Big Blog Theory

Talking About My Amazing Poetry Session At The Hackney Empire

So, a few weeks ago, I went to The Hackney Empire for another session / course, this time it was a poetry session. I’ve been wanting to talk about this for a while now. I’ve been talking about my play writing course I did a little while ago but this one’s a bit different . This one was just a one off session, I think they wanted to get some feed back from us, whether they should actually turn it into an actual course . I actually really loved it. There were only five or six of us there so it was easier to get to know everyone . The session was really interesting in itself, I picked up some new poetry writing techniques that I didn’t even know before . Everyone was really lovely, I made some new friends . We were all just sharing our snacks.

We got to go out for a little break, so I went out and I hung out with my friends. Me and him, we were just chatting and I was reading some of my demented poems to him, people were walking past and thinking ” what on earth ”. I’ve written all these poems about bloody jungles and I have figured that most of my poems are about people who absolutely despise one another and they’re stuck in a jungle (I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here) for weeks on end, and apparently, I can write hundreds of them without fail . But yeah, he was sitting there laughing his head off. Bless him but he was being a supportive friend. It was a lovely day, the sun was out, we were all just enjoying the sunshine, why not ?, it was such a nice day, why would you stay indoors when it’s such a nice day outside, but yeah no it was amazing . I feel like I might have been driving him mad the whole time but that’s just what you have to put up with. If you’re my friend, you’re going to have to let me riddle you with demented poetry or I would tell you some of my demented stories, I love being a storyteller, I know all the good, interesting stories .

Me and one of my other friends had some very interesting conversations . We had a very creative conversation . She was talking to me about what stuff she was studying in her third year, she studied film and she came from a very creative family, she was just really interesting . It felt good talking to someone who was really creative and actually had something interesting to say. That was one of the most coolest conversations ever, we were literally talking about pop culture throughout the whole session. Then we were talking about Kate Bush. My helper was wondering what we were even talking about. I have no idea why we were talking about Kate Bush during a poetry session. I mean, it did have some kind of relevancy because when Kate Bush was younger, she used to write poetry so it’s not like it wasn’t relevant, there’s a reason. A few weeks ago, I introduced her to Sparks and I don’t even know if she’s listened to it yet, I sent her this Spotify playlist so I’m just waiting for her response and I’m going to find out what she thinks. I sent her two pictures of them, there were photos of the Sparks brothers, both from different decades, when they first started in the 70s all the way up until the present day and she said that Russel reminded her of a mix between Andy Warhol and Benedict Cumberbatch and it was so funny . But yeah no, we get on really well with each other, we’re both really creative so we have a lot in common . We were both on the creative spectrum.

We also did some warm ups and we played some games to just freshen up our minds before writing . We did some free writing . Free writing was something I did a lot of, especially at the Hackney Empire Writers Room. Free Writing is basically just a writing exercise to help you to get in the groove of writing . So you just write and write as much as you can, without there actually being an idea, you can write the same word all over and over again if you want to, that’s just what you do. All my free writes are demented, At the Hackney Empire Writers Room, I did a free write about being stuck in a car traffic jam and suddenly, Pierce Brosnan drives past in a car, singing the bloody first verse to Mamma Mia, then he gets out of the car and starts dancing and then cats are running in the streets and all hell breaks loose. That’s pretty much what I came up with. I have no idea how I even came up with that, I guess it just shows you what was going on in my head at the time.

My free write} { Warning, this free write contains strong language} Enjoy

I was awaken from my slumber by this strange man singing and shouting outside of my house. I had no idea who this man was until I realised it was David Tennant, what the bloody hell is he doing outside my house?. The next thing you’re gonna tell me is that he used to be a priest. I couldn’t hear the normal sounds of nature, like birds. All I could hear was ” KILLING ME SOFTLY with his song !!!” god I think I might be going mad. I would contact my therapist but he’s a busy man. Also he says he’s been experiencing the exact same thing, maybe I’m not so mad after all. Honestly, who the fuck brought him here, screaming like a bloody bird. Honestly, can you be a bit quicker? . Why not?

