Friday, September 26, 2008
Theatre-Going Opportunities
Here in the Midlands we're currently spoilt for choice as to what to go and see.
I'm fuelled by desire and guilt. A genuine interest in seeing the shows and
by the terrible guilt I will feel if I don't make it to any of them.
Shamefully I've not been to see a show at The Arena in Worlverhapton since it got it's make over, but this one is luring me:
Slot Machine (with Constance Brown occasional/regular Nick Tigg)
Partially shamefully, and partially because I've not been in the places they often do their stuff I have never seen
Women and Theatre but like everyone else like Janice very much.
Foursight have been helpful for us and this project sounds fun.
Theatre Absolute I have seen but not for a long time and it's always up to the mark.
I'd be happy to hear reports back on any of them anyone has managed to catch already.
James
I'm fuelled by desire and guilt. A genuine interest in seeing the shows and
by the terrible guilt I will feel if I don't make it to any of them.
Shamefully I've not been to see a show at The Arena in Worlverhapton since it got it's make over, but this one is luring me:
Slot Machine (with Constance Brown occasional/regular Nick Tigg)
Partially shamefully, and partially because I've not been in the places they often do their stuff I have never seen
Women and Theatre but like everyone else like Janice very much.
Foursight have been helpful for us and this project sounds fun.
Theatre Absolute I have seen but not for a long time and it's always up to the mark.
I'd be happy to hear reports back on any of them anyone has managed to catch already.
James
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Last of the Reviews
We'd been led to believe The Times review would be short and sweet. It turns out to be longer than we had thought and as sweet as we had hoped.
The Stage is also keeping up its proud journalistic tradition.
James
The Stage is also keeping up its proud journalistic tradition.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Monday, September 22, 2008
Another Review
Even reviews read a bit like previews for this show. If only some of the passion would spill over from the comments book into the national print media.
It was a great weekend at the show. The room was mostly very busy. There were visitors from London, Brisol, Manchester and Belfast amongst the crowds, some of whom we knew, many of whom we didn't.
On Sunday a wall of noise and blaze of colour burst into the still rice landscape as a Bhangra was performed Nachda Sansaar and latterly by audience members and more or less ept [sic] members of Stan's Cafe. Though an unlike collision of forms the professional version did look rather good doing their harvest dance amonst the mountains.
Hopefully no photos of the Artistic Directors efforts will find themselves at www.thericeshow.com
james
Link
It was a great weekend at the show. The room was mostly very busy. There were visitors from London, Brisol, Manchester and Belfast amongst the crowds, some of whom we knew, many of whom we didn't.
On Sunday a wall of noise and blaze of colour burst into the still rice landscape as a Bhangra was performed Nachda Sansaar and latterly by audience members and more or less ept [sic] members of Stan's Cafe. Though an unlike collision of forms the professional version did look rather good doing their harvest dance amonst the mountains.
Hopefully no photos of the Artistic Directors efforts will find themselves at www.thericeshow.com
james
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Thursday, September 18, 2008
National Press
The much anticipated feature comes out in The Guardian. As anticipated it attracts attention of people who wouldn't otherwise have caught up with the show (old school friends), it lures in new audience members (a fantastic pair of senior ladies) and validates stuff people don't believe if you're saying it about yourselves (other media interest).
Now you can judge for yourselves.
James
Link
Now you can judge for yourselves.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Careful Phrasing
It's often difficult to clap at the end of a Stan's Cafe piece, not for negative reasons of meritocracy and disappointment but because the way ends are structured. Our standard way around this lack of feedback / connection between performer and audience is a Comments Book as employed by some Art Galleries.
Leafing through the two Comments Books after this weekend's opening was a fantastically positive experience, people were gushing with enthusiasm. Yet, nestled amongst the feel good acclamation was one entry that exposes both the limitations and strengths of the comments book.
Someone had taken exception to our use of the term 'Coloured People' in labelling a statistic. The problem with the Comment Book form of feedback is that there's no right of reply. The author was anonymous and long gone. There was no chance of running after them and explaining – that's not our term! That statistic and those around it are those of apartheid South Africa where 'Coloured' was an official term of the regime. Yes, it is offensive but that's because the regime was offensive.
