Violence was a real hoot (lovely review here) and my feet have barely hit the floor and it is onwards to a project I've been waiting all year to arrive - ©opyright Christmas!


©opyright is my first full length production with performance poofters Duckie (who we have such outings like Lullaby, C'est and Shame to thank for). The show will also be my first public appearance as a Duckie Associate Artist - and that is an achievement I'm really proud of!

When I first sneaked Boyz magazine into my teenage bedroom and saw these weirdos all rolling around the floor in nice clothes, I was amused they all looked that gay versions of bands my Dad liked, I knew somehow I needed to be apart of their gang. I think Simon Strange, Lamé and the Wives are completely unaware I based my early career on trying to impress them and getting their attention - it worked.

I don't want to give too much away about the show but you should be aware of Duckie's reputation and know not to expect to sit in rows and clap nicely at the end. What I can tell you is if you have ever caught yourself in Ikea, contemplating bulk buying the Norské Shît toilet roll holder then this show is for you, it is also safe for 11 yrs + so bring children, even if they don't belong to you.

If you, like most of my friends haven't noticed the fact I appear in the advert for the show then here it is! I'm the one that looks like Martine McCutcheon, pre-Tummy-Loving-Care bollox.

 ©opyright Christmas runs from 10th - 31st December in the main house of the Barbican. 
Shows are 4pm, 7.30pm & 9.30pm.

The show also is accompanied by a Christmas Market that is flogging unique stuff to get your 'rents or boyfriend (if you are wealthy enough to own one). James will be flogging his own gear here as well as my merch on the 11th, 16th, 17th and 22nd December. 

Book tickets / ruin your Christmas spirit
Go on, its Christmas!

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Violence by Darrell Berry_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This Christmas I'll be throwing myself about a Christmas tree of shit in Duckie's very own department store show.



Booking info here
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Time Out London audio review of Violence.

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We are not even half way through the run of Violence and already our bodies are falling apart but I don't think EYHO have ever been stronger. The bruises on my body feel symbolic in my cabaret journey to date - from 2008 in Bethnal Green Working Mens Club as a place for me to develop new material and be abit mouthy to a collective run not-for-profit in 2011 that still has the same ethos and pushes new work by artists of all capabilities and ages on the same stage with the same platform to vent their ideas.

People have strong opinions of EYHO, sometimes bad or sometimes good, which is a great thing - to leave people feeling something, be it distaste or enthused is better than leaving them content. More importantly, the crux of this blog is why I hate this pressure that we are supposed to, as 'artists' comply with - anyone who comes, especially industry folk must love it. Here is the bigger picture I have my eye on here, brace yourself - it doesn't really matter. In presenting Violence I've realised I don't give a shit what Joe Bloggs from So and So theatre thinks of me or my gang. Lets make the work, present the ideas, show your stance and if the 'they' don't like it then they don't like it, they cannot kill you or demand you for better work, they just won't book you and in the end does So and So theatre really matter? No. I'm interested in real people who live in real houses who are not watching your work thinking how they would have done it better. I'm excited by Mum's who have never seen anything like this, 17 year olds sneaking in and saying they are over 18, middle age men who picked up Time Out and stayed til the end.

Now before this sounds like a scorned woman, the show has been recieved really well but both critic and punter so I have nowt to moan about but this idea that everyone will love your work is silly.

I've been really excited to see that groups of students turning up to EYHO shows, on one hand this is abit annoying as this could mark our future as a Forced Ents set up but on another I remember seeing Shunts 'Dance Bear Dance' and having the doors of my brain kicked open to what performance can and should do, the same doors that opened last night to Luton's A level finest.

I'm overjoyed with Violence and the performers involved. I think its a bold and brave production for a neo-variety company to present that looks into a world of personal, political and parental violence without slapping you in the face with the 'issues'. As one drama student was heard saying '..its full of cliches' - without which we would have no anchor points in culture and those dreaded words .. post modernism. As I revel in my cliches here in a hot bubble bath in my council flat with painted nails listening to the Beautiful South, here is a lovely tweet from a punter...

Students - If you still exist and the buildings that feed your insecurity allow you out for the day I'd like to offer you £5 tickets for Violence. You are going to need every penny in the next few years. You'll need to bring your NUS / Student Card to collect your tickets and you must prebook (see about). Love X
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Q&A - Recently I've done a few blog interviews, for some reason my voice is more important than that of the average Greggs worker, in addition a nice lady has also written about one of my shows. Here are the links if you fancy reading about my love of Hattie Jacques, why I'm doing Violence and being common.

Run-Riot    |     Nothing Original     |      Performance Doesn't Matter
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Image by A Black Lie
 
There is just under a week until we open Violence and the panic begins. If you could see the narrative in my head on an hourly basis it would look like this:

This is shittiest thing I've ever made, people are going to walk out and the nightmares I've been having - forgetting make up, remembering all the words or falling over onstage are going to come true. I am useless, I have nothing to say, why don't I just pack it all up? I could be a receptionist, I'm good on the phone. This is it, no more art after this. Why do I put myself through this?

