ADVENTURES OLD AND NEW

Every production of an artist should be the expression of an adventure of his soul. 

Somerset Maugham

I am preparing for the second week of rehearsals for My Perfect Mind, reminding you that the title is derived from King Lear and the king’s line in the waking scene of Act IV, sc.vii:

And, to deal plainly, 
I fear I am not in my perfect mind.

When I say preparing for the second week, I must tell you that the previous five-day week has been so intense that the phrase should properly be ‘recovering from the first week’ rather than ‘preparing for the second’. Paul Hunter and I, aided and abetted by our director Kathryn Hunter, and watched over by our designer Michael Vale, have had a fascinating time; not at all tiring whilst it’s been happening, but on the bus and train home I always spent the time looking forward to doing nothing and going to bed early. I have done devised shows in the past, but I don’t think that I have ever quite experienced the rehearsal room becoming such a working adventure playground of the mind and, dare I say, spirit as each day we have navigated ‘unpathed waters, undreamed shores’.

I hope you enjoy watching the trailer, which Kathleen has devised, for my new audiobook of Slim Chances. Reading aloud, even the five-hour abridgement with afterthoughts and additions, was to re-visit so many people and places whilst being enabled to bring the book up to date, at least as far as the eve of the first of the rehearsals I have been – as you notice – unable to write about as yet!

Postscript
The CDs of Slim Chances, which will appear in a handsome boxed set, are being printed as we speak and we hope to announce details of their release very shortly, here on the blog and on Edward’s website. And a reminder that details of dates and venues for the tour and London run of My Perfect Mind are available on the News blog.