The advantage of a comments book is that we now know that someone is walking around Birmingham with the belief that Stan's Cafe were co-authors of Mind Your Language. Although we'd rather stretch our audience than patronize them on this occasion we felt we could afford to leave things to chance. The whole set of labels now read something like " 'Coloured' People In South Africa 1948 as defined by the Apartheid Regime". It's an ugly label but better than people attaching an ugly phrase to us.
James
Link
Leafing through the two Comments Books after this weekend's opening was a fantastically positive experience, people were gushing with enthusiasm. Yet, nestled amongst the feel good acclamation was one entry that exposes both the limitations and strengths of the comments book.
Someone had taken exception to our use of the term 'Coloured People' in labelling a statistic. The problem with the Comment Book form of feedback is that there's no right of reply. The author was anonymous and long gone. There was no chance of running after them and explaining – that's not our term! That statistic and those around it are those of apartheid South Africa where 'Coloured' was an official term of the regime. Yes, it is offensive but that's because the regime was offensive.
The advantage of a comments book is that we now know that someone is walking around Birmingham with the belief that Stan's Cafe were co-authors of Mind Your Language. Although we'd rather stretch our audience than patronize them on this occasion we felt we could afford to leave things to chance. The whole set of labels now read something like " 'Coloured' People In South Africa 1948 as defined by the Apartheid Regime". It's an ugly label but better than people attaching an ugly phrase to us.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Monday, September 15, 2008
First Weekend
Over 1,000 people visited the show over its opening weekend. The result of a benign confluence of good marketing, good weatehr, ArtsFest and free admission. Many people left saying they would return with friends, so hopefully this will be the case and audience numbers will hold up for the next three weeks.
There have been some fantastic photographs of the show posted on flikr. These are all collated on a website you can reach by following the link.
james
Link
There have been some fantastic photographs of the show posted on flikr. These are all collated on a website you can reach by following the link.
james
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Opening Night
Opening night and all is looking good.
Good audience, good show, good response.
In theory a piece comes out about the show in the Guardian on Monday, so fingers crossed. Lynn Gardner's comment on her blog promises well. If anyone fancies adding a comment to her entry then this may help keep that entry up the Guardian Blog pecking order and thus more visable to the world (we're slowly being inducted into these subtlties of strategy.
james
Link
Good audience, good show, good response.
In theory a piece comes out about the show in the Guardian on Monday, so fingers crossed. Lynn Gardner's comment on her blog promises well. If anyone fancies adding a comment to her entry then this may help keep that entry up the Guardian Blog pecking order and thus more visable to the world (we're slowly being inducted into these subtlties of strategy.
james
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Test Cases
Rules for 'the rice show' are emergant. A few things are certain.
1: Each grain of rice can only represent a PERSON.
2: Each grain of rice can only represent ONE person.
3: That person cannot be fictional.
4: That person can be dead.
5: As the grains act as 'cast members' it is possible for one person to appear in a number of piles simultaniously 'played by' different grains of rice.
There are other rules of protocol, about presentation and performance but it is the boundaries of those fundamental rules that I enjoy exploring and here we have to resort to Case Law. Today Chris presented a new Test Case the discussion of which caused Graeme to appeal against a former Test Case.
Test Case 1: Degrunier vs No one (my metaphor breaks down here): The Unknown Soldier
Degrunier argued that, as a real, though unknown soldier was burried in the tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc De Triomphe she should be allowed to place this person into the show (her idea was that he should go into The New Room).
After some deliberation Justice Yarker denied the claim. His resoning being that, whilst fulfilling the technical requirements that the rice represent a single, non-fictional person, the symbolic power carried by the real unknown soldier collapses when translated into the show as that symbolism is removed by a further degree, it becomes a representation of a symbol. The show makes the role of the Unknown Soldier redundent as every single solider who fell on a particular battle field can now have their own rice representative, they do not have to share a single symbol. In part, this is what gives the show its power.
At the time Justice Yarker said he would consider allowing an appeal to Justice Stephens, but on retireing to his chambers the thought "no I'm defintately right on this one and that's the end of it".
