Driving a Doubtful Guest... to Watford

Posted by Simon Bedford (Marketing & Touring Manager, Hoipolloi)

There are many weird and wonderful things that I've had to do during my career in marketing. When I worked at Symphony Hall in Birmingham, I dressed up as the Phantom of the Opera to promote a silent film showing with organ accompaniment. One of my first tasks at West Yorkshire Playhouse was to spend an evening in a closed public toilets underneath Millenium Square blowing up helium balloons to be handed out at the Christmas lights switch-on.

So on Friday along came another fantastical task. This time to chauffer the Doubtful Guest from a rehearsal room in Highbury to Watford Palace Theatre. The guest joined me as a passenger in the front of the car and we merrily weaved our way through London traffic up to the M1 and onto the Watford gyratory system.

I have to admit that conversation was a little sparce. The guest does like to keep its feelings to itself and it politely smiled during my rants at poor lane discipline and lorries that overtake one another on dual carriageways.

And you'd also be surprised (and probably a little disappointed) at how little attention the strange creature attracts whilst sat in the car. During the whole hour we spent together, only the youthful passengers of one other car seemed to notice it. My apologies to them that the guest decided not to wave back - it can be incredibly stubbon sometimes!

So we've reached another milestone in the production process. Today the company move from their London rehearsal room and into tech week at Watford. I can't believe that the show opens on Thursday - having been two years in the planning, this week has came round scarily quick!

More updates soon on how its all going!