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Its
now Monday August 18th, an ordinary day for most, people get up
with their weekend behind them and get on with the usual routine
of a Monday morning, phone calls, paperwork, making tea and looking
forward to the end of the day. However my day, in fact my job is
indeed a little unusual to say the least.
Andy
(centre) at a photoshoot for the Rocky Horror Show - Johnathan
Wilkes (left) will return in the show in September and then
will play the role of Danny in Grease at The Palace at Christmas.
John Stalker (left) played the narrator in the show earlier
this year |
I work
in the press department at the Palace Theatre and Opera House and
have done for a few years now. I always thought it would be a glamorous
lifestyle, meeting celebs, drinking champers and eating nibbly things
from silver trays at various opening night parties.
However
nothing is as it seems. Nobody told me that celebrities that I meet
would have an awful habit of not only being late for absolutely
everything, but are also somewhat testy at 10am on a rainy morning
after a night of singing their little lungs out on stage the night
before, having forsaken their long awaited lie-in to be cramped
in a taxi (which is always late) with little old me.
Your job is to make sure your celebs are interviewed have their
photo taken...  |
No-one
told me that champagne is always flowing at parties, but your job
is to make sure your celebs are interviewed, have their photo taken
(without clutching a ciggie) and are sat where everyone can see
them, but will not get hassled and always have a drink, but not
too drunk, as no-one likes to see a celeb falling downstairs and
ending up with their dress around their head. Once you've done all
this the champagne is gone, the free beer is gone, the free wine
is gone and the food has been scoffed.
Picture
the scene of a tired press person nicking cheese sarnies off plates
and finally getting a glass of wine, which is actually an accumulation
of the remains of 3 different glasses. Parties are long hard work
and believe me when I say its no party for me. If I'm not auditioning
dogs or working with 150 kids in the theatre for a week, then I'm
stuck in a camper van with ten naked African dancers, trying to
look at the floor and give road directions to Chorlton to a driver
that doesn't speak English. A
glamorous life - no, but very diverse.
Things
have to be better than the fiasco that was last year...
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Today
is a special day as its the countdown to the Europride parade, so
things are hotting up somewhat around here. Things have to be better
than the fiasco that was last year. The whole event was nearly pulled
and the parade was cancelled and then put on again within 24 hours,
all the hard work from last year was wasted and we had to pull out.
I stood and watched the parade with my partner Trevor, which was
a sorry event of a few trucks puttering up Princess Street all looking
a little pathetic. As a theatre we have to promote up-coming shows
in our section of the parade, without over advertising and forgetting
what the event is really about.
In
our float we will have Grease, Sing-a-long-a Wizard of Oz, Fosse
and Rocky Horror Show. It has taken 2 months work to, firstly get
producers to part with their pennies to be in the parade and then
beg people to donate their time and services for the day. Grease
will be my little project and has been a lot of fun to work on although
a little weird. I have infamous drag star Miss Felicia (although
she does prefer to be called a Gender Illusionist) as a Pink Lady,
and the lovely David as a T- bird, safely ensconced in an old American
Car surrounded by my muscle men Teen Angels.
With
Wizard of Oz, we have the promotional team of costume characters
coming up from London. We have leggy male models for Fosse and Rocky
Horror and more camp than you can shake a stick at. It will be a
long old day, making sure that people are on time, and do not go
out partying the night before, that all dressing rooms are ready
and that no-one forgets to bring make-up, tights, thongs, angle
wings and false Elvis wigs. More importantly it should be fun and
I promise you it will be.
On
a personal note for me, I mentioned that last year that I watched
the parade with my partner Trevor. Unfortunately Trevor died suddenly
in November last year and this will be my first parade without him.
Sad?, well no, more sentimental, I do know he will be there in his
own way with a big grin on his face, because at the end of the day,
that's what its all about - fun.
Find
out more about EuroPride by clicking here
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