Day Thirty Five - Home Sweet Home

My flight went very smoothly! From London to Hong Kong I sat by a Chinese man who grew up and lives in Ireland but goes to Hong Kong to visit family now and then. His name was Stevie. He was friendly.

We arrived in Hong Kong ahead of schedule, so I spent a bit more than two hours wandering around the airport.


Awesome 70s futuristic buildings with giant hills in the background.


At first sight it seems these are roast ducks...but look at the length of the necks!


This girl is super happy with her noodles!

Bought a Coke at a bar for $44 (Hong Kong) which turns out to be $11NZ. Ouch. I wandered around for a bit too long because when I arrived at the gate there was nobody there and the sign said 'final boarding call' which made my heart flutter substantially. BUT I got on my flight, sitting by an old grumpy couple that sounded like they were from Northern England. I didn't really talk to them.

On the flights I watched:

Slumdog Millionaire, which I thought was a fantastic film. It's wonderful how it balances horror with beauty.


James Bond - Quantum of Solace, which I thought was rubbish! No story. No gadgets. No girls. I don't know why I bothered watching the entire film.


Madagascar : Escape 2 Africa, which was a lot of fun. A bit of a token sequel reliving the best moments of the last film (i.e. "I like to move it, move it") but still cool.


Twilight, which was as Alex Lodge described: "Angsty Vampires. But in my supe-tired lack of sleep state I actually quite enjoyed it. It will definitely sell to the ex-Harry Potter readers who have grown up.


The Wrestler, which wasn't really my thing. I found it very slow and boring so kind of skipped through it only because I was interested in Mickey Rourke's performance. He was best when he showed his sensitivity. I can't see myself being cast in a role like that anytime soon...


Flight of The Conchords - One Night Stand, which I've seen a few times before but I still had a good chuckle.


Arrived at Auckland International Airport at 10.30am - half an hour earlier than schedule. It's warm here! It's so strange! I'm used to wearing so many layers because it's freezing but suddenly don't need to anymore!

I got a good amount of sleep on the plane so am feeling okay right now, but I'm sure I'll crash hard tonight. Switching twelve hours is always going to be a challenge for the body.

So here I am back home. Time has really flown! I'd like say a big thank you to everybody that has helped me to go on this life-changing trip. My family and friends, Freemasons NZ, Heritage Trust, Toi Whakaari, Cherie, my classmates, and the people of Paris and London. I have learnt a huge amount (about myself, my craft, the theatre industry, my country in relationship to the world) and I already feel changes happening within me. I have a new outlook on life in which I want to look for the fun and beauty around me and shut out the boring stuff. I am incredibly excited about the chance to put my new learning into practice! 2009 is going to be a good year! And thanks to those who have read this blog. It's been fun!

Day Thirty Four - The End Is Near...

This morning I woke up to the sound of Joshua making his world famous pancakes. And they deserve to be world famous. They were delicious! We three sat and ate them with strawberries, blueberries, maple syrup and orange juice whilst watching a Spanish film called 'Flesh' (it's not as dirty as it sounds) starring Penelope Cruz and the mean guy (Javier Bardem) from No Country For Old Men.

I then headed to Chris and Piet's place for a quick goodbye and to drop off their London A-Z. Then headed to Bricklane where I met Trigg for a Bricklane Bagel (we both got bacon and egg - quite fatty and messy!) and a beer.


We drank Bitter which Trigg told me was supposed to be warm and flat. It definitely tasted warm and flat!


There are men outside each curry store in Bricklane who try to offer you deals (free beer, 20% off etc) so that you go to their store and not the one next door to them!

Then headed home and grabbed my bags, said goodbye to Nick and Joshua and gifted them a Flight Of The Conchords CD which Nick said he'd use to it to further New Zealandise Joshua!

I've had a marvellous time in London. I've seen nine shows in one week. Not bad. And I've also seen some sights and generally lived like a Londoner. I wouldn't mind moving here next year and working at The Swan Bar with Trigg whilst mingling with theatre lovers from The Globe! Maybe I'll do that before starting a year at Ecole Philippe Gaulier in October...

So now the end is near! I'm about to board my plane. A 25hr flight via Hong Kong. Can't wait to come home to New Zealand!


Cheers London!

