Welcome to my brand-new website!
Huge thanks to the team at Beachshore and, especially to Andrea; and to Howard (possibly one of the nicest people in the world, but still retaining a rarely seen, but very active, sarcasm gland: which is another reason he’s such a good friend).
My old site was becoming the website equivalent of Pacman, and looked as though it could possibly have been designed in the original days of Olivetti. I wanted a new site to go alongside me returning to acting and writing after nearly a couple of years of working for other people. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, and I’ve had a lot of fun researching, writing, directing and performing tours. But, recently, the Universe tapped on my window and said, ‘What do you really want to do, and is earning money more important than having a life and creating stuff that makes you jump in the air like a seven-year-old at Christmas?’.
So, the new website goes hand in hand with new acting headshots, filming a new showreel, my new play, Gay Pride And No Prejudice (at the Union Theatre, London until 2nd November 2024 – with me as Mr Bennet) and an excitement to be back ‘making up stories’ and ‘shouting in the evenings’.
In the interim, I’ve written the new educational tour of Theatre royal Drury Lane (aimed at school groups and including three mini workshops) which we will be rolling out in November. I’ve also written a brand-new tour of the London Palladium, recounting the history of the world’s greatest variety house and all the stars who have performed there. Lots of (hopefully) interesting stories and anecdotes (Liberace finishing a song, walking to the front of the stage, showing his enormous rings to the orchestra and saying, ‘There you go, boys, this is what you get when you practice’).
I also stepped outside of my comfort zone and became part of the lighting team at Phantom of the Opera (I am to anything technical what Churchill was to Hip-Hop). I would never admit to being a natural technician, but I surprised myself (and many others) by learning to do the rig-check without the aid of an adult, occasionally lighting the correct actor (sometimes even in the right colour) and not burning down the building.
I’d love you to come and see Gay Pride And No Prejudice. It’s very loosely based on Austen’s wonderful novel, and set in her time, but concerns suppressed sexuality and women’s rights. There’s a lot of comedy but also, I hope, a great deal of thought-provoking situations and dialogue, and a comparison of ‘then and now’ which may tug the emotional strings occasionally. I’m hugely grateful to Stephen Leslie, who is producing. We have a wonderful cast and the play is directed by the brilliant Luke Fredericks
More blogs to follow (hopefully with less than a year between them this time!). In the meantime, have a wonderful autumn.
Take care,
David