10 Questions with Hugh & my YouTube debut

The countdown continues.... Only a week to go until Hugh Hughes' brand new show 360 receives its first Edinburgh performance!

Click here for a little interview Hugh did for London Is Funny.

At the end of a long day yesterday, Simon and I made the following video (my first, I couldn't let Simon hog our YouTube Channel forever...)

We were drawing the prize-winners of our Get A Little Closer Competition, launched via our mailing list and Facebook Groups.

Well done to our winners, Matthew Evans and Bethany Sheldon!

Hugh Hughes in Reading (not blue-ing)

Before he goes onstage, Hugh Hughes likes to jabber away to himself as part of his warm-up for a performance. "Here we are, in Reading... not blue-ing!!", he declaimed last night before deciding that joke probably shouldn't make it into the show...

But even if it had, I suspect his audience last night in Reading would have lapped it up. It was our last preview of Hugh's new show 360 and, once again, it went down a storm.

It was perhaps the opposite of Hugh's Latitude performance. There he had a huge tent and hundreds of people to play to. At Reading's South Street Arts Centre the audience was small but perfectly formed, leading to a delightfully intimate performance and a wonderful feeling of friendship in the room.

You know when bands do 'secret gigs'? Usually performed in tiny venues and only announced at the last minute to fans who are used to seeing them play in arenas and stadiums... For me, it was a bit like that. Edinburgh audiences are likely to be a little bigger and Pleasance Two is a very different space to play. But I'll look back on last night as a wonderfully intimate version of a show which I think is going to be as big a success as Hugh's previous work, and has a long touring life ahead of it.

To book a ticket for 360 in Edinburgh, just click here. You can see Hugh Hughes in... 360 at 7.05pm at Pleasance Two from 5 to 31 August (no performances on the 11th or 17th).

Don't forget also to book your ticket for The Doubtful Guest, at Traverse from 18 to 30 August (no performance on 24th). Tickets are selling fast already (and I'm not just saying that!) so get in quick. Click here to book tickets and to see a full listing of performance dates and times.

The countdown to Edinburgh begins!

Our badges have arrived!

Woot! We've just received the next generation of Hugh Hughes badges! If you've seen a Hugh Hughes show before, you'll know that Hugh likes to give the audience something to remember him by.

The badge for Floating reads 'Hugh Hughes: feeling connected', for Story of a Rabbit we went for 'Here one minute, gone the next' and this time round your badge will read...

'Hugh Hughes: changing your perspective'

And I promise, 360 will! Hugh Hughes is charmingly odd but don't forget, he's also oddly wise....

The scan below doesn't really do just to the new design but it'll give you a flavour. Click here to book tickets for 360 in Edinburgh and then wear your badge with pride!

And don't forget, we're off to Reading in a few hours for the last 360 preview before Edinburgh... (Click here for details and to book tickets.)

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy budget teaser flyer / collage number two (above), proving that Hugh Hughes remains on the cutting edge of philosophical discourse.

Keeping it lo-fi

My bossy boss Simon is away this week and he didn't really leave me enough things to do. So, inspired by all the wonderful visual art I saw at Latitude over the weekend, and by the time I've spent in Hugh Hughes' rehearsal room this week, I've created some lo-fi 360 publicity to rival the stuff we had done by the professional designers.

(I think mine's better.)

This is one of many (I had lots of time - and Pritt Stick - to play with this morning!) so I'll post one a day until I've run out... They're all 360-related and will hopefully wet your appetite for the show!

We have one more preview performance of 360 to go, tomorrow (Thursday) evening at South Street Arts Centre in Reading at 8pm. Click here to book tickets for just £5 each.

And then we'll look forward to welcoming lots of you to the show in Edinburgh! Click here for all the performance details...

Latitude - our best ever wet weekend

Well we've just about dried off... And despite the rain, we had a fantastic weekend at Latitude! Hugh Hughes' special preview performance of 360 went down a storm and we all found time to see some brilliant acts.

My highlights were Grace Jones and The Gossip (and not just because I love strong women). Regina Spektor was fantastic and I fell in love with 1927 all over again (...more strong women).

Slightly further off the beaten track, we enjoyed the endearingly adolescent Ruby And Her Whorses, a super-subversive performance by David Hoyles and my favourite ever stand-up Andy Zalztman. (Choice one-liner: 'Don't complain about being eaten by a horse if you play polo dressed a sugar cube.')

Our most magical festival moment came on the opening night, in the form of La Reve, a commissioned performance by The Irrepressibles. Imagine an alternative baroque orchestra, with musicians dressed in Tim Burton (or even Edward Gorey)-esque costumes performing in the Human Music Box (pictured below) but at night, with the lights shimmering off the lake.


