth I’m really quite envious of the cast! Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely adore my job - and feel so lucky that my work is something that I love with a passion - but often I find myself wishing that I had a part in the play....mainly when I’m inside Clifford’s Tower, to tell you the truth. But, I’ll be there backstage for most of the performances, and revel in the atmosphere. Last night I was so knackered I went to bed at 8:30pm and slept right through to 10:00am. Lazy of me, I know, but it cured my tiredness, and for the first time in nearly two weeks I feel alert and refreshed. Ah-Ha. Time to get some writing done, methinks, before I start getting tired again! Current Mood: Awake....for once! Current Music: Blink 182 / NickelBack / Orbital (Comment on this)
Monday, June 23rd, 2003
7:22 pm	A new week, a new rehearsal venue, and I'm playing truant again! For the second day in a row I've been locked in the cupboard under the stairs with only a brush and a hand-saw for company. It's getting closer and closer to First Night and there's plenty of props that need our attention. Luggage is going well - that's being made by an independent firm - and Mathew (the geezer who'll be shut away inside it for parts of the play) has been for several fittings already. It should be ready by this weekend. I'm a little concerned about my writing output since rehearsals started. OK, so I've been writing stuff over the last week or so - such as our ongoing series of articles for Discworld Monthly Online, script re-writes, and all that - but I really need to crack on and finish up the first draft of Jekyll & Hyde and the second draft of A Christmas Carol...and I've been neglecting them big time. Not only that but I have to finish and quickly re-draft an audio play adaptation of A Christmas Carol too, cos we're hoping to get in a recording studio in a month or so's time. But, as you may have already gathered from my previous entries, I've been a little tired after rehearsals and at the time I normally write (I only really write at night, between 8pm and 2am, don't know why - I just find it easier to write then!) I'm usually about ready to hit the old hay. Managing to find the odd minute or two to get stuck into the new Harry Potter book though. It's wonderful. If you haven't read a Harry Potter book yet (and, bizarrely enough, there are still people out there who haven't read one! How mad is that!?!) I urge you to do so...they're utterly fab! Oh, if anyone's interested in reading our articles on bringing Terry Pratchett's Eric to the stage, check out Discworld Monthly issues 73 & 74 (and soon 75) at http://www.ufbs.co.uk/dwm/. Current Mood: Unwashed and Somewhat Slightly Dazed!!! Current Music: The rasp of the saw and the pound of the hammer!! (Comment on this)
Friday, June 20th, 2003
9:03 pm	Bit of a day off from rehearsals today, cos I needed to finish off a couple of props. Things are going really well, and everyone is have a great time. Even though it's all quite exhausting everyone still has a big smile on their face....but only just! Today was our last day at this particular rehearsal room and next week we're moving to another. Managed to get a bit more sleep last night and this afternoon...which was lucky cos I was just about to collapse from tiredness. Still you've got the weekend to rest (I hear you cry!)...unfortunately not. More props to be made and bought and other Dreaming stuff to be done. But, the new Harry Potter book is out tomorrow, so I'll be putting some time aside to go out and buy that!! Current Mood: tired Current Music: The constant thrumming of blood in my ears telling me if I don't sleep soon I'm gonna keel over!! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 18th, 2003
6:03 pm	I've had less than ten hours sleep in the last four days! Still, rehearsals are going brilliantly. We've got ourselves a fantastic little cast who really understand Pratchett. We're all really getting stuck into it and some marvellous stuff is starting to emerge.... ...and the green room banter is getting bluer by the day! (Comment on this)
Friday, June 13th, 2003
4:16 pm	My head is in a really strange place right now. It's June, we start rehearsals for Eric in three days time, and all the actors will start to assemble in York over the weekend. But here's the problem - mentally I'm at the end of the year. The script for Eric was completed over three months ago and I've moved on to other projects. It's strange for me to think that I'll be spending the next two weeks in rehearsals for Eric then coming home in the evenings to finish up the first draft of Jekyll & Hyde and the second draft of A Christmas Carol - not to mention the fact that in rare spare moments I'm already planning our adaptation of Dracula, and that won't be until the summer of next year - over thirteen months away. And that's an odd feeling. Not just odd, but ODD - capital letters all the way. Still, it should be a lot of fun (as well as being incredibly exhausting). We'll finally get a chance to hear the script come to life, and see what works and what doesn't, and what needs to be cut or changed. Spent the last few days making props for the show (Death's scythe, bows & arrows, spears and a talking parrot... you know, the usual stuff) as well as co-writing our first newsletter and adding new pages to our website. And that's just during the day... in the evenings I'm hard at work on three separate scripts. Ah well, it keeps me off the streets, I suppose... and I hear that having a social life is highly overrated, anyway! Current Mood: cheerful Current Music: Nickelback - Silver Side Up (Comment on this)