CODA

I'm delighted that it has been announced that Tim Willis will be taking over the reins now that I have - if not departed (that would be, personally, extremely unfortunate) - vacated a very hot seat.

Tim and I worked very closely together whilst he was AD at the Talisman, and we both share pretty much the same view of theatre and how it should be done.

I shall be lingering around for a wee while to work alongside him and make sure the transition goes smoothly. I will also be making sure I support his endeavours however I can and hope you all will too.

Best to all.

Gus

ALL THINGS MUST PASS

Any idiot can face a crisis – it’s day to day living that wears you out. – Anton Chekhov

This, I’m afraid, gentle reader, is my last official blog as AD at the Loft. I have sent my letter of resignation to the Chairman. I will still be around however, and will not actually pack my bags and clear my desk until the new AD is in place and a proper handover period is completed. I’m only leaving the post, not the theatre, and I still hope to direct and (dare I say it) totter around the stage in the future.

I can hear the sighs of relief even as I write. No more promotional prose, no more dreadful puns (A three-legged dog walks into a saloon in the Old West. He sidles up to the bar and announces: “I’m looking for the man who shot my paw.”), no more advisories to purchase tickets early, and no more dreadful, cringe-making quotes (apart from the very apt one above).

I’ve been hugely proud to be artistic director at the Loft theatre for the last three-and-a-half years. Not a long time by many standards, but long enough to understand just what an exciting, frustrating, rewarding, difficult, satisfying, irritating but ultimately incredibly fulfilling job it is. (Just for a laugh try saying that out loud, but make sure your teeth are secure, and other people are out of spitting range, first.)

I’ve been privileged to work with a team of extremely talented people who have a passion for theatre in general, for the Loft in particular, and for producing the best work they humanly can. They have supported me in everything I have tried to do to get the art to the standard the theatre expects. And it is this support that has made the past couple of seasons, by most accounts, so artistically good. And I am absolutely convinced that the same standard will continue for the foreseeable future.

Being at the sharp end of the negotiations for the (still ongoing – 14 years and counting) move to the new theatre was an experience. Just what kind of experience it was I’m still not sure, but I learned a lot, and grew to respect and like a number of people we seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time arguing with. Those discussions I really will miss.

However, like all these things, the ‘doing’ takes a toll, and I’ve decided it is now time to let someone else lead the charge and for me to don my cardigan, plonk my somewhat large backside onto my sofa, put on my slippers, smoke my pipe and take things easier for a while. (I refuse, however, to get a cloth cap and carry one of the stupid little shopping bags that men of a certain age seem to take to.)

However, as this is my last (official) blog I’m going to take advantage and be a wee bit self-indulgent. I’ve had a generally great time doing to the job, and have welcomed all complaints, constructive criticism and suggestions. But the one thing that has really got on my wick is the small amount of backbiting that has gone on from people who don’t have the cojones to say it to my face. I’m not upset by it, merely disappointed. If you have the energy to snipe from the sidelines, why not do something useful and instead of having a ‘pop’: get elected to the board and put your point of view there; dress a show; shift some set; push a button or two; sell some tickets; pour a pint… that would be a much better use of said energy and do the theatre, and yourself, much more good. Or, if you find that unpalatable, take a leaf from one of my major respondent’s book and extract the urine publicly and with considerable and outrageous wit. (I won’t mention your name, but you know who you are, and you really do have too much time on your hands as I’ve told you in the past…)

Enough already. I’m beginning to sound like a demented Scottish Presbyterian minister on his pulpit giving a sermon after consuming too much of his country’s national product.

So it’s time to go. Red wine and slippers are waiting. Thanks for everything.

Gus

DO YOU NOT KNOW I AM A WOMAN? WHEN I THINK, I MUST SPEAK. – William Shakespeare, As You Like It

I like variety. Not just like, but love, welcome and embrace it (in a fat bald man sort of way): A different wine; a new vista; food that hasn’t walked across my palate before; meeting new people; coming across a stunning play; an unexpected winning result for virtually any Scottish sport. It’s what floats my boat.

So I’m really looking forward to next week’s Women’s Words. Its predecessor proved a huge hit last year and ended up being a sell-out in the last few nights. So (and I’m getting tired of saying this) get your tickets early so that you aren’t disappointed. Pieces written for women, performed by women, in the intimate atmosphere of the studio. I can’t think of many better reasons for getting one’s backside out of the sofa, can you?

As always you can email me at ad@loft-thatre.co.uk or ring me on 07885 546442 with comments, suggestions and general abuse.

Gus

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