And I must also give a massive shout-out to the people running a shop stall which at night transformed into an unofficial jungle 'stage'. Dancing in the rain with twelve other people - all totally comitted members of the Junglist Massive - was a delight!

Most importantly, Hugh Hughes' performance in the Theatre Tent on Sunday was a great success. With so many other things on offer, it was to Hugh's great credit that the audience grew and grew as the show went on until the tent was absolutely packed. And 360 is in fantastic shape, with just one more preview to go before Edinburgh!

I should take this opportunity to say hello to Harvey, who Hugh invited on stage to play the role of Gareth. Harvey is eight, the same age as Gareth in the story Hugh wanted to tell, and he gave a great performance - thank you!


Don't forget that 360 will head to Reading's South Street Arts Centre on Thursday for a performance at 8pm, with tickets at just £5. Click here to book! We hope to see lots of you there.

Finally, Hoipolloi must thank everyone who made Latitude happen. It was a wonderful festival which we would all heartily recommend. And most importantly, thank you to Emma Bettridge and all at Pleasance for inviting us to be part of Latitude's Picks of the Pleasance season.

No problem, monkey socks

Obviously we're not paying our actors enough! Ben Frimston, who has performed in Hoipolloi's last five ensemble shows, most recently playing Charlie in The Doubtful Guest, has burst onto our TV screens with a starring role in a Rowntree's Randoms advert. And a very fine performance it is too.

We like to think he learned everything he knows about nonsense whilst performing in My Uncle Arly. And I'd like to take this opportunity to warn him that we'll be calling him 'Monkey Socks' forever more.

Tragically, our Doubtful Guest posters and flyers had been printed by the time the ad came out. Had we been able to include 'Starring Ben Frimston, Star of the Rowntree's Randoms advert' it would have sent our ticket sales through the roof.

But you can still see him for yourself in The Doubtful Guest at the Traverse from 18 to 30 August (with no performance on the 24th; click here for full performance details and to book.)

Of course, we wouldn't normally use the blog to carry adverts. But for Ben, we'll make an exception. Enjoy!

And if you're off to Latitude this weekend, come and find us with Hugh Hughes in the Theatre Tent on Sunday at 12.10pm...

A return to Reading, Ipswich and Plymouth

Do you want to see Hugh Hughes in... 360 but are not able to make it up to the Edinburgh Fringe? Fear not, as today I have a some exciting news!

This weekend we're taking Hugh off to the Latitude Festival. He's particularly excited at the chance to be part of this fantastic festival on a hugely diverse bill alongside Grace Jones, the Pet Shop Boys, Dave Gorman, the RSC and our good friends at English Touring Theatre! His performance of 360 is on Sunday at 12.10pm in the Theatre Arena.

And I'm delighted to announce a further exclusive pre-Edinburgh preview at South Street Arts Centre in Reading on Thursday 23 July. We were last in Reading back in 2005 and so we're excited to return to share the new show with audiences there.

And following the show's run in Edinburgh, we'll also be returning to the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich (our co-producing partner on Story of a Rabbit) for a performance on Sunday 11 October followed by a week at the Drum Theatre Plymouth at the end of November.

All these dates are now on sale and we'd be delighted to see you there!

Full details here...

Thu 23 July, 8pm - South Street Arts Centre, Reading

Tickets: 0118 960 6060 or book online here

Sun 11 October, 7.45pm - New Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich

Tickets: 01473 295900 or book online here

24 to 28 November, 7.45pm - Drum Theatre Plymouth

Tickets: 01752 267222 or book online here

And of course, we're in Edinburgh from 5 to 31 August. Book your tickets here!

Getting to know Edward Gorey

Afternoon! Definitely looking forward to the weekend and some preparations for our trip to Latitiude next weekend. In the meantime, I wanted to re-post something that was first written back in 2008.

It's a blog from our old intern, Sara, and is all about her discovery of the works of Edward Gorey. As we haven't talked about him in this forum for a while, I thought I'd share it with you again. Enjoy!

*****

The Hoipolloi office has just received a pile of exciting looking books from Bloomsbury, all with similarly intriguing illustrations on the front. With titles like "The Other Statue", "The Object Lesson" and "The Iron Tonic", they can only be products of one author's absurd imagination. Although some of the books are under strange names such as Ogdred Weary it is clear that American eccentric Edward Gorey is responsible for every title, his style detectable from a mile off.

Having only ever really read The Doubtful Guest, I didn't know what to expect from Gorey's other work, but being fascinated by this sinister tale of mischief and confusion, I read on.