” Because, I’m a fucking vicar !!!!”

So that’s what I wrote, a very ensemble piece. Yeah, I honestly don’t even know what I was thinking. These are just the things that are running through my mind every single day. That priest bit was quite ironic because if you think about it, David did play a priest in Inside Man, I think that’s where I got it from. Yeah no, this has to be one of the most demented pieces I’ve ever written. The fact that it came out during the poetry session just says a lot . Whenever someone tells me to do a free write, it’s garanteed to be demented, no doubt .

I really loved this poetry session, it’s called The Taste Of Poetry if any of you are wondering what it’s called . I made some new friends, I learned a variety of different poetry techniques, it was just absolutely amazing .

Me and my friend were also talking about what plans we had for our future, what we were thinking of doing. There was a sheet of paper with all these options of what you can get a chance to do. We stumbled across a thing called Show Case, so basically, you do this nine month course and then at the end of the year, you either get to go up on stage and perform your piece or you can get someone else to do it, but if you do want to do it yourself, then you can do this course where over time, you can do your own performances and you will be used to being in front of large audiences even if you haven’t done it before. This sounds really cool, I’d love to give it a go. I can’t do these sorts of things because I have much confidence and I don’t even think I have what it takes, I stutter a little bit as well so that doesn’t help. If I didn’t have any of these problems, I would drop everything and I would do it in a heartbeat . If I could get over it and not be anxious or shy about large gatherings and reading my own pieces of work in front of loads of people, then I’ll be doing it all the time, the fear won’t be there anymore because I have this mind set where I’m like ” Oh okay, well if I did this then I can do this ”. So yeah, I love that there are so many opportunities for young people, especially in theatre. So yeah, I’ve got a lot to look forward to in the future, it’s all so exciting .

This poetry session was so fun. That’s just what I love about these kinds of things, like meeting new people, making friends, learning new things, and just having fun. What I love about being an artist is that when doing this, you can truly be yourself without someone slandering you for it, you can just be you . Me and my friend were talking about how with being a creative person, you can create something really magical and you get to create that world with all these amazing characters, you’re going on a journey with them and the actors get to be fully immersed in that world. Then she said ” artists don’t have to worry about messing up but the actors do if they’re not giving the directors what they want ”

Thank you so much for reading this post, I hope you all liked it. I’ve got so much more to talk about but I feel like if I kept talking then I’d just be rambling on so I’ll just keep it short. I hope you all have a lovely day, love you guys.

More work to come here on Big Blog Theory

My Amazing Night At The Hackney Empire

Okay, I think it’s about time I finally talked about this. So as you all know, a few months ago, I took part in a writing course at The Hackney Empire, I did a post on that a little while ago, just talking about my experience, what it was like being there and taking part and what I got to do, if you haven’t already checked it out, check it out because it’s been up there for a while now. A few weeks ago, I got to go back and join all the other young writers and we got to see our plays come to life.

Real professional actors did like a table read and they acted it out. It was so cool. At first, I was a bit nervous to see how they would interpret my script but in the end, they did it perfectly . The atmosphere in that room was incredible, everyone was laughing they were applauding me, it was so surreal. They loved my play, everyone really loved the story, the characters, the jokes, it was so amazing . They only did one draft, it was Act 2 but it’s still great . Everyone loved it, everyone in the audience were laughing, even the actors were cracking up and they weren’t supposed to laugh, it was so funny . All of the plays were so good! It was so entertaining seeing all of the different kinds of plays being performed. They were great!!!

I remember a few minutes after the event finished when they called us all up to the front to get our certificates, when I went to get mine. it was so overwhelming, I didn’t think they would like it that much, I thought no one would find it funny but they all did. A few minutes later, I remember talking to a bunch of my friends and then suddenly, one of the actors came up to me, I think he was the actor who played Johnny, which was a character in my play about the band and he came up to me and he was like ”I love your play, I really enjoyed being a part of it!” and then he was like ” How do you even come up with something like that ?, like where do you get these ideas from?” and I told him that I watch a lot of comedy and sitcoms, I just love stuff from the 80s ” and he was like ” Yeah me too, I love the 80s ”, he was so lovely . He was also telling me how he wanted this role, by the time he saw this character and he was reading some of his lines, he was like ” I need to be Johnny, I want to be Johnny ”. So that’s so cool. I wasn’t expecting any of the actors to say anything, so that was really cool.

