The darkling wood…

Well, that’s a record. I’ve usually managed at least twice-yearly updates, but I find nearly a year has flown by without my noticing it. Time seems to hurtle ever faster.

I left you as I embarked on the adventure of King Lear for the RSC last autumn; and what an odyssey it was (topical)! After a first-ever appearance for the RSC in the Isles of Scilly, we toured from Cornwall to Skegness, the Isle of Wight to the Isle of Sheppey, finishing in Kent, my home county. Playing to the young audiences (for whom the show was particularly made, though adults loved the cut-down, no-nonsense nature of the production, too) was thrilling – hearing their IMMEDIATE feedback in the school halls, their shock or surprise at Gloucester’s blinding, or Lear’s death or whatever. An absolute joy.

After such a busy ’25 (five shows, two mini-tours for The School of Night, audio recordings etc.), I should have known that 2026 would turn out very different. I opted out of any touring for six months while my son prepared for and sat his GCSEs, so work has been a patchwork of School of Night gigs (7 so far this year), teaching and tutoring, medical roleplay, a couple of audio gigs (more material for Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, which has been a blast!), workshops – and currently, a lovely outdoor entertainment at Dover Castle. After the summer, who knows…