This is the best thing I've ever made, people are going to think differently of me after seeing this. It's like they will be able to understand what I've been trying to say all this time. I'm going to look amazing, I am amazing. My work is strong, I'm a great performer. Lets take over the world. I love doing this.

I think this has a lot to say about the performers psyche - self worth is either in abundance or non existent, no half way house. Getting a rapturous applause is like having a big line of coke - you feel great, your over the moon, you talk shit backstage and tell each other how amazing you all are. You go your separate ways and while your taking the slap off in a disabled toilet mirror it hits you, you want another go but there is none left.

It is at times like these I like to remind myself I'm not going my Dad's job on a roof at 5am in the middle of winter. Yes, performance can be important (if your genuinely trying to say something) but its not hard graft, maybe we like to think it is to justify the gratification? I made a pact with myself at the start of the year not to moan about being tired, it seems the done thing in our circles.

Who knows what next week will hold but who really cares anyway? I do. I hope you come, not because I want your money, applause or gratification, but I think you should see it, I think the messages are relevant and this I hope will get us all to think about the social issue within the show.

Click here to see a fat boy be honest
Click here to see a fat boy
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What with Violence opening next week and Copyright Christmas around the corner I really should not be giving this the time of day but sometimes there are ideas that you need to get out of your head for the greater good. Fans / followers / friends of my blog would have read my paper on Live Art and the invention of the genre 'Light Art' - I promised a few artists I would make an agreement that they could sign up to and here it is.

What to do: 
1. Print out two copies of the agreement and sign it.
2. Send one to Scottee c/o RVT, 372 Kennington Lane SE11 5HY before the 31/12/11.
3. Put the Light Art logo on your website/blog etc.
4. On the 12/1/12 a list of all Light Artists who have signed up to the cause will be posted online.
5. Check the post, you will have your membership badge arriving soon after the published list.

Download: Agreement & logo
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We've teamed up with Time Out Cabaret and given them a lovely exclusive look at Violence before we slam the doors open on the 17th November.

Click the screen cap and you'll get a nice glimpse of the stuff we are planning.

Hope you have a ticket or it'll be embarrassing the next time we meet.

Video courtesy of A Black Lie

http://eyho.org.uk 
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Whose idea to sell kids a false economy,
That life is sweet post teenage autonomy,
There's liberation on the other side of puberty?
All the next generation crave is your honesty.

The punches come faster you fall harder to the ground,
But posting on youtube makes you stronger, more profound,
'It Gets Better' now thats easy for you to say,
Its Stonewall bollox breast fed to homogeneous-gays.

As liberals turn off and say that I'm wrong,
Ask yourself this before you spout that queer song,
Does it get better or does it get worse?
Batty boys still end up in the back of a hearse.

Let me remind you of the recent problem,
Lamp posts in Scotland and Nelsons column,
I'm not part of the prevention or cause to the cure,
Just putting into prospective, not giving the detour.

Live life as if you've learnt it and say it as you find,
I'm not saying we should accept it, be cruel to be kind,
It get worse but you roll with the punches ,
It's not your fault but its the way the cookie crunches.
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Violence Update











Twitter is full of performers talking about their next scratch performance - 'scratching' for those of you with real lives is the live artists way of showing unfinished, shoddy work in a room that has no theatrical elements to a paying audience under the banner of 'work in progress' - now I don't know who in our industry thought this was a good idea (BAC) but I'm over it, I'm over this idea we can't make work before showing it to a group of people for their approval before we make it. Put your neck on the line you bunch of art school cocks and say something.

On the other hand I'm a big fan of letting your audience in on the secret, I don't like the secrecy that surrounds shows - a fear someone might copy you - its not Primary school.

Here is a round up of afew themes we've been working on for Violence - a fully formed show that I'm letting you in on:

We've all been sat around for the last few days working out if Patti's 'Rock & Roll Nigger' was appropriate for a scene in which a black tranny seems to mug a white girl but then turns into a lustful brief encounter with shopping bags. I think we are using something else now but it made us all sit and scratch our heads for awhile - which is good.

Darrell and Helen are working on some lovely experimental tech for the show - they have worked out how we can shoot Nando, make him bleed and die every night. We also have control of the sound system from our iphones - scary!!!

Last week the show only just started to come together - before this I was having nightmares about everyone being on drugs and not being able to say their lines - we don't have any 'lines' in the show. Music wise the show is Clash, Jam, Who heavy - where did this come from? dunno.

Booking is now open for Violence and we'd like you to come along, not only because we have 1500 tickets to flog but we hope some bits will hit home. How you can help: You can post our facebook event or tweet our booking link - we don't have the same advertising budget as the RSC but we are much better.

We are:
TimeOut 'Top Shows to see this Autumn'
Spoonfed's 'Very Best of November'
LoserVille 'Pick of the Month'

The show runs from 17th - 26th November at Riverside Studios - More info here
(Image about is from our interval film made for Violence by Tim Bret-Day and Scottee)
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