Knowing then what you know now

I am actually quite fortunate in that I went to two "quite good"  secondary schools.
When we moved to Australia I went to Whyalla Technical High School
But in those days country schools had no conception that  "country students" might do more than work on the land, or at the steelworks, or in the shipyard.

Let's face it ...this was never going to be my fate!
I came from England with two other languages in tow....French and German....but could only pursue French.  ( I can just get by in both...,.this is a case of how 'education' may well have destroyed a native talent!)
The Science and Maths was Ok and the English was OK.  Music was virtually non-existent,  
as a mediocre cellist there was no-one who could take me to the next step. 
As a quite reasonable singer, there was no one to train my voice.
I didn't even really realise this was happening....I was too busy learning how to smoke!
I lament these things. But life's like that
Whitehaven Grammar School was a classic school of the English Grammar School tradition.My French and German would have been cemented and I would probably have got a grounding in Russian.
I learnt only later in  life that I have  a bit of flair for languages.
I can now struggle by in Hebrew, NT Greek ...and my German and French are still OK.
I lament the lack of Russian!
Soooooo....today, as you do,
I have had a little contact on Facebook 
with former school contacts.
I remember that  
I played the Cello in the orchestra for Trial by Jury in 1967, 
that I was a policeman & a pirate of Penzance. 
That I had been H. Higgins in Pygmalion along with Lynn Breuer (formerly Raymond...and speaker of the Legislative Assembly....who was much better than me !) 
That I had been a Duke both in Merchant of Venice,  and in Twelfth Night. 
That I had conducted  B.Britten's Let's Make an Opera!.....so I can't complain.
Just sort of wish I'd known then what I know now!

The time is short

Went to to see Fugitive on Saturday. A 'sort of' contemporaneous retelling of Robin Hood

Full house or so it seemed. Very energetic and stunning performance.
Sound cues spot on...very important for the kicking and thumping!!! Thought all the actors were great. Particularly Sherrif Marty (Carmel)...she was just amazing...had the audience in the palm of her hand which gave such impetus to the tragedy that was happening on the other side of the stage . Geoff Revell was good. Indeed all were good. What a find young actor Danielle is....I was stunned, particularly by her performance in the last scene which left the audience dangling.
Thought the end was just wonderful half the audience didn’t seem to get it, which is as it should be. But it was profound!! Well done to all of them.

Finishes this weekend (14/8)

Off to see Midsummer Night's Dream tonight. Perhaps the most trivial of the Shakespeare plays, and yet the most difficult to make work well. Have seen it a number of times, but really only once done well!!! (Read this review of the NY performance which was repeated at the 1972 Adelaide Festival....40 years ago nearly...how can it be?)

Worth the effort

I had conversation with two fellow blokes the other day "Are you going to anything at the Fringe?" I was pleased to tell them I was. But when I returned the question, turned out they weren't.
What do you make of that? We sort of like the idea but we don't do anything about it.

Any way if you want to go to something that you wouldn't normally go to I enjoyed The Prisoner's Dilemma last night. A curious intercative play...I got to shine a torch and shout out, and then finally to stare one of the actors down...I think I won. It does remind me that theatre needs to be engaging rather than light.
I got free tickets, so I'm now repaying the favour if you're looking to see something that you wouldn't go to. On the other hand also got free tickets to Soul Therapy some bands at the Fad Bar....can you imagine me on a Saturday night. We go there like half an hour before the show is due to start, sit around and people flood in and out, some go upstairs. There is another show at the same time which means ours will not be starting till an hour after the advertised time!!! Well I'm too old to be up after 11, so we went home.

One hit out of 2 wasn't bad.
Perhaps 2 hits out of 3...because we saw excellent trapezing in the (free) Garden of Unearthly Delights.

The council also need to employ somebody to empty overflowing rubbish bins on a Saturday during a major Festival!