Summer summary!!!

During a tense scene, tied up ;-)

me and Tony chillin on set

Don't mess with me!!! hehe

The poster is printed-I Love It!

Well Its been a very busy summer indeed which has been great! Filming for The Lost Generation continued and we did 2 more days of filming- the next set of filming is already being prepared that's how long its been since I did this! It was great fun and I had NOTHING to say all weekend! lots of running and emotions through the eyes etc which was great to get into!
 The film is starting to evolve and take shape so I'm very excited about getting my teeth into the juicy stuff that will soon be coming up! If your on twitter check out  Project Lost Generation to keep up with whats happening and sign up to the mailer!

My sister was on set,acting that is, not at the same time as me unfortunately as we don't have any scenes together....yet! She did the usual waiting around but walked on set and stole it! I maybe biased but that's what I was told! Well Done Sue!

My sister Sue on set!

The Manchester Monologueslam also took place in July and we moved venue to AXM nightclub. It was a great night and we had a great panelist, agent Georgina from Lime Management, Cat Lewis from Nine Lives Media, Sophie Poulston ITV casting and Kieron Richardson from Hollyoaks. They changed all the rules and gave out a 2nd, 3rd, 4th etc instead of just one winner! haha It was good fun though! The next one is September 26th at AXM and it is Movie themed so all actors have to do a piece from a film which should be fun! Its still only a fiver so if your reading this and your in Manchester come show your support or sign up to perform if your an actor ;-)  Register here

The Girls ready for the night out!

My table -both names spelt wrong but oh well

Birthday girl and boy

Celebratory drinks

My birthday was in July too! Celebrated in the only way I know how ;-) I had a night out on the Thursday with a few friends, then the Saturday (my actual birthday) I had a house BBQ with my dad (his birthday is the day before) for all the family. As always it was a massive turn out, my mum cooked up a storm and I cleaned up at 5am!!! That was painful! The following weekend me and Darren Gordon had a joint birthday party. Our 5th and final birthday bash! As always we partied hard, I had a couple of celebratory drinks ;-) hehe 

What else has happened................. Oh I was cast in an ITV Christmas film which should be on our screens either xmas eve or day! It was only a small part but a lot of fun to do! It was set in the 1940's which was interesting and where we filmed in Scarborough was being used by the public so it was very stop and start and having to do get the shots as quickly as possibly! lol  Sadly on this same day the riots in Manchester and Salford (my home town) began so took the shine off and it was on my mind! Everytime i came back to my trailer i had txts/fb/twitter msgs keeping me updated! Sad day but the support and the way the community pulled together really showed what Salford and Manchester are really about!

Me in my 1940's ;-)

Scarborough beach from my room

So that's a round up of the summer! Busy but fun and now September is here its time to push that little bit harder as September is usually a busy month in the acting world!

If you fancy keeping up then follow me on Twitter or like my facebook page! And lastly - thanks for reading :-)

Plays,films,castings,films,producing- phew!!!

Since my last blog A LOT  has been going on! It might even take 2 blogs for everything thats been going!

So the casting for The Lost Generation went well and we cast 2 characters, one supporting character played by the very talented Sophie Mercer and another character played by my talented sister Sue (runs on the family)!
I had no say in the casting decisions, I just helped with the submissions and in the auditions playing opposite the auditionee's! The decision was left to the wonderful Lee Mountjoy Casting and the Director Mark Ashmore - thank goodness because it wasn't something I would have liked to have done!

After the casting or before or during I don't know cos I've been so busy I can't keep up with myself, the play I'm in Broken Silence opened in Liverpool for two nights! Our final weekend of rehearsals we had Nona Shepherd, the associate director of RADA come up from London and do two days intense direction with us! Lee Mountjoy came and helped out with promoting, line filling but mainly to bring some things some cast members had forgot! It was good he came though because him and Nona got on really well and she was able to help him with a casting he's working on! All about networking and meeting the right people at the right time!!!

