Jabbed
Spring has been a bit backwards, weather-wise, with a relatively warm & sunny March, a drought-inducing April, followed by one of the wettest coldest Mays on record. Selfishly, I have been quite glad of the inclement weather these past few weeks as I have been holed up in the home office, working through various essays, portfolios, dissertations and videoed performances submitted by Edge Hill students on the Musical Theatre course, giving each one a mark and feedback as I go. There are some seriously talented people about to graduate from this course - the industry had better watch out!
The wet weather went against the public health guidelines at the start of the month, which only allowed outdoor hospitality in England. It will be strange to look back on this time at images of people desperately clutching a pint during a hailstorm, or tucking into scallops in gale-force winds. I certainly experienced this a couple of times - I don’t think I have ever left home for a pub lunch with a bag containing so many items, from sun lotion right through to woolly hat and gloves! Today, at least, the warm sunshine has turned up ready for what is hopefully a warmer June.
As lockdown eased further, it was heartening to see live music returning to the airwaves, with The BRIT Awards & The Eurovision Song Contest a couple of examples that included a live audience. Theatre productions have also restarted, although hopes of full auditoriums later in June are dwindling somewhat. I had quite the experience earlier in the month when attending a concert recital in Huddersfield, hearing a full band playing live for the first time since March 2020. What was especially nice was how ‘normal’ it felt, thankfully. Here’s to hearing much more live music in person over the next few months and years!
This month also saw my 1st dose of the vaccine - Pfizer, and a sore arm, if you must know - and the first few meetings and availability checks for potential projects over the next few months. It’s a great feeling to have the phone ringing and emails pinging once more. I hope we can get everyone in our industry back to work in the not-too-distant future.