Day Thirty Three - Stovepipe & Hallelujah

I got up early this morning super tired but determined to get £10 earlybird tickets for The Pitmen Painters at The National. I arrived at 8.30am (doors open at 9.30am) to find a long line. I waited in the cold for an hour and then eventually made my way to the front of the cue, and there was a £10 ticket available but it was high up and to the side, and when I asked the guy at the desk whether it was a good show he didn't seem that enthusiastic, so in my tired and slightly dramatic state I decided to pass. Ugh! Why did I get up so early!! I then went to several other theatres around the West End to try and get cheap tickets. Twelfth Night at the Donmar; Les Miserables; Spring Awakening. No luck. So instead I decided to go to a 'Fringe' show (they call all shows that aren't on or off West End Fringe shows).

Before that I went to a matinee of a promenade theatre show about post 9/11 Iraq and British troops involvement. It was very cool - in a found space underneith an old shopping mall.

For every guy tryin to be a pro, there's a psychopath. And for every psychopath, there's a cowboy.

When a mercenary goes missing en route to Iraq, his closest surviving friend embarks on a hunt across the post-war Middle East.

Stovepipe is an indoor promenade performance at a location in Shepherd's Bush; audiences observe the unravelling of this original drama whilst being guided through five-star hotel bars, seedy brothels, and war-torn desert landscapes.

‘One of the best promenade dramas I’ve seen, truly effective and illuminating.’
Tom Stoppard

The exterior of the meeting space at West 12 Shopping Mall.

The space was very well used. Lighting or sound were used to guide the audience to the next area, and the carpark had been turned into lots of very detailed rooms. A bar, a hotel room, a conference room, an office... They obviously had a decent budget to do this!

Inside the meeting space. We were then lead downstairs underneath the mall.

The acting wasn't brilliant but the feeling and atmosphere of the piece was very cool. It was great having the actors rub up against you, and sometimes even talk to you. For me the biggest bit of learning was how to move an audience where they need to go without being too obvious about it. For me, the moments that were most effective were when the audience suddenly in darkness - the scene disappears - and then a new light comes on in another space. We were drawn to the light like bugs!

In between shows I went to the Portobello Markets which turned out to be super close to Nick and Joshua's place. I got there when the markets were closing but still got a good sense of what they are like. There was an amazing moment when one fruit seller suddenly yelled out "Everything half price!" and then suddenly all of the markets down the street caught on and started shouting the same thing. I imagine this happens every weekend, but they're all trying to hold off as long as possible.

Got one of the last muffins at the famous (everybody from London at Ecole Philippe Gaulier told me to go) Hummingbird Bakery. It was delicious!

The Hummingbird Bakery. Very popular!

My carrot cake muffin. The icing was to die for.

All the colours of the rainbow!

Afterwards I went to my Fringe show at Theatre 503 (http://www.theatre503.com/) above the Latchmere Pub. I took an over-ground train to get there (the middle of nowhere), and ran from the station. Just made it!

An English woman, an Irish woman and an estate agent walk into a funeral parlour. They are here for Frank and what he owes them. But Frank is literally dead broke. So who's going to pay the bill?

Commissioned, written and rehearsed in under 2 months as part of 503's Rapid Write programme, Hallelujah is a black comedy about being in the red by award winning writer Jane Bodie.

It was definitely Fringey - much like BATS Theatre. The acting was fairly average, and the play was a bit shakey, but I really enjoyed it. It was a nice change from all the really big theatre I've seen.

One thing I noticed in this production was that the character played by Aoife McMahon was much bigger than the other two characters. More alive and theatrical compared to the semi-naturalistic others. And for me I loved Aoife much more than the others. Like Gaulier said, we want to see theatricality. Naturalism is boring. She was perhaps slightly unrealistic but it didn't matter. She allowed my imagination to dream around her and I enjoyed her. I didn't want her to convince me she was 'real'. I just wanted to have fun.

Afterwards I went to see Trigg at The Swan which had a live band and was pumping. He made me a complementary Deluxe Pina Colada (Deluxe because it has Giollani in it) and then everybody started buying them. Not a bad business move at all when they cost £8!

The Deluxe Pina Colada.

Then went home and watched '24' with Nick and Joshua and two of their friends. I was exhausted but hung in there and had a great day.

Nick. Joshua couldn't be in the photo as he has 'Photophobia'.

