Hi Everyone
Happy Thursday.
So I am writing this edition of my blog from the Marcaroni studio for the last time! I have been working on this programme off and on since September between recording the songs and since early December for 7 weeks filming! We completed all the Welsh episodes today, scene work and dance routines- all 52 of them which is such a huge achievement! Tomorrow we are filming an English episode which will be used as a pilot to pitch the idea to TV companies all over the world! I am very much looking forward to the reaction of the public when it aires for the first time, which at this point is scheduled for April!
So since I last blogged, it has, of course been pretty manic in the life of Evans! Haha!
Once I finished work on Friday I headed back to London! It was lovely to be in my flat. I sorted out lots of paperwork and boring bills etc but also rehearsed Wicked which was great! I then had a photo shoot for M magazine - a new online musical theatre magazine which I think is brilliant. It was great fun. The pictures were all really editorial in their style and some were (cough cough)… in minimal clothing - all in the very best of taste of course. Ha! I'm just glad I've been grafting in the gym this month! I shall of course post a link to the issue that my interview will be featured in for you to see which will be in the next week or two but for now take a look at the magazine anyway and spread the word about it as it's a really fresh, current and humorous look at all things musical theatre. Projects like this, which have been devised and launched by young ambitious people within the entertainment industry should be supported so that they are not pushed to one side by the more powerful companies that already exist!!! Please spread the word!
Here's the link to the last issue of the magazine - http://www.m-isfor.co.uk/
Once I finished the photo shoot and interview I hopped an a train to head straight back to Cardiff as I was working early Sunday morning! We had 18 dance routines to learn on Sunday which we somehow managed to do by 4pm. So I decided to go for a leisurely swim of 100 lengths haha.
Then Sunday evening, Non, who i'm working with at the moment, and I went for a cheeky cocktail at TGI Fridays before heading to the cinema to watch 'Blue Valentine' starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams.
I really enjoyed it. The writing was very different and very natural and I admire writers who are brave enough to write such natural conversational dialogue for the actors-you'll know what I mean if you've seen it. Then when you have two actors who are as phenomenally talented as these two you can't not be impressed by the emotional effect it has on you. It is definitely worth seeing for their performances alone - I thought it was a very accurate portrayal of how difficult life can be within a marriage and parenthood - obviously within my limited knowledge, not being married or a parent but it really made me think about how long term relationships between two people have to contain such love, compromise and understanding to last a lifetime and continue to be a happy!
So yes, it is possibly a bit of a Marmite film, but love it or hate it, it will definitely be a good topic of conversation afterwards which makes it definitely worth seeing!
Monday and Tuesday this week were hard work in the studio. We were under a lot of pressure to finish 5 episodes in two days and when it gets to the end of any job your brain and body automatically start to wind down and so it took a lot of self motivation to find the energy to maintain the spritely-ness of these characters! But we did it and I am so happy with the results from what we've seen of the rough edits of the programme! All in all it has been a fantastic experience and I have learned so much by doing it, which is always one of the main reasons I take on any work - to broaden my knowledge of myself as a person and to keep at the top of my game as a professional!
Tuesday night this week I had a meeting with the head of the record label who are producing my album. I will be in the studio in April to get it all recorded so there is enough time to perfect things before a release in the summer of this year. I am so excited about this. I love studio work anyway, but for it to be my own debut album which I've wanted to do for years and have invested so much hard work and time into already, just makes it more special.
It's going to be bi-lingual - 6 English tracks and 6 Welsh tracks and since my meeting on Tuesday, 11 of those tracks have been agreed so there is just one to decide on and providing we get the rights to all the desired music we'll be sorted! John Quirke who is my musical director is wonderful and I am looking forward to getting in the studio to start working on the band tracks and orchestrating the songs with him.
I had another meeting yesterday about a pilot for my own Welsh radio programme which will be recorded in March which will be great! Love trying new things and hosting my own radio programme will be something I've never done before and I look forward to yet another challenge!
It has also been confirmed that from this weekend until late this year I shall be followed regularly by a TV crew as the Welsh channel S4C are doing a documentary on me and what it's like juggling life in the west end along with doing my album and running my summer school - West End In Wales!
West End in Wales is now officially launched for this year - it's going to be the best ever summer school to celebrate the 5th anniversary so if you want more information, visit www.WestEndInWales.com.
So this year is shaping up to be so busy but i am so excited about it all and very grateful that things are all coming together so nicely.
My focus and priority for this year obviously is Wicked. I have wanted to play this role for a long time and the thought of opening on monday is just amazing! It's going to be a great year back in the land of green! I have had a large amount of you asking me, between Twitter and Facebook where to send opening night cards/gifts to etc. I obviously don't expect you to spend your money on me but if you want to send anything to myself or the rest of the cast it should be sent to the stage door of the Apollo Victoria theatre in London.
I did an interview for a newspaper yesterday and was asked what it's like to have fans and such great support. I said, I never thought when I was training that I would ever be in a position in my career to have any sort of following and that anyone would be interested in what I'm doing really, but the fact that I now have a group of loyal people who are so very supportive in everything i do is overwhelming really. So without harping on about it - please know that I am very grateful to you all, as I've said before, for your time and effort in supporting what I do, and I hope that with everything that is going on this year for me work wise you'll enjoy following it all and take pleasure from me writing about it and keeping you updated in my blogs!
Anyway, I could keep typing for hours but sadly, I barely have another minute! The only one other thing I want to announce is that my new look website which I'm so pleased with will be launched this coming Monday (feb 7th) to coincide with my return to OZ!!!
www.markevansonline.co.uk
The next blog I write will be within my first week in Wicked! So…. I bid you all a farewell from the wonderfully quirky, happy chappy that is Marcaroni!!! No more vibrant neoprene clothing for me from now on!!!
Keep in touch folks, and stay happy because life is short and very precioust!!!
Sh-boom
Mark
