The Last Chance to See

Poles Apart Trailer from Andonis Anthony on Vimeo.

This is it. Your last chance to see Mark and Dan on stage together.

Dan (I'm going to blame him) has decided enough is enough and wants spread his theatrical wings and go and work with other people (who aren't me)

Me (Mark) am ...sad - but seeing a chance to exploit the situation have booked on the "Last Chance to See Tour"

Basically we're doing the Lowry in Manchester and Rich Mix in London.

To buy tickets for this historic event look on't me website www.hardgraft.co.uk and follow the link. or go to the venues websites above.

Oh yes, the show is called Poles Apart a cracking Polski comedy about two blokes who travel 2000 miles to Poland to get a job.

Still no hearing aid.

The dog is off his food!

I can see it now, I'll have to take him to the vets to have him operated on (which will cost me a mint) and they'll find my Starkey S Series blocking his esophagus. I'll put a new battery in and it'll whistle away all day.

In the mean time I've dug out an old NHS Hearing Application Set and stuck that in my ear.

Magic our Morris























I've lost my director for Knife Edge. Judith Barker is a class act. Many years experience and over 250 plays under her belt, she knows what she's on about. she directed GRASS for me last year found a fantastic cast and made it good. She's off to tour Calendar Girls.

I did however have some luck today. I've been selling Poles Apart again, the show that just keeps on giving. It looks like we might well be on our way back to Shropshire again. Last time we went was with Coast to Coast and we made the from page of the Shropshire Star. Then Dan and I walked across the country with nothing more than a piece of comedy theatre.

hearing aid

For the last two days I've sieved through our dogs muck looking for my hearing aid. I'm hoping that the strong case on the thing will be enough to see it through his small intestine.I was doing the dirty deed this morning and my neighbour walked by. I've got two children's spades and I'm chopping through shite. One more morning then I'm booking an appointment for the nhs audiology dept in Oldham

I hate being hard of hearing.

What?

I SAID....Funny.

Deaf - What? I said I'm deaf.

I've lost my hearing aid.

Let's just stop and read that again. I have lost my hearing aid. I can't hear a thing, well a buzzing noise the surgeon left behind when he messed up my one poor sense.

I don't know what to do. £1000 and I haven't got it. Jess (my wife) said she heard the dog crunching on something at the top of the stairs last night. Do I wait till the dog does his business and sieve through it? and if I do sieve through it what will I find there?

The worst thing is that Jess goes away on Wednesday - I've got two small kids and I can't hear a thing.

for sale - border Colly with excellent hearing

On ya bike

A few years ago I was asked to work for three days on a new play in Nottingham. There was no money involved but because I wanted to be an actor and I wanted to meet the writer and the directer I say yes.

Yesterday I organised an audition for Elves and the Shoemaker with local agents, this was the info I sent to them.

We're looking for a boy (20's 30's) to play the shoemaker and an elf. The show is for age 3+ we need a good mover and singer. the dates are 1 DEC till Christmas eve the one show on the 7Th January. Can you help? This would be a great job for a graduate.

The agents knowing that their young clients will be working with a fantastic director (Judith Barker) submitted actors - most of them with hardly any CV. I looked through the suggestions and invite actors come and meet us for an audition. Of the 10 actors I invited 7 come back to us and turn us down, two graduates (who'd be lucky to make the tea) said "they'd earn more money from their temp job.

The three days I did as a young actor straight from drama school led me to be offered the lead part in the play at the Nottingham Playhouse, then numerous adverts and finally a feature film in Rome.

Moral - make as many ripples as possible as you never know where they lead.

What's on in Saddleworth

I went to the saddleworth business association the other night. as it says on the tin its business's based in saddleworth who meet up every now and again to talk about business in Saddleworth. confused?

This week a lady from Visit Manchester came to talk about marketing events in Saddleworth - that's why I went, to market or get help marketing the Elves and the Shoemaker this Christmas. We were talking about the lack of visitors to Saddlewoth and one chap pipes up "It's because they moved the tourist information into the library" quick as a flash the lady says "I don't think the half dozen visitors to the tourist information are really going to help you, you need an Internet presence, we had 1 billion hits last year on our website, maybe you need to try and draw some of those into Saddleworth?" He shut up then.

life and art

Funny old day. I was on the street trying to make a few quid this morning when a beautiful woman approached me. "how much?" she said looking me up and down. I've been busted a couple of times recently so I'm cautious if I don't recognise people. "Who wants to know?"

no,no,no stop making it up.

I found an E.T. tonight - they can bleddy eat! I did a big shop yesterday, gone. I was glad when his mother ship got here.

Why are drugs illegal? Gordon Brown could make a fortune if he legalised them.. Stack em high sell em cheap.