Test Case 2: Rose vs Yarker: Twelve Angry Men
Appealing a previous judicial ruling Rose argued that Twelve Angry Men shouldn't be allowed because amongst other things it felt a bit funny.
Many of the trainee barrasters standing by had no idea what was going on and had to be briefed about an old black and white film staring Henry Fonda adapted from a stage play the author of which no one could remember.
Trow and Semp, speaking on behalf of Yarker, pointed out that whilst the 'statistic' appears to be referring to fictional characters in fact it is merely identifying a dozen hopping mad males. Trow used the Million Men test case to bolster his argument.
Rose internally cursed that QC Hadingue was on other legal duties in Stratford and unable to back him up.
Yarker (acting contrary all good legal proceedure as both defendant and judge) decided against the appeal. Whilst acknowledging the validity of the 'feeling a bit funny' argument and welcoming the appeal he said he was minded, on this occasion, to allow Twelve Angry Men so long as it stays in its own room and doesn't interfere with any other 'statistics'.
With both case and court dismissed everyone wandered off and no one seemed particularly bothered about being paid less than £100 per hour.
James
Link
1: Each grain of rice can only represent a PERSON.
2: Each grain of rice can only represent ONE person.
3: That person cannot be fictional.
4: That person can be dead.
5: As the grains act as 'cast members' it is possible for one person to appear in a number of piles simultaniously 'played by' different grains of rice.
There are other rules of protocol, about presentation and performance but it is the boundaries of those fundamental rules that I enjoy exploring and here we have to resort to Case Law. Today Chris presented a new Test Case the discussion of which caused Graeme to appeal against a former Test Case.
Test Case 1: Degrunier vs No one (my metaphor breaks down here): The Unknown Soldier
Degrunier argued that, as a real, though unknown soldier was burried in the tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc De Triomphe she should be allowed to place this person into the show (her idea was that he should go into The New Room).
After some deliberation Justice Yarker denied the claim. His resoning being that, whilst fulfilling the technical requirements that the rice represent a single, non-fictional person, the symbolic power carried by the real unknown soldier collapses when translated into the show as that symbolism is removed by a further degree, it becomes a representation of a symbol. The show makes the role of the Unknown Soldier redundent as every single solider who fell on a particular battle field can now have their own rice representative, they do not have to share a single symbol. In part, this is what gives the show its power.
At the time Justice Yarker said he would consider allowing an appeal to Justice Stephens, but on retireing to his chambers the thought "no I'm defintately right on this one and that's the end of it".
Test Case 2: Rose vs Yarker: Twelve Angry Men
Appealing a previous judicial ruling Rose argued that Twelve Angry Men shouldn't be allowed because amongst other things it felt a bit funny.
Many of the trainee barrasters standing by had no idea what was going on and had to be briefed about an old black and white film staring Henry Fonda adapted from a stage play the author of which no one could remember.
Trow and Semp, speaking on behalf of Yarker, pointed out that whilst the 'statistic' appears to be referring to fictional characters in fact it is merely identifying a dozen hopping mad males. Trow used the Million Men test case to bolster his argument.
Rose internally cursed that QC Hadingue was on other legal duties in Stratford and unable to back him up.
Yarker (acting contrary all good legal proceedure as both defendant and judge) decided against the appeal. Whilst acknowledging the validity of the 'feeling a bit funny' argument and welcoming the appeal he said he was minded, on this occasion, to allow Twelve Angry Men so long as it stays in its own room and doesn't interfere with any other 'statistics'.
With both case and court dismissed everyone wandered off and no one seemed particularly bothered about being paid less than £100 per hour.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Visiting Artist
Amid the flow of journalists wandering in and out of the show today came a woman who was clearly neither a journalist nor in the wrong place, she clearly wasn't one of our volunteers, it turned out she was Deborah Feingold.
Despite loving photography, I'm samefully ignorent of who actually takes any of those pictures I love. Man Ray, Weegee, Robert Maplethorpe, William Wegman, Edward Dimsdale, beyond that and I start to struggle. I had however heard that Deborah Feingold was due to open an exhibition just across the road from us at the St.Paul's Gallery and I had heard that a fair number of people are excited by this fact. So it was great to meet her.
