A stage!!!!

So here we are at our first venue of the week.  Theatre Mwldan, a lovely venue in Cardigan, West Wales.  I always knew this was a big theatre (I think it holds about 250?) so I was prepared for that but what I wasn't prepared for was a stage.

A STAGE?!  You are probably thinking, you're an actor, what is wrong with a stage?  The answer is nothing, but so far in the tour I have never been on a traditional raised stage!  I've always been on the same level as the front row.

During the play there are bits where I share the story with the audience, talking directly to them and it feels bizarre that I will be looking down at some of them.  It almost feels like I am a bit separate from them rather than being with them...

The audience have allocated seating in this venue though so I can see by looking at the seating plan that people aren't even all grouped together. Although the majority are in the front/middle of the auditorium there are still a good number scattered around in other places.

I asked one of the guys helping us whether they would all move and sit in the middle and he quite rightly said that some people want to sit in specific seats no matter what. So I will have a few people at the back and some at the sides as well as the main group.  It will be interesting to say the least!!

I am just waiting for stage manager extraordinaire Kate to finish focusing the lights before I go in and we run through the play with me on stage to see how it all looks and feels. I'm sure it will all be fine but it made my heart beat a little faster for a few seconds!! 

Who'd have thought - an actor who gets scared when they see a stage!!