Here, There, Everywhere

While Edge Hill university has a reading week, meaning I’m not required in-person on campus, I have decided to “holiday” back at my old job, playing Bedknobs & Broomsticks in Liverpool, conducting Matilda over the weekend, popping up to play Dreamgirls in Sunderland, across to Cheltenham to hammer out the piano part for Chicago and returning back to London to familiarise myself with the keyboards of Mary Poppins, before another weekend of Matilda fun. Until theatre wants me back full-time, I will make my own full-time work out of all of this, thank-you-very-much.

In a “regular” week (whatever that’s meant to mean) I am settling into a pattern of tutoring at Edge Hill in Lancashire in the week and playing on Matilda the Musical in London every weekend. So far it’s going well, even with the 6am starts for university and 11:30pm home-times from the show, but I am trying to be mindful of not overdoing it. It has meant less chance to pop out for a walk or a run, and my list of TV programmes and films to watch is getting ridiculous (time to start sacrificing some of those, unfortunately!). My parents have moved “Sunday roasts” to a Monday (my day “off”) and I am missing my niece’s 3rd birthday today due to work commitments. I keep reminding myself of the weeks and months on-end of sitting at home through lockdowns and am very thankful to be busy once again, but perhaps this rather fast-paced start to post-pandemic life needs to calm down a little as we head into spring!

Indeed, March sees the pattern of weekday university work and weekend theatre work remain, with the final year Musical Theatre students preparing for a showcase in just over a month’s time. I also hope to start planning for the months ahead, as more and more theatre productions are remounted across the UK.