NEWS OF OUR WORLD

3 Is the magic number. Hello and welcome to the Hard Graft Theatre Company email service.   Someone called me last week and asked what we were doing next, so here I am. I am currently putting together 3 shows that I think you are going to love.  If you likedThick As Thieves, then the follow up GRASS is right up your alley.  Oldham Council are once again supporting us by letting us use another empty building in the town.   GRASS is based on the true story of what happened to me when I was witness to a fight in a pub.  It's funny, moving and was nominated for MEN Award when it was first performed in 2008. Along with GRASS I am working on bringing you all something very special later in the year, I'm not going to say it out loud yet as I don't want to tempt fate, but it should be amazing. And finally, we are now taking group bookings for our excellent Christmas show RED RIDING HOOD.  Getting bigger and better every year a must for the under 9's and their family and friends.  To book a group booking call me on - 0161 764 4972 or Mobile 07956913 666 And finally, thanks to your ongoing support we have been nominated for aManchester Theatre Award this week.  Fingers crossed. See you soon Best wishes Mark Whiteley Hard Graft Theatre Co. Ltd.

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Actor is slammed for burglar story

If you read yesterday's post this is what the Nottingham Evening Post thought about my stories.

THEATRE groups in Notts have criticised an actor from Carlton for making up a life story to gain publicity for one of his plays.

Mark Whiteley told media across the UK, including former BBC Radio Four programme Home Truths, that he was a reformed burglar.

Now, Mr Whiteley, 44, says he made it up so he could promote his play called Thick as Thieves which tells the story of two Nottingham burglars.

Howard Whitehurst, one of the directors of the Bonington Players in Arnold, said Mr Whiteley's actions reflected badly on the acting profession.

"I have no problem supporting people who are using their life experience. but if the whole thing is based on a lie, that's just deceitful and dishonest."

David Goatham, member of the Bonington Players, described Mr Whiteley's lies as "unethical" and "shocking".

A spokeswoman for the All Hallows Dramatic Society in Lady Bay said: "It's unfair to all the honest authors and playwrights out there.

But Mr Whiteley said: "I'm a story teller. That's what I do for a living. I'm not a liar."

A BBC spokesman said stories on Home Truths were checked much as possible.

Read more: http://archive.thisisnottingham.co.uk/Actor-slammed-burglar-story/story-12221195-detail/story.html#ixzz2vCoOPYuO

The truth isn’t out there.

Have you ever told a lie and regretted it?

Mark Whiteley as Burglar in Thick As Thieves

About 10 years ago I wrote a comedy show about 2 burglars that I was going to take to the Edinburgh fringe festival, if you've never visited Edinburgh festival you'll be amazed to know that there about 2,500 different shows performing in one city over three weeks.  As you can imagine getting noticed at such a monster event is very difficult, especially if its your first festival, your first play and you have no notable celebrities in it.

I thought long and hard about making a splash, to come up with a media coup that would ignite ticket sales, in the past you might remember Aaron Barchak a comedian who got through tight security at Windsor Castle to gate-crash Prince Williams 21st birthday dressed as Osama bin Laden.  His stunt thrust him onto the front pages of the British press and sold him many tickets.

My idea wasn't as daring, my idea was quite conventional, my idea was to tell the world that I was an ex burglar.  The headline for my press release was “Ex Burglar steals the show” - not brilliant, but interesting.  I sent off the emails to all the national and local press and waited.  And waited. And waited.  Nothing, not a jot, not even my local newspaper thought it was news worthy.  I was about to give up when I remembered Home Truths a BBC radio show that took stories from the public and told them, so I mailed Home Truths and within 2 hours they had rung me and booked me to talk to their legendary host John Peel.  Now, I must tell you that John Peel is no longer with us; he was and still is a national treasure, I myself was a massive fan and ideally, I wouldn’t want to lie to him, but we needed publicity.

Here’s a good game.  Write the words REFORMED BURGLAR in your internet search engine I know that if you live in the UK you’ll come up with my story at the top of your search, indeed you can still click and hear me telling my story.  And yes ladies and gentlemen it is just a story, just a made up story about a young kid dealing with low-level crime and coming through it with the love of a good woman.  I left the BBC studio pleased that this might be heard and we may create a bit of interest in our Edinburgh show. 

What came to pass was nothing more than astounding.  I got no newspaper interest, but I did get a call from a marketing executive for an insurance company who had heard my story and wanted to pay me to go on a publicity drive to help keep homes safe over the summer holidays.  He wanted me to go on the radio and give the burglars “inside’ story about keeping your home safe.  Now, I was and am a low paid actor, my life is feast or famine, so if a wealthy company comes along and asks me to play a part for them I have to say yes.

I studied home security advice from the police and put my own spin on it and turned up to do the first of 48 radio interviews over two days.  After the first day I was heard by T.V. producers who wanted me to go on their shows and demonstrate to their viewers how to not leave ladders against the bathroom window to keep safe.  By the end of day two I was a Burgling Celebrity in magazines, newspapers and web sites.

The aftermath was a little strange; I found that when there was anything about theft or burglary in the news, lazy journalists would search the internet for Reformed Burglars to get an opinion and my name would be top, over the last 10 years I have graced many TV and Radio shows with my ex burglar act and I’ll probably be doing it for years to come.  So, if you asked me if I’d ever lied and regretted I’d have to say, no, I’ve enjoyed almost every minute.

Working for free.

What do you do if you're working in the arts as a performer and you have no work?  I have worked many times for no money, in fact one of the best periods in my career started with a job for no money.

I was asked to do a rehearsed reading for the Nottingham Playhouse I wanted to meet the writer so I said yes and gave away 2 days for nothing.  From that reading I was offered the lead part (my first lead role in my home town), from that part I was offered a new bigger agent, who worked really hard for me and helped me land many big TV and film roles.  From this free play reading came a feature film, adverts and other lucrative work so for me working for free played off.

I have an idea, but I have no funding.

Do I invite young actors and offer them no money?  Or do I not do the work till I have money to pay, which could be months away?

I want to pay everyone, but sometimes the pot is empty.

2000 miles of silence

If you know nothing about hard graft over the next few thousand posts I'm going to explain what it's like running a small/mid scale touring theatre company.

We're on tour at the moment traveling the United Kingdom's theatres and arts centres performing Poles Apart. this week I've driven 2000 miles most of which with out my co-star Dan (co - star sounds funny). most of my trips this week have been with Sam our 19 year old technician who on our 1,200 miles together this week has only said one thing. driving back from Oxfordshire the other night at midnight in the driving rain he says "your phones ringing".

we're getting popular, the act, Dan and I are starting to grow a fan base last night in Newark 200 people came to laugh with us - from small acorns