Audience: 13 (Tues) & 9 (Weds – but thank you to the LBT staff for coming along!)
Technical: Utter legends. Both technicians were utterly wonderful – incredibly patient, kind and professional. The get in and set up was simple and both nailed all the cues absolutely perfectly.
Marketing: Hard but we had an audience and the venue worked their socks off. The Comms and Admin team also came to see the show for which I am eternally grateful. They were the best audience ever.
Pre-Show: It’s getting easier. I still feel sick/want to run away pre-show but the sick feeling is arriving later and later in the day. When I was at Clwyd it was from 8am to 7:30pm I’d feel terrible. Now I get a bit of the day back.
The Show: Tue was a much older audience, more muted, much more nodded approval and one lady who looked a little disappointed in my continued use of the work fuck. So much so that I cut two fucks and cock. What was remarkable was there was a blind lady on the second row who was so engaged and she lived it and it was incredibly amazing. That was the first time it occurred to me that as an accessible show, particularly for blind people it’s probably pretty good.
Wed takes the crown of best show on tour (so far). A younger crowd, laughing, really warm and supportive. I came off almost flying. Incredible. Then I drove for 2 hours through the dark and snow home and survived. Two ticks for Wednesday.
Post Show: 14 minute get out. A bit of doubt was raised that everything would fit in my (tiny) car. When it did I was as proud as doing the show.
Rating Out Of 10: 9.5 – honestly, it was the best. It’s such a privilege to perform to people who are willing to pay, smile, laugh, then clap at the end. I still cannot bow. I look like a knob. So awkward. While bowing all I think is “I look like a knob”. Why? Because I do.
Nice Feedback:
“Such a heartwarming story from @MrFreeman1984 tonight. @theLBT team and I loved it. Thank you!”
Final Thought: It has made me seriously consider how I do more of this and what lifestyle changes I’d have to make – mostly around my job, working a 9-5, and its compatibility with something that I love doing. Obviously I’m not rushing into anything, it might all fall apart in Cardiff, Wigan and Lancaster. But I’m writing the new show, it’s better than the current one I think, so, yeah.
Oh yeah and Huddersfield is quite nice. It’s got a really chilled, friendly vibe, some lovely cafes (Northern Tea House take a bow, but not an awkward bow, see, it’s hard to do), and great to see my Mum & Dad, Maya, Harriet and young Peter too.