Sarah's New Year treat...

No - it's not Sarah trying out some inappropriate 70's throw back makeup... she decided she should treat herself for New Year and try out a face pack. Well, a woman of Sarah's age needs to do what she can to keep looking gorgeous ;-)

Last week certainly felt like a long one, as it was one of our full "12 shows in 6 days" weeks. We all managed to make it to the end, but I can't deny that I for one am very much enjoying having two whole days off for New Year! I know - part timers aren't we?

Doing 'Dick Whittington' has been a real education for me in "audience chemistry". It soon becomes quite clear that size isn't everything (ooooer!) when it comes to how the audience responds, and to which characters and sections of the show they associate with the most. The clearest cut case is, unsurprisingly, the "schools" shows - where the theatre is filled predominantly with children, often quite young ones. They're loud, they join in, they love it ... but Sarah is a bit of a mystery to them I think! Odd man, dressing up as a woman, with a funny voice and saying stuff we don't understand. Fair do's!

Next up the audience ladder is the child-heavy (not heavy child...) matinee audience. It's families, with their kids. But often quite young kids, and quite young children demand quite some attention! This can understandably distract the parents, so again clever word play and slick delivery ...one hopes... can all go for a burton.

The quieter, adult-heavy (hmmm....) audiences suit me the best. They may not be the best at joining in all the audience participation, they may be a little hesitant and shouting at the baddie. But they're quite good at listening, and seem to get the gags, which warms the cockles :-)

I enjoy all the audiences in their own way, and each actor will have a very different take on each audience, so I guess as long as they go away having laughed and enjoyed it ...then all's well that ends well.

So now we head into our final two weeks at the Theatre Royal with a mere 24 performances remaining. We've been pretty full right across the Christmas period, but there are one or two seats available for some of the performances... and here is a little "heads up" - all tickets for the 5.30pm shows on the 4th and 12th Jan are only £12.00! How about THAT for a bargain :-) so get yourselves onto the website here or call 01284 769505 to book before they're all snapped up.

See you soon...and I promise that Sarah will have sorted her makeup out before she gets back onstage!