Dirty-Something

I paid my first ever visit to London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts a few weeks ago when my new play, “Dirty-Something” received a rehearsed reading in the bar area. A building full of optimistic vibes. The reading itself was a qualified success, I felt, thanks to a brilliant cast of RADA graduates – Philip Sheppard, Nia Gwynne and Chipo Chung – and the commitment of director Jeff Teare. Rather a meagre turn-out, but the numbers were boosted by some post-graduate dramaturgy students – not the kind of audience you’d ideally seek out if you were road-testing a comedy, but we managed to elicit some laughs. Very useful in terms of the re-writing process which is currently well under way.

I had my viva yesterday – a nerve-shredding experience, although I was mainly just looking forward to getting the whole process over with. Relatively painless, and only an hour long (unusual, apparently). Probably because of my experience as a writer, my thesis itself was fairly straightforward, so I was called on the expand on things rather than to explain what the hell I was talking about. I think I managed to rein in my customary incoherence at least sufficiently that I managed not to confuse or annoy the examiners. And at the end, I was informed that, pending some relatively minor amendments, I would be awarded a doctorate by the University of Glamorgan. Which will be nice. Now to sober up and find a job.