Edward Gorey certainly doesn't disappoint. Each book that I read was more twisted than the last but each had me laughing to myself, and indeed out loud. My favourite was probably a book entitled "The Willowdale Handcar" or "The return of the black doll", an alternative title, which, to me had no real relevance to the story.

Filled with random drawings and descriptions the book follows Edna, Harry and Sam as they journey in a tiny Handcar to strange and seemingly unplanned destinations. There are a few recurring themes such as the missing Nellie Flim, however there seems to be no real plot and making sense of the book is something that I gave up on after the first few pages. But, like "The Doubtful Guest" it was still able to effect me with the last two lines "At sunset they entered a tunnel in the Iron Hills and did not come out the other end," which I found quite chilling in fact.

Another sinister book that we were sent is "The Curious Sofa", a self confessed "pornographic work" which relays the disturbing tale of Alice and the men who interfered with her. This is probably the strangest book I have ever come across, never actually stating the obvious but hinting at the most absurdly disgusting things. The accompanying scratchy illustrations add to the feel of this weird book and it is really something you have to see to appreciate how odd this writer was.

The more famous "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" is still disturbing, but hilarious at the same time. A rhyming alphabet of children's deaths, this book follows in Gorey's weird and fantastical style telling of "Hector done in by a thug". I think it is definitely a good thing that Hoipolloi are staging The Doubtful Guest as opposed to this, as the idea of re-enacting 26 children's murders is not a pleasant thought.

The other books range from an absurdly comic "The Haunted Tea Cosy" which is reminiscent of "A Christmas Carol," an odd book called "The Unstrung Harp", of which I cannot make any sense, and a hilarious rhyme "The Headless Bust". This last book was perhaps the most illogical of them all. I will leave you with one of the more profound quotes from this book;

"To us it is very far from clear
The reasons for us being here.
We'd leave at once, but do not know
We've any place where we might go."

******

Don't forget to book your tickets for The Doubtful Guest at the Traverse Theatre by clicking here or calling the box office on 0131 228 1404.

And tickets for Hugh Hughes in... 360 can be booked by clicking here.

360 down to 30

The countdown has begun and it's now just under a month to go before Hugh Hughes opens his brand new show, 360, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

One of the first stages of his preparation, a preview gig at the Museum of London, took place last week. A huge thank you to Laughterinoddplaces for inviting Hugh and everyone who joined us in a pretty hot and sweaty Medieval London section to hear a 25 minute excerpt.

Some lovely people have posted photos of the event on Flickr, view them by clicking here.

Hugh's taking a well-earned break this week and has returned to his native Anglesey to spend some quality time with his Mum and other friends and family.

Back here in the Hoipolloi office, preparations continue apace for the Fringe. Our accommodation is booked, we're just sorting out our travel plans and, of course, making sure as many people as possible know we'll be performing!

There will be quite a Hoipolloi presence in Edinburgh during August and if you spend any time at either the Traverse or the Pleasance Courtyard, I'm sure you'll bump into one of us!

Thank you to everyone who's already bought their tickets! To get hold of your tickets, please click here to book for Hugh Hughes in... 360 and click here for your tickets for The Doubtful Guest.

We'll continue to keep you updated on how things are progressing over the next few weeks and look forward to seeing you in Edinburgh!

Shift Happened

On Tuesday, I was honoured to speak at the Shift Happens conference in York. It was great to meet so many people who are interested in what we're up to, thank you for being such an appreciative audience!

For those that weren't there, I cheated a little and presented a video that edits together all the video diaries I've made since February, which have been posted here individually before.

This was actually my second "conference cheat" where I don't actually speak live but play in my presentation by video (following my AmbITion presentation back in April). This time however I did actually go to the conference venue in York, thanks to my lovely hosts at Pilot Theatre.

If you're reading this having seen me at the conference, you can see the full diaries by clicking this link, which will bring up all the archived videos plus a bonus video of my Ambition talk! And if you want to ask any questions, please feel free to drop me an email.

For those of you who didn't make it along to the conference or would prefer to watch the edited version (!), I'm hoping that it'll find a home somewhere on the web in the not too distant future. Follow us on Twitter and I'll spread news about it's appearance through that channel.

Any, the real point of this blog was to admit that I never got round to posting the final video I made a few weeks ago, so here it is in all it's glory to complete the set:



As I've quite enjoyed this process of documenting our journey with the website and various social media tools, I think I may well create a few more to finish off the story as we go into the Edinburgh Fringe... please click back in a few months to see what we've been up to!

Finally, if you ever need a hotel in York, I'd thoroughly recommend the Dean Court Hotel. It was fab and had a brilliant view of the Minster!