Broken Silence Cast

The performance went really well and the audience loved it! There were a few things that went wrong, but thats expected, the audience didn't notice so its all good!!!! After a great audience attendance we were all excited for the Manchester performance!!! That performance was part of the Not Part Of Festival and was at AXM Nightclub, Manchester. We did 5 shows and some were very full, others not so much but each performance went really well! I made the programmes (after 4 painful hours) and the lovely Wil Macdonald sponsoered us to print them :-) People even said they think we should do a one off again in August so will keep you informed!!!

My mum in Love is Blind

Then it was down to the films!!!! I had two in the same weekend, one I was co- producing and one I was lead in!!! The virgin Media Shorts competition is open but closes the 7th July so we had little time to decide on a piece, find time to film it, film it then edit it!!! luckily we did it and its down to the judges but...... you can watch it and leave a comment and like it! Love is Blind starring Mr Scott Taylor, Directed by the talented Darren R L Gordon.

Then there was the next part of 'The Lost Generation' which was done over a weekend a couple of weekends. I will do a seperate blog for that though as this ones long enough :-P

So now its just Manchester MonologueSlam left to organise for a couple of weeks! The actors shwocase takes place Monday 25th July, AXM Nightclub so if your an actor reading this and based in Manchester then get registered in the performers area!

Goodness, Time flies!!!

Wow, I can't believe its Mid-June already! I have slacked off with this blog, without even realising I had!

So what have the last couple of months since my last blog held............ well there was the soap awards after party, take that afterparty, rehearsals for the play, lost generation read through, monologueslams 1st birthday and more so just one or two things!!!

Scott and Carla

I'll start with the Soap awards afterparty!

I went with my friends Lee Mountjoy , Carla and my actor friend (currently in Emmerdale) Scott ( the links are there twitter just in case). Well the party was madness, too much alcohol, lots of dancing and a hang over from hell the next day! It will teach me not to over do it and drink the free drinks like they are going out of fashion! haha


The rehearsals are continuing for 'Broken Silence' which goes up at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool Tuesday 21st June and Wednesday 22nd June. They are going really well and the play is coming together really well. Changing my accent is gong to be tricky when the nerves kick in but all being well, I won't slip into my Manchester accent!! This weekend we are doing a full weekend of rehearsals so fingers crossed! Tickets are available if you want them here Broken Silence and apparently its almost sold out! woooo!

The Monologueslam 1st birthday comedy special was a blast!!! There were party games- of course, including pass the parcel with forfeits which was hilarious for the audience to be put on the spot! Then the actors performed and then Scott Taylor, our host ( and friend, same as above) performed his comedy specials on his guitar! They went down a storm and he is truly talented! You can see them here but be warned they are for 18+ audience Scott Taylor He's hilarious!!!

Then the next part of The lost Generation has been written so we had a meeting to read through it, get dates set etc and it looks like we will be filming within the next 2 weeks- right after my play! They are casting the parts too which again Lee Mountjoy is casting and I've been helping him with the submissions as there were hundreds so in theory I was his casting assistant ;-) hehe The trailer also came out which looks great- check it out and let me know what you think! The Lost Generation

Our one winning ticket!!

Then last week there was the Take That afterparty. I ended up going with my friend who is working on the tour and I ended up with a wristband which got me into the VIP section with free bar! I was very sensible too, i just drank a moderate amount and my usual tipple! haha It was great fun though and I enjoyed myself- oh and so you know, just Jason was there! haha

After the Races at Haydock

 Also I went to Haydock races for the first time, me and lee wandered round for the best part of an hour not knowing where to go or what to do but then we got into it and had a lot of fun!!!

The Reds!

Then there was the parade for Manchester United! This no doubt anger a few people me being a red but hey ho, i loved it!!!! Seeing the boys and Sir Alex and Sir bobby was a wonderful moment and brought alot of memories back from the 1999 parade!

The Champions Parade!

