Andrew Chamberlain

Those of you who have had family members involved in any kind of audition will know how the process can be a torture chamber for emotions. We have had a bit of an ‘Oliver’ weekend, watching the BBC”s “I’d do anything” as the series works through hopefuls for both the Nancy and Oliver roles. Tonight, sorrow for Francesca as she was eliminated from the show.  I am very sorry to see Francesca go, she was a favourite of mine, and I have to beg to differ with Lord Webber’s choice. Anyway, here’s Francesca’s audition video, and good luck to her - theatrical agents book her now!index.shtml?week=10&video=4

But it’s joy for young Kwayedza who is 13, and has been selected for the semifinal and so joins Gwion, Chester, and Arthur who already have their place there. Kwayedza is seen here with the other Oliver hopefuls, top row, second on the left

Meanwhile we have been thinking about another production of Oliver that will be coming to the stage in Cambridge in July. For us the emotion of the auditions is over and our son Ben is going to be playing the Artful Dodger, the part he hoped to get - so it’s been a good day for us.

The photo shows him from last year’s production of the King and I where he played Louis.

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To Earls Court for the London Book fair. Have you ever been to one of these big conventions? It ’s a bit like going to Spring Harvest for the first time, the trick is not to get overwhelmed by the business and the program and the activities.

I realize now that I’d downplayed the whole experience in advance. I’d told myself that I was only going for a ‘grand day out’ and I wasn’t expecting any thing to come from it. I had visions of me standing in the middle of 500 exhibition standings, having a bit of a moment, and saying to myself

“Why am I here? Where am I going? What’s all this noise? Where can I get a decent coffee?”
In the end I only asked the last of those questions - and that is fine because I ask the coffee question pretty much every day. All was well though - I started the day listening to a talk on eBooks and then got a free memory stick - very handy since I lost my last one, and then ended up pitching to a publisher for a children’s book; and I had NOT intended to do that at all. Maybe it’s just that I went in with low expectations and so enjoyed the event.

So I’ve got a commissioned project and a proposal out there - things are getting interesting.

Cheers!

A

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Hi all

Not content with news clips on my website: www.andrewchamberlain.net I’m kicking off a blog as well to air more general views and maybe do some shameless plugging for stuff I think is cool.

So to get in the mood (with the shameless plugging at least) I recommend ‘Oliver!’ on stage - no not in London, but at the Corn Exchange in Cambridge. Yes, I need to declare an interest - my kid is in it, but it’s from the same company who did ‘The King and I’ last year, and if that’s anything to go by this will be an absolutely cracking production. Forget the West End. If you live near Cambridge here’s the place to go for Oliver!

Check it out here:

http://www.cornex.co.uk/ccm/cornex/2008/oliver.en

A.

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