We Made It!

Whoever knew that one train journey could cause so much stress?

After sprinting along platforms with more than our own weight in luggage, fighting unresponsive ticket machines and struggling with lifts, I thought I could relax. How wrong I was; realising that I dropped my wallet at Manchester Piccadilly - with the tickets and rail cards for half our crew inside - I frantically phoned anyone and everyone who I thought could help. Finally, after running down carriages to fruitlessly look for the conductors, being cut off half way through crucial phone calls as a tunnels engulfed us and making a mini-drama for half the train to spy in on, I got news that my wallet had been found.

The next problem was convincing First Transpennine Express to let us stay on the train, despite our conspicuous lack of tickets. They seemed to accept the terrified look on my face as I explained to them our story, so I slumped back in my seat and finally allowed myself to breathe.

The wallet has since been recovered and I am in the process of gaining back what little respect I had from my peers before the incident.

The illusive wallet in question

Travel crisis aside, we have moved into our Pilrig flat and have made ourselves at home. As I write this, our actors are sleeping, leaving our production team (of which there are only two, but 'team' sounds more impressive) milling around, busying ourselves with whatever jobs we can find for ourselves.

Today we pick up our flyers, posters, final props and - according to our itinerary - 'acclimatise to Edinburgh'. It's not quite Tibet here, so I'm thinking our bodies are already fairly well adjusted to the atmosphere - my desperation for organisation must have ran away with me a little when I was writing that document.

Tomorrow, we get into our venue for the first time for a dress rehearsal, and Friday sees our Fringe stint begin.

Hard work begins as soon as the bleary-eyed rabble roll out of bed.

Show 1: Bury Metro Christian Centre

28th July 2013, 14:00: the first time the team behind Chaos by Design all meet.

                       19:30: the first time Chaos by Design show completes a run-through.

Last night, at the Bury Metro Christian Centre, Chaos by Design completed its first-ever, full run through. And just to rack up the nerves one bit more, we were yet to finish a dress rehearsal when 18:30 came and went and the opening music faded up to introduce the first scene. 

What's more, Benedict and Raynar were up into the early hours yesterday morning tweaking and finalising the script, leaving themselves and Emmanuel mere hours to learn their lines.

But what would theatre be without the manic, last-minute insecurities and worries? Be it the genuine drama of our under-rehearsed minds, or the wonderfully dramatic waves of thunder which periodically echoed through Bury at poignant moments, (or it could have been the talent on-stage that night), our message seemed to hit home.

Now our team is finally together, we are ironing out the creases and looking forward to our first Fringe show this Friday. One last day in Manchester before we make Scotland our home for the next few weeks.

A huge thank you to everyone at the Bury Metro Christian Centre for turning out last night and helping us raise an incredible £500, and to Ya Freddy Wanga for opening the show for us.

Flyers & Street Shows

Our team is beginning to come together in Manchester for our pre-Edinburgh warm up show, I'm scrabbling around in the back of cupboards to find the last few props, and the BBC Weather website is receiving extra hits every hour or so as I continually check the Edinburgh forecast, hoping the incessant rain it's predicting might transform into something a little more flip-flop-friendly.

In more specific news: the flyer designs are now complete, ready to be handed to hundreds of complete strangers over the next few weeks.

Click for full resolution

We have also secured ourselves a number of street performance dates. On the 6th, 9th, 10th, 12th, 13th, and 14th, we will be gathering crowds on the Royal Mile. If you're dodging manic flyerers and see us making examples of ourselves, please stop by and watch.

Once again, thanks to Jo Painter for her work on the flyers. They're about to be spread over the streets of Edinburgh.

Finalising Flyer Design

Jo has developed the sketches further to give us a far more dramatic image, the addition of Charlotte and Emmanuel's characters gives it context and the backdrop really gives that dramatic atmosphere.

Also, it took me a few viewings to notice the map of Africa on Angelique's torso.

Click for full resolution

With the design almost complete and the rush to find the rest of our props, time's beginning to get very short. But what's a show without a last minute rush to make us all lose our minds?

10 days until our first Edinburgh show. Can't wait.

Thanks again to Jo Painter for her work on the flyers, more of her work can be found on her tumblr.

Flyer Design Sketches

With our travel and accommodation plans being finalised, it's time to begin the online, social media barrage.

First off is the development of our flyers;

Jo Painter is working on these, and we have a couple of sketches to from early in the design process.

Click for full resolution

Click for full resolution

See Jo's Blog at: jp-designs.tumblr.com/