26th September 2013

Well the last few weeks have flown by.  We are now fully back into the swing of work, and it's all going rather well.  The Advertising campaign has started, and though we have not been turning anyone away, it all seems to have started rather well!

Both myself and eldest have now got an iPhone 5s each, and now that we have had a day or two to get used to them, I thought I'd give my impressions so far..

They are much lighter than our 4S models, and as a result, I have taken a little time to get used to mine.  It actually feels a little more like my Samsung Galaxy, and not quite as substantial.  This is seen as a selling point in other areas, but I am yet to be convinced.  The fingerprint technology has worked well, but I forget to use it, and just enter a passcode instead.  Interestingly, the one time I tried to demonstrate it, the system failed, and I had to enter the passcode.  Much of the benefit of the new phone is easy to get confused with IOS7, which I am rather taken with.  It killed my old phone's battery life, but I suspect that was less to do with the Operating system and more to do with the hammering that the battery has been given anyway.  IOS7 on the iPad 2 makes it a different machine, but I digress.  The camera on the new phone is excellent, and I am delighted with the results.  They have also sneaked in a Slo mo setting on the camera, which is excellent for drama sessions!  The phone runs very smoothly, and overall, is the best iPhone yet.

I now have lots of plays to write!  I shall be back soon 

Tuesday 10th September 2013

Well it's full steam ahead on the work express now.  This has been the least stressful start to a working year ever in many ways.  We worked very hard over the summer, so the shock to the system was perhaps less.  We are looking at venues for sessions and shows at the moment, and about to launch our advertising campaign.  I hope that it works, as we will be in an excellent position.  Whilst there might be a little competition in the local area we remain confident that we are the best!

I realise now that we are at the Tuesday, that my weekend seemed a little empty....the lack of Premiership football is always a disappointment so soon after the season has started.  It wasn't like this in the old days, and my shoot magazine league ladders would have been in full use by now.  I just cannot get excited by England games...the tactics and style just seem to be so archaic as to not even warranting nostalgia.  

Today I shall be stationery shopping with eldest, and then preparing for a session, and then a committee meeting.  

I am currently organising our nude charity calendar!  The very thought of some of the months is enough to curdle the very soul!  I expect to sell many!  I'm sure that anyone attending the production will be eager to purchase one!

Today also sees the latest Apple keynote.  I live in a house of four iPhones and three iPads, so I expect that the announcements will cause much excitement....I am due an upgrade, and have been for a while, so I shall be watching with even more anticipation.

--
Keith Badham
Principal Director
Up-Stage Theatre Company

Tel: 01525 630868
Mob: 07595 053251

keith@up-stage.co.uk

www.up-stage.co.uk

5th September

So that was that...another Summer ticked off, another season passed as we wend our merry way towards the grave....That was a depressingly poetic way to start the new term.  I was looking forward to sitting at the computer this morning and enjoying the wide and varied nonsense on facebook, happy in the knowledge that most young people have now returned to school and left facebook to the adults again...apart from the odd "I'm tired/I'm depressed" messages, that proved to be the case....however...we were also treated to 101 photographs of "Little Jimmy's First day at big school" photos, in which 101 varied children grin through gritted teeth as Mum or Dad preserve that hateful first day feeling forever.  In the old days, it used to be a case that those photos were preserved for special moments like bringing a girlfriend or boyfriend home for the first time, but now the poor little mites have them posted for all the world to see...their slightly oversized blazers, the perfect creases in their trousers, and ties that within a few weeks will no longer resemble the tie as you and I know it.  Oh I understand the need to record everything for posterity, and I am sure I have done it myself....but I do wonder if we are so busy recording everything that we forget about what's important sometimes.  

Today, I have been left to my own devices again, as youngest is off to school, Mrs Plug is off doing Horse based things, and eldest rises at lunchtime as any proper young lady should.  I rather like September.  The sunshine always seems a little more gentle, and there are autumnal hints starting to creep in.  It has been good to start September without the usual money concerns, as we have managed to top of the coffers enough to get by this summer.  We have a busy few weeks ahead, getting back up and running and making sure that all the new people know what is happening and that advertising is sorted out and that new sessions are started properly. 

Rehearsals for Calendar Girls continue, and there appears to be much excitement for this one.  I hope it lives up to expectations.  It is a beautifully written script, and I hope we do it justice!

2nd September 2013

Well dear reader, it has been to long...How have you been?  You're looking well etc etc.  I shall spend much of this blog talking about how much work I have been doing, and how I haven't had a minute, and it is all true I tell you, all true!  Much of my summer has been taken up with three productions, and three summer schools, with the occasional workshop and variety show thrown in.  I have now got six plays published, and hopefully some more on the way, as well as a commission for a full length play as well!  

The business continues to expand, and we are moving forward to the new year with excitement, and a slight sense of dread, in terms of how much we are going to need to do!  I have no doubt that we will manage to do a great job though, and I am sure we will move into our 8th year with our heads held high as usual.

We managed a holiday to Centerparcs, which was a lot of fun, and rather expensive.  I think I have now managed to overcome my fear of water and would really like to aim to actually learn to swim at some point.  I don't know who I am anymore!  We Swam, played golf, Tennis and badminton, cycled, ate and drank a lot, and did falconry!  It was a fun packed week, but I never felt properly relaxed as I knew we had two Summer Schools to go.  We are hoping for a short weekend break at some point soon.

I really want to try and write more on this, but as I have said so often, work tends to take over.  I might well be coming back here in two months moaning about how I never get the chance to write anymore!  I hope not...I do enjoy it when I have the time!