She was delightful, full of energy and enthusiasm and joy. A great refreshing blast of that transatlantic vivacity which makes being in the States such a thrill. Anyway, she zoomed in, was super enthusiastic about the show, had an anguished glance at her watch and zoomed off to preparations for her opening.
It was so nice of her to find time to come over and see what we were up to that it redoubled my determination to get to the St.Paul's opening tomorrow. Back home thinking about writing this entry I track down her photographs and it turns out I've got one of them beside my bed. Amongst the beautiful portraits she takes of the rich and famous are a series of book covers and amongst these is Barak Obahma's audacity of hope, a book which I was reading fairly assiduously before this whole show thing cranked up.
As we were leaving the exhibition she did stop beside one particularly enormous pile of rice and enthuse about its quality as an object and the great light in that room and so on........ how much does Feingold commission set you back? Shouldn't a C.E.O. have a prestige photograph of himself behind his desk, even if it a secondhand melamine desk at Unit 108b The Big Peg.
James
Link
Despite loving photography, I'm samefully ignorent of who actually takes any of those pictures I love. Man Ray, Weegee, Robert Maplethorpe, William Wegman, Edward Dimsdale, beyond that and I start to struggle. I had however heard that Deborah Feingold was due to open an exhibition just across the road from us at the St.Paul's Gallery and I had heard that a fair number of people are excited by this fact. So it was great to meet her.
She was delightful, full of energy and enthusiasm and joy. A great refreshing blast of that transatlantic vivacity which makes being in the States such a thrill. Anyway, she zoomed in, was super enthusiastic about the show, had an anguished glance at her watch and zoomed off to preparations for her opening.
It was so nice of her to find time to come over and see what we were up to that it redoubled my determination to get to the St.Paul's opening tomorrow. Back home thinking about writing this entry I track down her photographs and it turns out I've got one of them beside my bed. Amongst the beautiful portraits she takes of the rich and famous are a series of book covers and amongst these is Barak Obahma's audacity of hope, a book which I was reading fairly assiduously before this whole show thing cranked up.
As we were leaving the exhibition she did stop beside one particularly enormous pile of rice and enthuse about its quality as an object and the great light in that room and so on........ how much does Feingold commission set you back? Shouldn't a C.E.O. have a prestige photograph of himself behind his desk, even if it a secondhand melamine desk at Unit 108b The Big Peg.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
The New Section
I work on the new section late into the night.
Growing tired I slacken off, I allow myself to start reading.
I pause to look at pictures.
The stories behind these names and numbers are too much.
I'm in tears.
That's it for tonight.
James
Growing tired I slacken off, I allow myself to start reading.
I pause to look at pictures.
The stories behind these names and numbers are too much.
I'm in tears.
That's it for tonight.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
How Much?
A deputation from the show were off on Fire Marshal training this morning. Having just put out a series of statistics about workers burning to death in factory fires I hoped that they would pay close attention. Whilst being a little cagey about what they actually learnt they did assure me there's more to fire marshalling than shouting "There's a fire, follow me" and charging for the exit.
Whilst the Fire Marshals were letting off fire extinguishers the Rice Wranglers spent much of the morning being photographed and filmed in a press call. A great piece came out in the Birmingham Post yesterday so hopefully that's a sign of the P.R. blizzard cranking up another notch.
The day wasn't without anxiety. A local news agency, having received a press release, phoned up expressing an interest in the show. Normally this would be a good thing, but their first question was "how much did the show cost?". Now, I don't know about you, but I've never heard a national news story about what excellent value for money a particular work of art is, particularly not one which isn't oil placed on canvas looking a lot like the thing it is 'supposed to be'. So we didn't answer the question and we'll see what happens. Ironically the same agency sent a photographer, who arrived woefully late, but whom we politely accommodated, and he loved the show. He left with a fist full of fliers and a promise to return with his girlfriend. Hopefully this is the start of a crazy word-of-mouth snowball.
