can i get an Encore?

Now i've been to germany and other parts of europe and seen how encores go down when it's time for a curtain call. Quite frankly i've thought it was ridiculous that even what to me appears to be the worst show ever (or close to it) still gets about a dozen encores. Continental audiences love to clap. It is perhaps the only time they get to be involved in a show...unless it's some kind of uber-leftfield, esoteric piece of performance art that questions the act of performing and being watched and is secretly concerned with how far they can push the audience before someone starts folding up their programme in to a paper aeroplane and throwing it onto the stage. I actually saw that happen once. I might have joined in but was too busy laughing my face off at how absurd the whole situation had become. Anyway, what i'm trying to say is that i'm not so comfortable giving more than say...2 encores. I just don't want to milk it and also like the idea of even when it's no longer the show you can still leave the audience wanting more...keep them hanging on even beyond the end and hold onto the magic as they leave. Something like that anyway. But on the other hand, staying there on stage and coming back again and again (and again if you actually did a good job) could be considered a nice thing to do for the audience...because they want to clap and show their appreciation. So i'm a bit torn as in what to do...

Today i did the first performances of Watch iT! 3 shows in fact...dress run, school show then evening performance. I'm pooped. I wasn't sure how the school kids would take it. There is a lot of spoken text in the piece but also good visual sections. I was worried that if they didn't grasp the text parts then i would lose them and might as well be playing to an empty auditorium. But it was cool actually. I think the parts that most enthralled them were the elements of pornography in the piece. We did a Q&A afterwards and the bulk of the questions were about that. The evening performance is where i found myself caught in trying to decide what to do with regards to this encore business. They gave a really good response. I came on for a 2nd time. There's more clapping and i'm thinking "no...surely that's enough???". I stuck to my guns and didn't go out. But, afterwards i felt that i might have done them a small injustice...jeez why the stress. So, in conclusion, all going well for saturday i'll do more than 2. Gotta give the people what that want after all...serious business.

bird's eye view

I saw this building and quite liked it. It wasn't piscine me off at least...

if only this was in lights...next time!