Playing at Writing

Enjoyed Made in Dagenham, not so Going the Distance. The latter stars Drew Barrymore and some bloke. He lives in New York and she lives miles away. A map appears on the screen showing a plane flying from one place to the other, (to enlighten the dim folks who can`t tell the difference.) Does it matter where they are if all they do is shag about in both venues? I`d rather watch my collection of old black and white films - Billy Liar, A Taste of Honey, A Kind of Loving, Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. Second to that I`ve got back into reading plays, Under Milk Wood made a good re-read.

Just found out that I have been accepted on a playwriting course at Live Theatre. The plays we need ar A Number by Caryl Churchill, Translations by Brian Friel and The Pitman Painters (Which I already have and it`s brilliant) I`m also learning lots at an NCLA course run by the university and held at Hancock Museum. The tasks we are given will help me towards playwriting as we cover characterization and dialogue. The theme is "Ageing" something of which I know a fair bit about!! One of the tutors kindly tries to raise our spirits by saying that everyone is ageing, even the young. But, it doesn`t work. My gammy leg, H coughing her guts out next to me and K struggling to hear add to my squinting to read what`s on the board- dom and feelings of "Am I understanding this?"

It`s been a great couple of weeks. Great art exhibition at La Boca. A good article in the Evening Chronicle advertising my book Westenders which will be launched on Saturday 30th October. Really enjoyed Sheree Mack`s chap book launch Night`s Skin. Before I got there I met the lasses at Tyneside Cinema Bar, then we went for a 2 for 1 meal at Zizzi`s. Carried on to the Lit and Phil. I read three of my poems. Lovely to read first so that I could really concentrate on the work of the other writers who were supporting Sheree.

On the 15th I attended a meeting with Julie Ballands, film maker, who made The Woolly West among other works. She`s putting together a new film which will feature people, photos, film and memories of folks in the West End so I`ve submitted a piece for that. Later that night me and Jess Johnson performed some of our work at The Mixer, upstairs in the Jesmond British Legion Club. We were in support of Gary Kitching of The Suggestibles who was doing his one man show Me and Mr C. The support act couldn`t make it, but it was a good opportunity for us. He was hilarious.

I`ve seen the Suggestibles advertised but it was the first time I`d seen this. There was lots of audience participation. We had to write on two pieces of paper in response to the words Remember When.... and The worst thing you ever said or had said to you. For Remember when....I wrote "When you pissed yourself at school", which he used in his act and "I`ve never heard of a crisp sandwich!!" It`s a great venue and well worth a visit.

Picked up tickets for Live Theatre to see Inheritance on 3rd November, should be good as Melanie Hill is part of the cast, love her acting. She was great in Auf Wiedersehen Pet and more recently in Joe Maddison`s War on tv.