James
Link
Whilst the Fire Marshals were letting off fire extinguishers the Rice Wranglers spent much of the morning being photographed and filmed in a press call. A great piece came out in the Birmingham Post yesterday so hopefully that's a sign of the P.R. blizzard cranking up another notch.
The day wasn't without anxiety. A local news agency, having received a press release, phoned up expressing an interest in the show. Normally this would be a good thing, but their first question was "how much did the show cost?". Now, I don't know about you, but I've never heard a national news story about what excellent value for money a particular work of art is, particularly not one which isn't oil placed on canvas looking a lot like the thing it is 'supposed to be'. So we didn't answer the question and we'll see what happens. Ironically the same agency sent a photographer, who arrived woefully late, but whom we politely accommodated, and he loved the show. He left with a fist full of fliers and a promise to return with his girlfriend. Hopefully this is the start of a crazy word-of-mouth snowball.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Nearly There
The show is starting to look very much like a show now. There is more to do, but things are well in hand for press photographs and a bit of filming tomorrow. With fire marshal training, new performers arriving, more interviews and opening logistics all intruding I knew I wanted to be well ahead in developing the show and it looks like we're not far off.
A few visitors have been wandering through and giving the appropriate bowled over responses. It is always more impressive than people imagine. Tonight Collin, Paul and I stayed late. The show looks great at night in this space.
The most exciting news for connoisseurs of fine ethetical dining, is that The Kitchen Garden Cafe will be running a concession at the show. Most exciting for connoisseurs of the show – we are working on an aestetic departure. The venue has a side room which has a different feel to the rest of the space and needed a new strategy. This is in place and tentitively being inititated.
One of the things I enjoy most about working on this show is solving the connundrums it throws up. What to do with that room was a new and serious one. It took a bit of convition and guidance from Craig commit to a new approach and discard a significant portion of some people's work from yesterday. It will pay off. It gives the show now has an added twist. The secret will be revealed once the show has opened.
James
A few visitors have been wandering through and giving the appropriate bowled over responses. It is always more impressive than people imagine. Tonight Collin, Paul and I stayed late. The show looks great at night in this space.
The most exciting news for connoisseurs of fine ethetical dining, is that The Kitchen Garden Cafe will be running a concession at the show. Most exciting for connoisseurs of the show – we are working on an aestetic departure. The venue has a side room which has a different feel to the rest of the space and needed a new strategy. This is in place and tentitively being inititated.
One of the things I enjoy most about working on this show is solving the connundrums it throws up. What to do with that room was a new and serious one. It took a bit of convition and guidance from Craig commit to a new approach and discard a significant portion of some people's work from yesterday. It will pay off. It gives the show now has an added twist. The secret will be revealed once the show has opened.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Monday, September 08, 2008
It's In The Stars.
With all the ancillary action going on it would be difficult to ignore the fact that there's a show developing in the midst of it all. All 112 tonnes of rice are now safely stowed. Of this approximatly 70 tonnes has already been set out ready for the off.
The really big piles look fantastic. The organising logic feels strong. Lots of our favourites are already out. Playfulness is starting to creep in. Everyone's pretty focussed. As always with the smaller statistics now being concentrated on the speed of delivery is cranking up. We've let Arvo loose allowing him license to do 'dramatic lighting' in one section of the show. The mood is up-beat. We're on course for a good one. Not least because Rachel RICE won Big Brother.
James
The really big piles look fantastic. The organising logic feels strong. Lots of our favourites are already out. Playfulness is starting to creep in. Everyone's pretty focussed. As always with the smaller statistics now being concentrated on the speed of delivery is cranking up. We've let Arvo loose allowing him license to do 'dramatic lighting' in one section of the show. The mood is up-beat. We're on course for a good one. Not least because Rachel RICE won Big Brother.
James
Labels: thericeshow
The Other Billboard
It's time to let people into the secret of the billboards.
There's a scheme called Birmingham Champions which is run by Marketing Birmingham. They persuade local businesses that it's in their best interests to operate in a thriving city and that part of what helps a city thrive is having a positive buzz about it. They then ask (or suggest) what these businesses can do to help generate this positive buzz.