It just felt amazing . Sometimes, it feels good to be appreciated, it feels good to be a part of something . This was the best night of my life. We had two other tickets so I was allowed to bring my mum and dad along with me. They’re so proud. Apart from smashed wine glasses below our seats, we all had a wonderful time. I have some wonderful memories, I made some great friends, we still talk to each other from time to time. Me and my friend are still talking about The Breakfast Club and David Tennant so it’s all good.

That night, we had some incredible moments. We had the chance to go back stage, it was so magical. I remember when the event ended and we were all just catching up and congratulating one another, I was talking to my tutor, she’s amazing, her name is Ellie . We used to joke around with each other. I was obsessed with Broadchurch at that time and so every time I saw her, I would go ” Miller !!!!! ”, it was so funny, I would just go full Di Alec Hardy mode . Then I’d go around, pretending that I’m Malcom Tucker from The Thick Of It!!!

I’d love to do comedy when I grow up .

So yeah, it was just the best night ever, I know that I’m going to have many great moments in my life but you can’t top this. My goals for the future is to finish off my play and  send it to Bafta and channel four and some tv companies, so it’s all very exciting .

The actors were amazing too. They really know what they’re doing, that’s some skill right there, I’m not even joking, it’s really cool to see how they do it, it takes pure focus to do something like that, I could never do that . I wish them the very best in life, I know that they’re all going to go on to pursue great things, I’ll keep an eye out for any rising stars, they’ve got big futures ahead of them, they’re so down to earth and so talented and I wish them all the best. I also wish all the writers the very best, we’ve come so far, I know we’re on the right track, I was so amazed by everyone . I feel like this is the only time in my life where I don’t compare myself to others. I compare myself to loads of youngsters without even realising it and sometimes I get down about those young teenagers my age who are so gifted and talented and I want to be like them so I shy away from my abilities and talents, I just can’t help it sometimes .

But that night, I didn’t even do it once, I was focused on my art and my future and how proud I was of myself and not once was I comparing myself to others . Okay lets be honest, I was a bit jealous of the actors because they were amazing and so cool!!!.

Thank you so much for reading my post, I hope you get a little idea of what the night was like, it was the best night ever, so much fun, I’ll definetely be treasuring this memory forever, it makes me excited for the future. I hope you all have a lovely day, love you guys

More work to come on Big Blog Theory

{ And yes I had to choose a gif of Reece Shearsmith, I just love him, so for all you Inside no 9 fans like me, here you are}

My Love For Mathew Baynton, Discussing His Characters

Hi guys . As you all know . I love Mathew Baynton . I’ve mentioned his name a countless amount of times on my blog . I’ve talked about his characters and all the TV shows and films he’s been in . Honestly, I really love him . I’ve loved him since Horrible Histories . I think it’s cool to see that he’s done other stuff too . I’m absolutely obsessed with him  . He is an amazing actor  . He’s a great person too . He’s one of the reasons why I write . He has inspired me so much . On days where I have no motervation to do my writing, I just watch his shows and his interviews and I just feel so inspired  . If only he knew how much I love him .

He’s been in shows like Horrible Histories, Ghosts, Spy, Gavin And Stacey, You Me And The Apocolypse, The Wrong Mans, , Peep Show, Yonderland and he’s in films like Telstar The Joe Meek Story, Tooty’s Wedding and Bill. He’s just such an amazing actor . If you didn’t have a crush on him when you were younger when you first discovered Horrible Histories, then you’re not even British. I had a serious crush on him and I still do, he’s just really beautiful, the fact that he doesn’t even know that I exist is really sad, I’m like his no 1 fan and I will continue to support him throughout .

