Hey Everyone,
Happy Thursday
How you all doing? I am sat here in my old bed in my folks house in North Wales. Just writing a brief blog this week as I am super crazy busy with everything for West End In Wales. I am writing this on Wednesday evening because I am having to get up at 6.45 to head to the venue of the summer school tomorrow morning (Thursday).
So what's been happening this week. Thursday I had a full day of preparation for my summer school before heading into the Victoria Palace Theatre to film an interview with a couple of the young actors currently playing Billy & Debbie in Billy Elliot so I could include it in a video montage of west end interviews for my students this week and also to be hosted on the new look website - WHICH IS NOW LIVE FOR YOU TO LOOK AT! - Click www.WestEndinWales.com for the new look website and for lots of information on theatre etc. It is early days and once this summer school is over I shall be adding so much more to it so you can enjoy browsing it.
I then did the show before heading home to enjoy a bottle of champagne with my flatmate as I finally gave myself some time to celebrate the fact that I have released my first ever single and that it got to number 5 in the itunes world music charts. It was a lovely chilled out evening!
If you want to have a listen to the single check out my new look Facebook page which now has a 'band page' which hosts all music and videos you would want to see.
I'm still listening to mixes of my album and I'm looking forward to you hearing it. We're in discussions currently about a definite launch date depending on when we can fit in the launch udders we have. You will be the first to know - providing you have popped your email in my mailing list which is on the left hand side of this BLOG page.
So Friday I realised I was ahead of myself with the planning for the summer school so I cleaned my flat and packed up for my week in Wales so that i didn't have to do it last minute. I get a kick out of being organised because i always have so much to do that when i find myself having completed most things - it means I finally get some time to myself without working.
I then went to meet my friend Nathan on his lunch break from Rock Of Ages rehearsals to discuss things for the website launch and we ended up going for lunch with a few of the cast including my friend Oliver Tompsett who is playing the lead in it which is worth buying a ticket for alone and Justin Lee Collins and Shane Ward. Having seen the show on Broadway twice and seen the cast list for the London production, I would seriously recommend you get your tickets booked asap.
Friday night's show was great. I headed home for a good nights sleep before heading into work on Saturday to be told that we had some VIP guests in watching the matinee and there were lots of security going to be involved…..Well it was only Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and the family. We were all thrilled that they were in. I never get star struck ever. But I had a sudden thought before going on stage that, i have seen so much of their work and loved them as actors but you never expect that people like that will ever really be in a position to experience your work as an actor and there they both were with the kids watching us in the show. Put us all in a very good mood.
I then went for dinner with my mate Sally (who is teaching for me this week and who is a god send!) in between shows before having a little guitar session with Rachel in the show. Then had a very buzzing second show - I always have more adrenalin when I perform my last show before having anytime off. It's because I love the show and it's like my body and mind's way of telling me to make the most of it.
Sally stayed at my place in London on Saturday night so we could both travel up together early Sunday morning.
My mate Aimee collected us from the station and drove us back to my folks' place - aka The Ranch, where Sally and Aimee both worked for me on the summer school preparations all afternoon whilst I was filming with my camera crew for my T.V documentary for 4 hours of the afternoon. They were asking all about my childhood and all about how i felt leaving home and how it is now that it's been 10 years and all about my summer school and it was the most glorious weather all afternoon, so it was a really nice filming session as I got to literally sit in fields up in the hills over looking the most breath taking scenery which made me realise just how lucky i am to have been born and raised in such a beautiful area and how privileged i am to have such an escape to return to.
I finished filming just as my other friend and teacher for this weeks course arrived - Drew Mconie, who i have know for 6 years, but to you he's probably recognisable after having a successful stint on the BBC's first series of 'So You Think You Can Dance'. He is incredibly talented and i am thrilled that he was available to come and teach for me because the students on my course are loving working with such and inspiring talented person.
I am very proud of all of my staff. On Sunday evening we had a staff meeting just so I could brief everyone and so that we were all on the same page and i looked around at the wonderful talent that was sat before me and thought, "My goodness I really wish that there was something like West End In Wales available for me when i was growing up because I'd have loved to work with these people" - And that's the exact reason I set it up.
So that takes me into Monday which was the beginning of the course and basically, I am not going to mention too much about the summer school because when i get the chance i will edit a big video montage and VLOG about it all, but just know that I am having a great time, the students we have are very talented and a joy to teach and I cannot wait to get the proud feeling i always get when I watch them perform the showcase on Saturday.
I shall be back in London on Sunday and back to WICKED on Monday which means i shall be back to my normal social network self. I have VERY limited internet access here in the hills and barely have a second to breath while i'm at the summer school venue. Thanks for all your tweets and messages of support and also for your concern for my safety during all these horrendous attacks in London. I cannot begin to tell you how disgusted I am at the low life scum who are ruining some of the best cities in the UK - i mainly can't begin to tell you because i will never shut up and I am already about to fall asleep on the keypad of my laptop.
Keep loving your lives people and keep thinking positive. Let's prove that there is more good than bad in life, in this country and on this planet.
Thanks for reading.
Keep smiling.
Sh-boom!
Mark