In the case of Signature Outdoor "Birmingham's leading Outdoor Advertising Company" this means giving away slots on some of their sites to intitiative that reflect well on the city. Through the good offices of Marketing Birmingham we have ended up with two of Signature's "lightbox supersites", one at Paradise Circus and the other a huge site at Boulton Middleway. The book price on these two for our show build up was £20,000 and we got them for nowt, so THANK YOU to both Marketing Birmingham and Gerry Bew at Signature. Gerry also sent through some great photos, which you are seeing here.
These photos are reproduced here as a road safty intitiative. Too many Stan Fans have been so shocked at the sight of the billboards that their driving has become momentarily erratic. Study them carefully on-line before attempting any drive-by action.
james
Link
There's a scheme called Birmingham Champions which is run by Marketing Birmingham. They persuade local businesses that it's in their best interests to operate in a thriving city and that part of what helps a city thrive is having a positive buzz about it. They then ask (or suggest) what these businesses can do to help generate this positive buzz.
In the case of Signature Outdoor "Birmingham's leading Outdoor Advertising Company" this means giving away slots on some of their sites to intitiative that reflect well on the city. Through the good offices of Marketing Birmingham we have ended up with two of Signature's "lightbox supersites", one at Paradise Circus and the other a huge site at Boulton Middleway. The book price on these two for our show build up was £20,000 and we got them for nowt, so THANK YOU to both Marketing Birmingham and Gerry Bew at Signature. Gerry also sent through some great photos, which you are seeing here.
These photos are reproduced here as a road safty intitiative. Too many Stan Fans have been so shocked at the sight of the billboards that their driving has become momentarily erratic. Study them carefully on-line before attempting any drive-by action.
james
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Manual Handling
Today we received our Manual Handling training. It is perhaps now more relevant to the get-out than the get-in, but as the man said "it doesn't have to be a heavy weight to do your back in". He was a personable bloke, who looked like he'd never lifted anything heavier than a box file of risk assemsents in his life. He recovered well from finding all the startling or unexpected answers to his early quiz questions were just another specialist subject for finly honed stat minds at the caff.
Percentage injuries at work attributable to manual handling? 38% sounds about right.
It was a genuinely useful session, reasurring as much as anything. Break the task down? We're already doing it. Tea bags in individual mugs does away with the need for a heavy teapot and in so doing reduces the chance of muscular-skeletal problems or ruptures the mere description of which are eye watering.
WARNING: The link is to a PDF about manual handling so only click on it if you actually have an interest the subject.
James
Link
Percentage injuries at work attributable to manual handling? 38% sounds about right.
It was a genuinely useful session, reasurring as much as anything. Break the task down? We're already doing it. Tea bags in individual mugs does away with the need for a heavy teapot and in so doing reduces the chance of muscular-skeletal problems or ruptures the mere description of which are eye watering.
WARNING: The link is to a PDF about manual handling so only click on it if you actually have an interest the subject.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Storm Warnings
I don't know what it was like where you were, but on Friday night it hammered with rain in Birmingham. It hammered with rain in a way that it seemed meteorologically impossible to sustain for more than ten minutes and it continued like that all night. We'd left 112 tonnes of rice in a factory with 'known leak issues'. Graeme had scored some industrial oil leak absorbtion fabric sausages which we'd placed in likely looking places, but even so I didn't sleep well on Friday night.
On Saturday I called Collin, Collin called Clive, Clive called in at the venue where Sarah, Eve and I met him. We had a family mopping up and wringing out session. My worst fears were not realised. There were no new leaks and know leaks had not leaked further than feared.
It was however a wise precaution to call in. Water had come within three inches of one particularly vast pile. We revised defensive policies, bowls under drips, fabric sausages lined up protecting the vast pile and containing know seepage. On Monday morning a series of releaved performers related their various damp rice stress dreams.
James
On Saturday I called Collin, Collin called Clive, Clive called in at the venue where Sarah, Eve and I met him. We had a family mopping up and wringing out session. My worst fears were not realised. There were no new leaks and know leaks had not leaked further than feared.