He was also in Telstar The Joe Meek Story . Telstar is a biopic of the legendary Joe Meek who was a record producer and a pioneer in music but he drove himself mad in the process and sadly, he killed himself . The film is amazing . It’s done so well . Mathew plays the role of Ritchie Black more . He was great . I never actually knew he was in the film, I think I was watching it with my dad and his name popped up and I was like ” Oh my goodness, he’s in this as well, isn’t that the guy from Horrible Histories ?”. Usually he’s in like comedies and stuff, it’s so weird seeing him in Telstar, but he was amazing in that . He hardly had that many lines, you would just see him in the back with his guitar or something, but he was still amazing in it . Ritchie Blackmore used to be in a band which was called The Outlaws in the 60s . Then later on, he was in a group called Deep Purple . I listen to their music quite a lot, actually, they make great music . It’s really great rock music . I like how they chose Matt to play the role of Ritchie Blackmore, I think he played him really well.  He looked quite young in this . I think this film came out in 2008 or 2009 . I’m guessing that Horrible Histories came out a few years later, but I don’t really know . I think this was one of his earlier works . I really love it, I think it’s great .

I’m watching more and more of his work, I’m becoming an even bigger fan by the day . I started off by knowing him from only Horrible Histories, but now, I know him from so many TV shows and films .

{Talking about the TV show Spy}

Recently, I started watching a TV series which is called Spy . Spy is a sitcom which is about this low life who gets a job as a CIA . Mathew Baynton is in it, he’s the reason why I started watching it . It’s such a good show . I came for Mathew Baynton, I stayed because it’s actually a great show . The gags in that show are so funny . Matt plays the role of Chris Goddard, who is Tim’s friend who works at a electronic shop. Chris is absolutely demented . The stuff he comes out with, he’s absolutely hilarious. Tim is probably thinking ” Why am I friends with this maniac ?”, haha . There was this scene, I think it was in season 2, it was where Chris suddenly turns up at some party and he just turns up with his guitar and starts singing and having a go at this woman . He was like ” Why did you have to hurt me, Bernie ?”, and he just looked mad . That scene is absolutely brilliant  . It’s just the way he suddenly appeared and everyone’s just standing there, thinking ” Who is this geezer ?”. But seriously though, that entrance, wow, iconic .

I can’t stop rewatching that scene, it just cracks me up every time . That’s the dream entrance right there. If someone has betrayed you or if someone has pissed you off slightly, just turn up at a party and confront them with your guitar, haha, and just start singing some random songs . But let’s be honest here, Bernie doesn’t deserve Chris . Chris did the right thing in the end . But yeah, whoever had that idea for the episode, they deserve a raise . If Matt came up with that, then he’s a genius . I’m definetely gonna continue watching this series because it’s just amazing . British comedy sitcoms from the 2000s and the 2010s were like the best .

{Talking about his iconic moments in Horrible Histories}

Matt had so many iconic moments in Horrible Histories. He played hundreds of historical figures from different decades. I remember the time when he played Elegabalus, who was the emperor of Rome. Elegabalas was a prankster and he would pull pranks on the people of Rome. Really, he was a terrible person but Matt made him a little bit likeable . Charles the 2nd The King Of Bling is one of my favourite Horrible Histories songs, it’s so iconic and so catchy, I know all the words, I watched it like ten times, I know it all off by heart, it’s such a good song and you learn so much from it and they make it really fun . Pachacuti is another one of my favourite songs that featured Matt . He sounds so drunk in that song, it’s so funny, I loved seeing him dance around and then get scared because of random things . He was singing about such horrible things but he sounded so happy. I really love Horrible Histories songs, they were so ahead of their time, I love that they were renditions of famous songs, that was really clever.

I love everyone from Horrible Histories, they all have really funny sketches in the show but whenever I see Matt, I get butterflies in my stomach, he’s so cute. Mathew Baynton was a gift from man kind, I’m so grateful to have him with us in this world, he is a national treasure, I’m so looking forward to what he has in store for us in the future. If he ever puts out a biography in the future, I’m buying it.

I’m still in love with Thomas from Ghosts. I thought I got over this crush but nothing much has changed. Thomas is such an articulate character. I know that he was a bit of creep at first but I feel like he improved a lot and he wasn’t obsessed with Alison anymore. Matt brings such an Aurora to this role, he can make any character likeable, I feel like that’s a power of his, he could make us fall in love with any character even though they come across as idiots or whether they have made bad decisions.