So all in all its been busy again and the next week few weeks are going to be busy again with the play going up and the next part of filming!

Until the next time my lovely blog readers.....................................!!!

Are you free? yes..... Great!!

So in April I did two days on a short film for a guy I know. He told me about a film a long time but the role had changed so wanted to see if I was still interested. I auditioned for him over a year ago for a completely different project, presenting and behind the scenes of a film actually, which I did get but the producer pulled the idea!! Gutted!!! but at least i got to know him and now tease him relentlessly over anything! hehe

Sophie making me look fab!

Dan the director in my sunglasses :-P

The cheeky shots 

So we begin the film at a club in Manchester in the morning. All dressed up to the nines on a week day in the morning! haha Of course it begins with make up and i meet the crew and cast and instantly feel like I've know them all ages!!! Even Dan the director Dan i didn't know all that well, only the one audition, a party and facebook!

So we begin filming and my first shot of the day is downing shots! Luckily it wasn't alcohol so i managed to get through them OK hehe the one thing they did do was give me a sugar rush!!! especially after about 12 of them! It was a fun set though, very relaxed and everyone got on really well.

Me and Jenny

Japanese relief fund cake!

The next day we were on set at a restaurant in town and a friend of mine came to set with a cake he had won in a raffle. the cake was made in honour of the japan earthquakes so he decided to sell the cake pieces and give the money to the relief fund. I completely forgot he was coming (me forgetting things is a recurring thing! haha) Luckily we were in between shots and it was getting to that point on set when a break was needed - it was perfect timing! I was only expecting me to buy a slice of cake but he made a fair few pound for the charity so turned out pretty good!

Later that day we moved onto another set and there was the last few scenes and lots of giggles and pizza!!! always good!!! There were lots of deep conversations that happened on that set, i think it was the women all being together talking about men and relationships then the men getting involved not agreeing or sharing there experiences! it was very funny now i think back. Over these conversations and the pizza etc came the name of the film........... it was just "" as it was the film with no name but after throwing some ideas around the name was found:

                                ' FOUR EIGHTY '

Now if your wondering why that name, what it means, what made us come up with that then you will have to wait for the film and watch it! hehe hopefully it will be complete in the next couple of months!!!

Don't forget you can follow me on Twitter or Dan the Director !!!!

Rehearsals,easter and nonsense

Being interviewed by Jane McConnell

April has been busy again with interviews for The Lost Generation, here are a couple for you to check out if you havent seen them already............
Jane McConnell's interview
Future Artists
Second Interview on Future Artists

Jane and Mark interview

Sarah (co-producer) and Mark having a
meeting in the park about LG!

So as you can see there's been a lot of interviews and buzz around the film which is currently in post production and part 2 is being written and all being well will be shot in the next few weeks! Very excited about that!There are more things to do with the film coming up soon but will write once they have been done :-)

The beginning of this month saw the start of the rehearsals for the play 'Broken Silence' which is on at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool in June. It was the first time the 3 ladies had got together, can always be a difficult thing rehearsal one and all ladies but it was a great rehearsal and all of us get on really well. The following week we met again and we had Lee Mountjoy come in, he's a good friend of all of ours so we had alot of fun and he helped with some of the work we were doing. He works in casting and is the next big upcoming casting director so watch this space...... you heard it here first ;-)

April also saw the launch of the Liverpool MonologueSlam which was part of the Write now festival. It was in a great space and it was a great success. The actors were all at a high standard and the judges did a great job! Of course there were teething problems and things to be changed, there would be nothing to strive for if it was perfect on the first night! :-)

me and my cousin after a day in the sun!

All the bank holidays have been great aren't they?!! Unfortunately theres no more for a while and although I've been busy i dont know if i've used them to their full potential but hey, I've enjoyed the time off! Lots of fun in the sun!

I also filmed a short film during the easter break for a friend so i will do a separate blog with pictures about that one too! :-)

Hope you all had a lovely easter, enjoyed the holidays and if you saw it, enjoyed the Royal Wedding!