It was however a wise precaution to call in. Water had come within three inches of one particularly vast pile. We revised defensive policies, bowls under drips, fabric sausages lined up protecting the vast pile and containing know seepage. On Monday morning a series of releaved performers related their various damp rice stress dreams.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Asian Network
More successful than the recent print journalism debacle was an interview with Nikki Bedi on Asian Network. She was well researched, enthusiastic and her great energy helped it all bounce along. The editor has subsequently sent over some stats about the station for the show, so it feels like a triumph all round. Lets hope some of the people listening to the show rock up to see what's going on.
The link will take you to the show's homepage. The interview is on the Monday show (which will only be on-line for a week). It's worth listening to the whole thing, but if you're pushed for time the interview starts 40 minutes in.
James
Link
The link will take you to the show's homepage. The interview is on the Monday show (which will only be on-line for a week). It's worth listening to the whole thing, but if you're pushed for time the interview starts 40 minutes in.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Link
Grains of Truth
Birmingham City Council have put some money into this World Version of Of All The People on the condition that it appears as part of ArtsFest, the city's Free Arts Festival. This suits our purpose as big audience numbers on the first weekend, when accomodation is free should crank up word-of-mouth recommendations.
Being part of other events also generates additional publicity. Though in this case we may not be reaping full benefit there has been a significant garbling of information somewhere along the line and some sloppy journalism has renamed the show. Some at this end, hopefully just on the wind up, are saying they prefer Grains of Truth....
I've deleted the link that showed the full horror of this as we've been promised another name check – the correct one this time.
James
Being part of other events also generates additional publicity. Though in this case we may not be reaping full benefit there has been a significant garbling of information somewhere along the line and some sloppy journalism has renamed the show. Some at this end, hopefully just on the wind up, are saying they prefer Grains of Truth....
I've deleted the link that showed the full horror of this as we've been promised another name check – the correct one this time.
James
Labels: thericeshow
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Falling Behind The Rice Race
Eventually the venue has been more or less cleared of stuff. Finally we got to demolish a set of offices and open up the space. The floor has been cleaned, some areas have come up better than others. Everyone who looks around for the first time really likes what they find, now we’ve just got to fill it with rice and hope they like it more.
The rice has been arriving, 26 tonnes per load, one load per day. We’ve Staggered the arrival of this staggering amount of rice so we can deal with it. Normal procedure is to start by building the biggest piles first and then work down to the smallest piles. This time my plan was to focus on small areas and work them up to ‘concert pitch’ whilst big piles are still being installed elsewhere; the theory being we will then have sections we can show journalists and other visitors that show the piece operating at full strength. We missed our first deadline, Terry Grimley from Birmingham Post visiting at 11am today. There are various excuses for this but none of them feel good enough.
Craig was out and about with Hannah and Robin installing vitrines at key points in town to publicise the show. Graeme has been leading a team building the mountainous pile that will be the world’s largest statistic. I have been interspersing bouts of fretful plotting with burst of building and production/promotion logistics.
The next deadline and one we can’t afford to miss, is having things looking good for a press photo-call timed to coincide with the last lorry’s arrival on Thursday.
James
The rice has been arriving, 26 tonnes per load, one load per day. We’ve Staggered the arrival of this staggering amount of rice so we can deal with it. Normal procedure is to start by building the biggest piles first and then work down to the smallest piles. This time my plan was to focus on small areas and work them up to ‘concert pitch’ whilst big piles are still being installed elsewhere; the theory being we will then have sections we can show journalists and other visitors that show the piece operating at full strength. We missed our first deadline, Terry Grimley from Birmingham Post visiting at 11am today. There are various excuses for this but none of them feel good enough.
Craig was out and about with Hannah and Robin installing vitrines at key points in town to publicise the show. Graeme has been leading a team building the mountainous pile that will be the world’s largest statistic. I have been interspersing bouts of fretful plotting with burst of building and production/promotion logistics.
The next deadline and one we can’t afford to miss, is having things looking good for a press photo-call timed to coincide with the last lorry’s arrival on Thursday.
James
Labels: thericeshow
