Sorry for the lack of life in the site for the last couple of months, it’s been a topsy-turvy time. I, and Fine Chisel, suffered a great loss. My Dad - Tony Spencer - died in September, a few days before his fifty-ninth Birthday. This blog isn’t the place for personal tribute, but this does mean a few changes for the company. Logistically, our Surrey home will be moving in the new year. It’s not yet quite clear exactly where, but there are some exciting plans afoot. It has to be exciting; that’s what he would have wanted. Tony was not only a great supporter of Fine Chisel (personally, financially, enthusiastically), he was an inspiration for many to stand up and turn their daydreams into something solid.
Artistically, this is like a punch in the sternum. We have to make things count. I’m incredibly proud that we made ‘Firing Blanks’ - with all of its personal connections - happen and that he was able to be there to see it reach and touch so many people. Standing on the streets of Covent Garden shouting about sperm was hard work, but we have to trust in the stories we believe need to be told.
This summer the enlarged company had an awesome time performing all over Edinburgh (theatres, bars, cafes, streets, bus stops) and it seems we made an impression. ‘4.3 Miles from Nowhere’ was a resounding success at the ZOO Venues box office and proved just how much fun you can have with a live band. Music has always been central to our vision, but I think we might have started a bit of a freight train…
For now, here I am in Dorking. I am stuck in this town - this sleepy, beautiful, inspiring, frustrating, 20-miles-from-London-but-impossible-to-reach-late-at-night town, for a couple of months while solicitors play their games. I’m commuting every day to central London, where I’m studying for an MA in Text and Performance at RADA and Birkbeck College. While a full-time degree does make running Fine Chisel a little stretched at times, it’s an amazing place to meet emerging artists. Amongst my classmates are Bertrand from Fellswoop Theatre and Lia from Opera Viscera, as well as exciting new projects already in the pipeline. And this train-journey existence is not stopping me from making work.
George (Lucas from 4.3 Miles and frontman of the Fine Chisel Folk Band) and I have been commissioned to make a new Fine Chisel piece for a festival in the South West in the new year. As soon as we’ve finished squabbling over the title, I will publish full details here. There are also very tentative plans for a huge research and development project in the spring.
The name for this post has another resonance. James Hill, our regular composer/collaborator/performer, works with a band called Felix Fables. Tonight is their album launch (free entry at the Bedroom Bar in Angel). Check out ‘In This Town’ on itunes or catch them live asap.
Oh, and here’s a funny picture of Rob for anyone who didn’t catch the show in Edinburgh:
