Best Laid Plans...

Dear Theatre Rush supporters (wherever you may be),

This is Katie, writing.........
And this is Chloe, interjecting! 
We'd like to start with a deep, big, heartfelt apology. Because, unfortunately, we are having to postpone the Wiltshire leg of our Lost Tales tour. Anyone who knows me will know I don't give up easily. She's stubborn. Thanks Chloe. You're welcome. But after having exhausted all the options, we feel that this is the best way forward. We have been so lucky that our rural touring partner, Pound Arts, and the lovely promoters have met this news with understanding and empathy, and we are still very excited about bringing the show to Wiltshire in the very near future. But for now, allow us to explain...

First, some facts about artistic projects.

1) You have to plan ahead. Really far ahead. In order to secure funding to research, write, rehearse, book and tour this show, we started the planning over a year ago. 

2) It's a bit of a lottery. After an application to the Arts Council has gone in, you have to wait 6 weeks to find out if it's been successful. If it has, you're all systems go. If not, it's back to the drawing board to rewrite the application and start the six week waiting game again. 

3) You have to try to look into the future. Nobody knows what is around the corner but you have to plan to the best of your ability and take a few risks along the way.

Secondly, a few facts about trying for a baby.

1) You have to plan ahead. Really far ahead. But you also can't plan too far ahead because, you know, it might not happen for years.

2) It's a bit of a lottery. Sometimes it happens straight away. Sometimes it takes a while. Sometimes it doesn't happen at all. And each time you've got to wait about six weeks to find out the answer, and then it's back to the drawing board. It's a waiting game.

3) You have to try to look into the future. You can't just sit and twiddle your thumbs. Plans have to be made. Jobs have to continue. Especially if you're self employed and you create your own work. 

Hopefully you can see the dilemma? Well it wasn't particularly subtle... The original plan was baby first, project later. But fate didn't get the memo and, instead, the two things happened at the same time. In fact, a grand total of three Theatre Rush babies have been born during the 'Lost Tales' project, so it's been a busy couple of years. Especially for Chloe, who has been left holding the baby, as it were, whilst the rest if us were holding our actual babies. 

But anyway, there we were, with a tour booked and a baby on the way, so we did our best fortune telling and decided that by three months I would be able to finish writing the play and by five months, I could be combination feeding the baby so I would be able to do a bit of performing. But it seems little human beings don't follow plans. So last week I found myself with an ill five month old baby, who can't take a bottle, who doesn't like to be put down, who wakes up to feed all night long, who sleeps with me in bed and who won't settle for anyone else. I haven't slept in weeks, my birth recovery was slow, and I often can't string sentences of more than three words together.

And this is where I stepped in. I could see Katie was struggling, and the practical conversations about how we were a) going to rehearse and b) going to perform  a tour with a five month old were getting more and more complicated. 

But also, and this is perhaps the most important thing for us as a company, we weren't going to be able to give you the show you deserve. We want to give you our best, not a foggy, under-rehearsed, sleep deprived attempt with a baby wailing from the wings. We want to do it, and you, justice, so we knew that the only way forward was to postpone for a short while. THE SHOW IS WRITTEN and we are so excited about bringing it to you in the New Year.

We promise to keep in touch and to let you know when we'll be rescheduling the show. We're also more than happy to answer any questions. Also, there are smaller, local elements of this project that still will be going ahead, as they are close to home and predominantly led by me, allowing Katie to baby juggle. 

And, just in case you were wondering who had caused all this kerfuffle, allow us to introduce the monster of the moment, Henry Ray. All I can say is, it's lucky he's cute....

And just in case you were wondering how I found the time to write this...