Events, Meetings and Joining Forces

Well the last couple opf months have been eventful and interesting in more ways than one. You know February was a busy month for my acting well March was equally as busy but for different reasons! March became the month of meetings and events and joining forces as the title suggests!

Where do I start. As you know I have been having lots of meetings about the possibility of putting on something on the stage and those meetings have been going very well but nothing has been put down yet. On the flip side I received an email from someone asking me would I be interested in being in their play. I had a lot of questions obviously but i have decided to do it and I'm very excited about it! Its a new write by two ladies, one of which I know through a friend- that old 'Not what you know, who you know' lol The play will be on in Liverpool in June at The Unity Theatre. Its the first time I will be performing in Liverpool so I'm really looking forward to it especially as all my mums side of the family live there so some who have never seen me on stage due to the distance!

Thats one positive to add to March. Next we had The MonologueSlam event which was a huge success. We had a great panelist, including Ciaran Griffiths who plays Micky in Shameless. Last month we had Ryan Thomas who plays Jason in Coronation street. Pressures on me now to find someone for our 1st Birthday Party event in May! The shows are going really well and people are being aware of them which is brilliant!!! April 19th is the launch of the Liverpool Slam, which I will be helping run on the night, so back the old scouse country again! :-)

The last force to be joined is the company SCCMediaUK. They are an American company owed by the lovely Sheree Chan who I met over twitter through Mark Ashmore. We were talking and Sheree had just launched her own company SCCMedia on twitter and Facebook and contacted me to see if i would be interested in joining her and doing it from the UK end. Its a very company and Sheree is fantastic at what she does, I'm a newbie and still finding my feet with what is expected or needed! If your on Facebook or twitter get following :-)

So April is an exciting month with rehearsals beginning, lots of time off work, MonologueSlam launch etc so I will be updating you again soon!!! :-)

The end of the beginning.

Well this is even more delayed than any of the others I've done so will begin with a round up of the rest of February before moving onto march!!
Like i said Feb was the beginning of the start of the year for me so thats where the title of this blog comes from as feb has ended-in case you didnt know that! haha

Now the film had wrapped up i began looking for other projects and was having meeetings with a couple of friends of mine (one actor and the other director) about the possibility of putting on our show. We discussed lots of ideas and came up with a format. Unfortunately thats on hold at the moment due to my friend becoming a father!!! Eonderful news and wonderful reason to wait- he's a darling!

Along with that the discussions of The Lost Generation part 2 were starting to come through due to some interest in part 1, funding coming in and the fact it was the plan all along. We didn't know how soon it would be but i can reveal Part 2 is now in pre production with the possiblity of being shot in the next month or two :-) This made me very happy as you can imagine!

I also got a call from my old tutor from college who asked me if i would go in and speak to a couple of students who were interested in studying in America (which if you didn't know i did, i studied at AADA, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts) so i obliged of course, i love speaking to actors who are passionate, grounded and realistic. That same day i was having a meeting with mark Ashmore, the director of The Lost Generation in the morning which then turned into being shown round the sharp project in Manchester.
The two students I met were Ami and jerrell and they were both first years at my old college The Manchester college, formerly Shena Simon college. Jerrell has alot of links and family in the states so was very keen to go over but also was a very good basketball player so an advantage if he wants to get out there to study. Jerrell wants to act though so after speaking to them for over an hour about the academy we then went onto acting in general and i gave them the 101 of acting (if that's what its called) from CV's to agents, to attitude to cover letters etc etc what I know and have learnt I passed on. It was really lovely to have them say I inspired them and i made them more excited and determined to follow their dreams.

The Sharp Project is a really great space based in Manchester that is home to a massive number of creatives from animators, to web developers to photographers to directors all under one huge roof. The space isn't even complete yet but its already housing and renting alot of different things in there!

Well I'm going to round up February as my busiest yet, March will hopefully be just as busy but only time will tell :-)