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THANK YOU to all those who came to see THE HAUNTING OF BLAINE MANOR

4/16/2016

It's been a mad week. After Sunday's final night of the sell out first run of the play it was all about clearing the set out from Hope Mill Theatre, and then dropping it all off at various places around Manchester, an hour later I was boarding a plane to Budapest for a working trip.

A big thank you to Joseph Houston and William Whelton at Hope Mill Theatre who have a fabulous performance space and bar/cafe there as I'm sure all those of you who saw it will agree, we hope to return there with the play.

Today is the first opportunity I have had to thank you, the audience, for making this first run such a memorable one. It certainly seems the majority of you enjoyed the play and the reviews have been just fantastic. That kind of reception makes it all worth while and in view of all that we will most certainly be back with this play...certainly around Manchester and if we get the financial backing we'll be taking it around the country.

So a Hearty and Haunted Thank You to each and every one of you, you made it a very special time indeed. See you next time...

Joe x

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THE HAUNTING OF BLAINE MANOR: Ghost In My House...

4/8/2016

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As I write this we are now a day away from the premiere of my latest play. I've really enjoyed creating the Tales from Paradise Heights seen throughout this website, all just words on a page without the phenomenal creative talents of so many that have been involved with them over the years. A huge thank you to all of them never feels like anything like enough, this kind of creativity would not exist without collaboration, each project is what WE make it.

However, those that may be expecting a trip into the dangerously real world of Paradise Heights are going to find something completely different here, a story a whole world away from The Heights. What a production we have for you here, I don't think you will have seen anything quite like this...

I've always wanted to do a Haunted House Story, a period piece, something that would fit the world of M R James, Edgar Allan Poe or H P Lovecraft. In tandem with this I also wanted to create something that was a throwback to the Hollywood Golden Age. A Dangerous and Glamorous Age where you would see the likes of Claude Rains, Vincent Price, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Bette Davis, George Saunders, Humphrey Bogart, Robert Mitchum, Lauren Bacall. Ida Lupino, Carole Lombard and Virginia Mayo (so many more, but I'd be here forever) strutting their stuff. I think they'd all feel at home in Blaine Manor.

So yes, I've always wanted to do that...but then I've always wanted to write that my way...or why bother? It's a big gamble, but we're only here once...

I have been blessed with a magnificent cast of...wait...it's easy to say that isn't it? So, no. I PICKED this cast because I knew they'd eat this stuff alive. And what a cast, PETER SLATER, JO HAYDOCK, IAN CURLEY, ANDREW YATES, DANIEL THACKERAY. They have made this so enjoyable to work on, so much more than a script. The rehearsal process has been a lot of fun, they have all done an absolutely superb job of making each of these characters flesh and blood, you can't teach instinct and these guys have that in bucket loads, I'm struggling to keep up with them.

The production features a wonderful sound design by JUSTIN WETHERILL, including the very haunting opening theme shown elsewhere here. All the sound you hear in the play has been built from scratch for the production by Justin - it's going to shake the walls. As ever, DARREN McGINN has once again proved what a master he is at tapping into the themes of the work here, all the imagery in the slideshow above and accompanying the theme tune below are by Darren, as you can see he is clearly a Master in his field.

Being a creative is a tough path, but if it's in the blood then there's no cure. Grasp it, wrestle with it, use it. Don't let your Black Dogs beat you, there are plenty barking out there - especially in this profession. Use their barking and turn it on them...each Black Dog may have its day but ultimately you'll have the year. There was barking at times when I wrote this but I ignored it, and finishing it got me out there again amongst a fabulous group of people.

As I write this opening night is sold out, fantastic news and thank you for all your support. There are still some tickets left for Sunday night at the link below (not many though, it's selling well which is fantastic) so get your tickets booked and join us for a night you won't forget. Just keep telling yourself...It's only a play...it's only a play...

http://hopemilltheatre.co.uk/events/haunting-blaine-manor/

Hope to see you.

Joe x

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THANK YOU to all those who came to see THE HAUNTING OF BLAINE MANOR

THE HAUNTING OF BLAINE MANOR: Ghost In My House...

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