He continues to inspire me, he generally seems like a lovely person, I’d love to meet him one day, I’d love to meet the whole Horrible Histories cast, let alone Mathew Baynton.

I have so much more to talk about but I want to keep this post nice and short, I feel like I said what I needed to say anyway. So there you go, that’s all I have to say about him. I expressed my love for Matt, I just think he’s really awesome at everything he does. Thank you so much for reading my post, I hope you liked it. Have a nice day wherever you are, love you.

More work to come on Big Blog Theory

My Fabulous Experience At The Hackney Empire, Writers Room

Okay guys, so as you all know, a few months ago, I got to do the Writers Room course at the Hackney Empire. I’ve been wanting to talk about my experiences for quite a while now. The Hackney Empire Writers Room was so much fun, I met loads and loads of really cool people, loads of aspiring young playwrights, we all got on really well. I learned lots of really interesting stuff about theatre and play writing . I was so worried that I wouldn’t get in because days and days went by and we still had no emails coming in, I thought ” Yeah, I’m probably not gonna get to do it ”. Writing plays is what I want to do when I grow up, it’s my sheer passion, I love theatre, I get so much joy out of it, this would be a great start for me so if I don’t get in then it would be such a shame . But then, one day, I was at my nan’s house, I was just sitting down with my family and my dad goes ” The Hackney Empire got back to us and they said they’re gonna be doing it on Wednesday ”, I was literally over the moon, words could not explain how happy and chuffed I was to hear the good news .

So I was so excited about it. I literally went on my phone and I started watching loads of Theatre themed videos on You Tube, I have no idea why. I was like ” I’m gonna go to the Hackney Empire, I might as well self indulge myself in videos about theatre, writing, performing, that’s just the kind of person I am. Literally the moment I heard the news, I went on You tube and I watched David Tennant’s Hamlet and I was so mesmorised by it, that was the moment I realised that I was in love with theatre. One, because Hamlet is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays and two, because I’m obsessed with David Tennant, so that was a win win for me. David Tennant, Hamlet, what’s not to love, it’s fantastic.

Wednesday came and I arrived at the Hackney Empire for my first week. It felt so weird taking part in something like this because usually I don’t take part in a lot of social activities because I’m quite shy in person, I usually kind of avoid large gatherings and stuff like that, but this time, I promised myself and I also promised my mum and my dad that I would be confident and out going and be talkative and so I did. On my first day, I just remember shaking everyone’s hand, I was singing and dancing in the main entrance, I was an absolute nutcase . I let myself hatch out of my shell and I just kind of allowed myself to not be so self aware about everything. I’m quite a shy person, I worry about meeting new people, I hate having to take phone calls, even if it’s people that I know, I just hate it so I’m a really shy person, It’s really easy to just hide behind the shadows in a very crowded room. This time, it wasn’t like that at all, I just reinvented myself and I was really confident and I remember talking to everyone, it was such a strange feeling . I have days when I feel so confident and I could do things in front of people and in front of my friends and I would not feel embarrassed, it’s so weird, but that’s a wonderful feeling.

But yeah, I learned lots. The teachers taught us some really interesting stuff. Most of the tips they were giving us were really useful.

I got on really well with everyone. everyone was so nice, so easy going . I was pretty much the youngest one there. Most of them were like in their late teens and above . There was a girl who was one year older me, she was sixteen, but apart from that, I was the youngest in the room. That’s what I love about these kinds of things though, I feel like kids of all ages can learn about theatre and writing, there’s something for everyone . Most of us had a lot in common. I had a friend who I would talk to sometimes and she had the same music taste as me. She loves Fleetwood Mac and a lot of 80s music. When she said that I was like ” Yesssss, finally someone who has the same music taste as me. I would be friends with anyone, no matter what their music preferences are but if feels great to have something in common with someone .