Day Thirty Two - King Lear

Today I went on a backstage tour at The National Theatre - my new favourite hangout. I found it very interesting - the process for them to finally get where they've got took over one hundred years. I love that they can have up to nine shows running simultaneously (although usually they have six) and that they roll their productions so people like me that are only here for a week can see several productions in a short amount of time. I asked about casting at The National and the guide said that actors can send their CVs in to their casting agents, but that the casting agents really only want to see an actor's work so it is advised to let them know when you are performing in a production. They do not do open auditions. Fair enough I guess.

I walked past Big Ben but to be honest I'm kind of sick of big pretty buildings now!

Lunch. Yuck! I was feeling a bit giddy today and thought I should eat something substantial to give me a boost but this was a bit much.

Went to the top of the Tate Modern into the Members Room (with Nick's VIP card) and took this beautiful photo. I super quickly skipped through the gallery. There was a cool exhibition by Roni Horn with lots of works that explored liquidity. I liked this quote: "Water is always an intimate experience. You can't separate yourself from it."

I then went to the Young Vic Theatre to see their production of King Lear.

He was fantastic. Very light but at the same time there was a real weight to him. He was playful, subtle, engaging and had stunning stage presence.

It was slightly difficult for me to follow but this was not because of the production. It was because I don't know the play. I read up on the story before I went, but in the middle of the play when everybody starts killing everybody and sleeping with everybody and dressing up as other people I got a bit lost. Luckily a lovely man from the Globe was sitting beside me and he helped me out. He had recently been to New Zealand on a holiday so we had a great chat. Note to self: When I really concentrate on listening to the text (and not letting my mind wander as usual) I can understand basically everything. Listen boy!

The thing that stood out most to me was the quality of the ensemble. I was sitting watching a team of incredibly talented actors at work. I don't feel that this happens often in NZ theatre. We may have a few incredible performances, but to have an ensemble full of incredible performances is a real treat.

I stroked my finger through some of the blood splattered all over the stage. A very gory production with eyes gouged and toy-sword fight getting very ugly...

Day Thirty One - War Horse & Billy Elliot The Musical

Today I went to an AMAZING show at The National called War Horse. It is based on the childrens book by Michael Morpurgo and tells a WWI story from the perspective of a horse. It was absolutely stunning production.

At the outbreak of World War One, Joey, young Albert's beloved horse, is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. he's soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary odyssey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man's land. But Albert cannot forget Joey and, still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.




The puppetry of the horses was beautiful. Very realistic. I stopped looking at the puppeteers and just looked at the horse as if it was a real animal. This is because of the skills of the puppeteers as well as fixed points and actors reacting to it as if it were real.


The story was very moving. Quite simple but it never felt dumbed down for kids (the production was advertised as being suitable for 12yrs and up).


Real committment by every single member of the cast meant the intensity and reality of the story was always held high, even when the theatricality of the production could have made us remember we were really in a theatre.


The actor who played the lead character, Albert, had a strange held back husky voice which I think was put on and it really worked. It was like that little something Philippe talked about that makes us imagine around the character. It gave Albert a youthfulness but it also did something else I can't quite describe. It definitely made me love him and care about him.


Again I was reminded of Caucasian Chalk Circle because of the epic story, the large cast (I counted thirty five), and the songs interspersed in the story. I have been so impressed by The National Theatre. The quality is outstanding. I want to be a part of it!

Went for a stroll through Oxford Circus before meeting Chris for a Thai dinner and going to Billy Elliot.


Yorkie - Not For Girls. (Shame! They're really good!)

Also went into Hamley's Toy Shop. Kids' Heaven. Parents' Nightmare.

One of FIVE floors of toys!

I'd heard great things about Billy Elliot The Musical but I actually didn't really like it. I got pretty bad seats this time round - right at the back of the grand circle - and although we snuck up further to the front the view was still no good. You could down into back stage and the performers did not perform up to us as all. So I felt very left out and thus wasn't connected with the story.

At half time we snuck right down to the Stalls and got great seats and suddenly the show became much more enjoyable, but I dunno, I didn't really like it overall. However there were some good performances and little Billy Elliot was amazing! What a talented little bugger!


The Victoria Palace Theatre.


His father's choice in sport.


Billy's angsty dance against a police brigade.


Impressing the ladies.