4th June 2013

I sit here, resplendent in shorts, enjoying the glorious sunshine pouring in through the office window.  I have a quiet morning ahead of me, and what better way of putting off doing some actual work, than updating my army of readers on what has been happening in the wonderful world of Mr Plug?

We went to an auction house last weekend.  I have never been to one before, and found it quite the most fascinating place.  There were rooms full of a wide range of "stuff" ranging from very good and collectable, to complete crap.  Friends of ours showed us around, and we had fun searching through it all.  In the end, I put in a paper bid on a guitar, and we left it at that, and went and ate and drank and attempted merriment.  During the course of the evening, my friend advised that I could watch the auction online!  Well this was it for me.  Live Ebay!  Instantly I knew this would be a dangerous path to tread, but tread it I did, and the next morning I found myself glued to the laptop, watching as lot after lot was auctioned off via paper bids, Actual real life bids, and online bids.  I of course registered an account immediately and joined in the fun.  I lost out on the guitar, which was no surprise, it was a rather good one!  Instead I managed to "Win" a camera for youngest, and an Ipod (One of the old classics).  As with all such auctions, no guarantees are given, and we found out when we got home the reason for this lack of guarantee.  There was a slight fault with the zoom on the camera, which whilst slightly annoying, does not render it useless.  The iPod however, appeared totally dead.  It had what I have now found out to be a "Sad iPod" logo.  It should be a happy iPod logo, because when you look it up, you find that this means you need to take it to Apple to get it serviced at an impressive fee.  I of course, like a challenge.  The iPod in question only cost £12, so I thought I would experiment.  After an hour of google based fun, I managed to find out a few hints and tricks.  I opened it up, found out about the inner workings, and tried again.  All to no avail.  Eventually, I happened upon a website that advised me to hit it quite hard on a pile of paper several times.  I tried this.  It didn't work.  I then found another website that explained that the inner workings of the hard drive sometimes get a bit stuck, and the best thing to do is to throw it to the floor.  I did this, and hey presto, I now have a working iPod.  Now I am no electronics expert, but I think I could set up a business of throwing peoples electronic goods to the floor, and charge a lot less than Apple!  I already had an iPod (Or three) already of course, but this one is purely for work, and eldest loves an item of retro (Which apparently this is being more than eleven minutes old).  I am not trying the same method with the camera.  Apparently, youngest daughter will "Hurt me" if I do.

Moving on from this, I make an appearance in a drama festival tomorrow.  I am the surprise character that doesn't get listed anywhere, so it all feel a little surreal at the moment.  Much as I have enjoyed it, I shall be glad when it is all finished, and new projects can be started.

I received a message from a "theatre chap" on Facebook this week, saying that he had read my latest play and that it was "Bloody brilliant".  I was quite taken aback.  Whilst I am not one to argue with the obvious, it is still extremely heartening to read such praise.  The play cover the subject of Autism and Aspergers, and this chap works with young men with severe autism.  He said that it rang many bells with him.  I have a feeling his group may well be doing a performance, which makes me very happy indeed..  It was a much needed boost.

23rd May 2013

I have been a busy little Bee as I am sure Arthur Askey once sang, and thereby revealing my age, and possibly appalling taste.  We have managed to secure quite a bit of holiday work, and this pleases me, as it means we can look forward to the Summer Holidays with at least a small semblance of security.  I am also waiting on a HUGE contract possibility for 2014, which if we manage to get it, will take us to an altogether different level.
We have also been struggling for the last few days with a really difficult matter which has led me to feel slightly let down by someone.  I hope we can resolve it all without too much animosity.  I suspect not.

Yesterday saw the awful murder of the poor soldier in Woolwich.  I still cannot bring myself to understand how anyone could do such a thing.  On a much smaller scale, I was disgusted to read some of the reactions to the murder, and the racial hatred and tension that will be stirred up as a result of it.  I have found myself with my finger hovering over the delete friend/Unfollow button on social media more than once today.

We look forward to a relaxing half term, although Mrs Plug has a craft fayre, and as a result will be abandoning us for the weekend!  I shall be bereft.  Not as a result of her absence, but the football season is now over.  I plan to do quite a bit of writing over the next week, and get everything up to date script wise.  I am currently working on three scripts for shows in production, and have several other in the pipeline as well as two books.  This sounds a lot grander than it actually is, and I suspect will create some small degree of stress in the next month or so!

16th May 2013

I've had an interesting couple of days work wise, in that I have been doing a lot of research on an area of theatre that we would like to move into.  In the process of doing this, I have come across a fairly local "rival" who seems to be quite intent on criticising the kind of operation that we run.  This is interesting on several levels.  We are, by comparison, quite a small outfit and profess to not wanting to compete in their particular field, and yet, there are some fairly clear indications that they feel a little threatened by us.  So much of what we have brought in over the last two years has been picked up by other companies, and whilst that can be a little annoying, it's a free world, and we should take it as a complement.  Ultimately, it;s up to us to continue to grow, and try new things, and be good at what we do.  If we are doing it right, then others will of course try to copy.

We should be making some announcements over the next few weeks with regard to some significant developments, which is all rather exciting!

I look forward to this weekend's football with the usual dread and fear.  The traditional "Grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory" celebration is about to ensue at White Hart Lane, but still, there is a part of me that believes we might just do it, and pip Arsenal to the post.  Why am I so gullible?

I have been reading up on Center Parcs a lot, and looking into all the "Activities" that we might enjoy.  My favourites all seem to involve laying around with next to nothing on.  I wonder what that says about me.  Talking of having nothing on, it would appear that I am about to embark on directing Calendar Girls.  Part of the plan for this, will be for the group to produce it's own calendar, with an Amdram theme!  My more loyal readers might recall that I have not been backward in posing semi clad before.  I wonder what I should do this time?