When I first met her, we started talking about I’m A Celebrity, then it went on to Hamilton, then we were having a chat about Lin Manuel Miranda because we both love him and then we started talking about theatre and then we were talking about all the chaos with Andrew Lloyd Webber, the time when he shouted at the cast of Cinderella and sacked them when they were all in Spain, I had no idea how we got on to that, I think we were talking about what directors we’d like to work with and I said Lin Manuel Miranda because he’s so talented, not only that but he’s also such a lovely human being, I feel like he just radiates good, positive energy and I said that he could rap really well and then she said ” But do you think he can sing though ?” and then I started singing opera in front of everyone and they all looked at me ” What the hell is she doing ?”, really, you had to be there to see it, but we had a great first conversation .

Another thing that would often happen is we would have some really weird conversations in the room. We’d have a bunch of us talking about one thing and then there would be another group talking about another thing. Me and two of my other friends would be talking about cinema and music and then there would be another group talking about stand up comedy. There were also a bunch of us talking about Doctor Who.

I recently started watching Doctor Who, I’m watching the one where David Tennant is the doctor, he is my favourite doctor . I really love Doctor Who and I love David Tennant, I’m obsessed . So yeah so when I heard them talking about Doctor Who, I immediatly came alive and I was like ” Oh my god, I love Doctor Who ”, and then I just started talking about David Tennant, I was like ” Oh my god, I love David Tennant, he’s amazing ”. It was such a coincidence . I would love to meet him one day, that’s definetely something that’s on my bucket list, I’m just in awe of him, I love his work, he’s such a great actor and he seems really lovely too. Love him in Doctor Who, love him in Broadchurch, love him in Good Omens, love him in Inside Man, I’m such a big fan of him, if I could meet him one day, that would be my dream come true.

Another coincidence that happened was I was talking to one of my other friends.  We were talking about 80s movies and I briefly mentioned The Outsiders and then I found out that she also loved that film and it was so awesome. We were having a conversation about characters from TV shows and films who stole our hearts the first time we saw them on our screens and then having to kill them off. I cried for three days when I watched The Outsiders and so did she. Then, she mentioned The Breakfast Club and it was a coincidence because that same day, I was wearing a The Breakfast Club T shirt . It was such a weird day. We were talking about a whole bunch of stuff. We were talking about weird shows and films that kids used to watch in the 70s and we were talking about trauma, I have no idea how we got to that.

We got to come up with ideas for a play that we were going to write. This was really exciting for me because it was my time to shine and it was my turn to show them what I’m all about. I’m writing this play, it’s called ” A Rock To Remember, A Roll To Forget ” and it’s about this  rock and roll group. The playwrights were generally interested in my idea and they were so excited . I sent them my first draft and they really loved it. The only thing they said was that it was a bit too long, but other then that, they loved everything about it. They’re going to choose a few of us and we’re going to get to see our plays come to life with professional actors and I think It’s going to be awesome . I’m feeling really confident in myself .

I couldn’t go in on Wednesday because I had Covid so I couldn’t go, which was a shame because that was the last week of the course, I was curious to see what they were up to but I didn’t want to give it to anyone so I stayed at home, but I’m still happy that I took part in the rest of the course.

This has been the best experience of my life. I know that I haven’t experienced much of my life yet but this is definetely a great start . Doing this has opened up loads of opportunities for me and it’s given me so much hope for the future. I’m so excited to be a young playwright, it’s like my dream and I feel like I can really chase those dreams.

I will look forward to all the wonderful things life has to offer in the future. Whatever I go on to do, I will keep these wonderful memories with me wherever I go. All the amazing people I met, all my friends, all the conversations we’ve had, all the funny and hilarious moments we shared at our time at the Hackney Empire, I will treasure these moments forever . I will always have a special place in my heart for The Hackney Empire, it was time well spent .

Thank you for reading my post. I have so much more to talk about but I feel like if I keep talking, I will just be rambling on and on and this post’s going to be really long so I’m just going to keep it nice and short. Thank you guys for taking the time to read my post, I’m sorry if I’m boring you, I’m just really passionate in my experience. Have a nice day, wherever you are right now, love you.

More work to come on Big Blog Theory