Day Thirty - Avenue Q

This morning I moved into a really nice apartment in Notting Hill where I'm staying with two nice guys - Nick and Joshua - who are friends of my mum. "What mischief has your mother been up to lately Guy?" asked both of them on separate occasions. The answer is "I don't want to know!"

After a very quick hello and thanks for having me (too quick - I felt bad!) I headed into town to meet Trigg for our planned day of fun. A hot date basically.

First on the agenda was Camden Markets. Quite funky and sleazy kind of area with mostly clothes and accessories for sale. Lots of shops had large selections of colourful bongs for sale which I was surprised at. What really surprised me was that all of the shops had signs up saying 'NO PHOTO' and the shop keepers were very strict about this. They were spring out of nowhere to stop you taking a picture. The first time this happened (when I hadn't seen the sign) an Asian woman yelled at me 'No Photo! Five Pound!' and then tried to convince me that everyone pays £5 to take photos of her stall. I later learned that the reason for all of this is to stop people from stealing eachothers designs. I understand the idea for a vintage store, maaayyybe, but this woman's stall had exactly the same stuff as everybody else in the market! Silly Billys.


No photo...£5!


A selection of the kind of T-shirts for sale. My favourite was the one that said in block capitals 'NOBODY KNOWS I'M A LESBIAN'.


Food. People fight to give you free samples.

After naughtily taking photos everywhere and watching the reactions of the shop keepers (at one store called 'Cyber Dog' which had thumping drum'n'bass and futuristic neon clothes for sale I had several shop keepers come at me - It was like being approached by irobots) we then caught the underground to White City (racist) and went to a gigantic amazing supercool Westfield shopping mall. Way better than in NZ. Very spacious, and they had these cool touch screen displays around that you could search what you wanted to buy in the mall and it would tell you where to go. There was even a real Apple store there. I had a party!


Westfield White City. Nice.


Trigg shouted me a 'Snakebite' - apparently a famous drink for NZers and Aussies when overseas - at this Australian bar called The Walkabout before heading to Avenue Q!

Avenue Q was brilliant! It's like an x-rated adult version of Sesame St with puppets (and people) with songs like Everyone's A Little Bit Racist, It Sucks To Be Me (What do you do with a B.A. in English), The Internet Is For Porn, and You Can Be As Loud As The Hell You Want (When you're makin' love).


The Noel Coward Theatre.


I had listened to the music quite a lot before, so the shock factor of the lyrics didn't make me burst into laughter like most of the audience, but it was still brilliant.


It seems that Fixed Point is very important with puppetry. When it is clear where the puppet is looking suddenly its eyes seem to come alive. It's important for the actors around the puppet to assist with the fixed point as well. e.g. Look where the puppet is looking, or in the eyes of the puppet (and not the actor controlling the puppet).


My favourite: The Bad Idea Bears. "Take her home! She's wasted!" The coolest bits for me were the bits I hadn't heard about in the soundtrack. Like when two TV screens lower to play Sesame St-esque educational animations. E.g. A silhouette of a man says "Come" and then a silhouette of a woman says "Mittment" and then an argument ensues, leading to the words joining and voila! "Committment". Very funny.


It was great when the actor controlling the puppet really animated their faces and bodys at the same time as the puppets'. This helps give the puppet more expression than it would have without the puppeteer. Some thing else I found interesting was that the three actors in this production who only played humans (Gary Coleman, Brian and Christmas Eve) were not as good as the puppets. We didn't love them nearly as much. And I think we could have loved them if they had lifted their level of energy to that of the puppets. They were bigger than naturalistic, but not as big as the puppets, and so they didn't really fit in.

Overall I absolutely loved the show and would recommend it to anybody. Well, maybe not the kids.


Afterwards we went back to The Walkabout which had turned into a dance party. We met up with a guy from NZ who Trigg had directed in Niu Sila at Wellington College last year. Really nice guy. I have a student card so we got £1.50 drinks which was not bad. But we tired of the place very quickly. It's basically The Big Kumara of Leicester Square. So we left and everywhere was closing so had a dance on the street to this guy busking with make-shift drums. Then went to KFC for a midnight snackbox. And as we were looking at the menu these two guys from Austria called us over and said they'd bought a bucket but couldn't handle it so we could have the rest! So we sat and chatted to these guys whilst eating their chicken.


Thomas and Stefan from Austria. The Hills Are Alive...