A first thought about a Pause moment: st Augustine church poster that says, "god may be calling you but not on your mobile." Oh how things have changed!
I saw a wonderful, tiny, older woman walking with her groceries and it sounds silly but I sort of gently followed her for a bit, watching her way of life and the cadence of her step. Then her whole face lit up because she recognized a child and gave the child an enormous hug. I felt odd then continuing to follow and I left this woman.
I searched the streets, around the back of the Apollo, saw men loading things in and out of locations.
I went to the underground station to find the older gentlemen who I found had kind eyes each morning when I left the station. I pursued the entire station first thinking where he might eat and go for breaks or shop for a book etc. Two younger men called out names to be on the escalator and it made me think about this exercise and the vibes we give out. I was in such positive and observant spirits and they darkened that temporarily - how fragile we are.
Then there was Malcolm. He had worked for the underground for 12 years, more recently at this station "sometimes on the tickets, sometimes here". He expressed his love for theatre and that he is a member at Riverside. He said be was happy to meet but not if it interfered with his matinee of Spamalot.
Then I talked to Frankie & an Indian woman at the Cornish pasty stall in the station. Her plan was to work for "the next 10 years straight to have lots of money and never work again in India."
I walked after down to a local, cluttered hard ware store with a rather annoyed British man (Peter) running it. I annoyed him further with my ignorance on bathroom washers, and ended up buying one for 30p. I figured his annoyance was basically just shy ness or feeling misunderstood. I asked him for a coffee to get to know him the following day and he said, "no but a pint is good." So we're on for 5:30 at the Eagle.
After leaving the hardware store a rubbish collecting gent stopped me (Galab, 55) and told me ... Everything. About his 3 marriages and two current girlfriends and 5 children and how he was a champion boxer... all with his endearing Spanish accent & vibrant nature. He talked openly & loudly in the sunny street about sex with his wife and money and life and nature and more about sex and more about boxing and told me to "never have children because they are too expensive but to have one in 5 years and it should be a boy." He would have been an ideal story partner but he is only around on Tuesdays and "goes to church with the family Sundays and goes out to the disco-Tec with his girlfriend on Saturdays." This chance meeting made me think about how Moving Stories is exactly that, a moving thing, and something will just certainly be in the moment - a living, evolving theatre.
After this I summoned my guts and pressed the big bell outside the fire station. A clean cut British gent from Mancester came to the door and let me in. After trying to explain what we are trying to create and the theme of our piece he finally got it :) and he brought me into the station further. I saw the poles and the trucks and was pretty excited abo all this. They had hilarious posters of Boris everywhere and he was very helpful and self effacing. Tom said "Simon and Billy would be perfect for this." Then he buzzed them downstairs loudly so the entire building could hear this command, and on second thought he said over the systems "but it's not important". I laughed and he said "sorry but I just meant its not an emergency." Fair enough! Billy and Simon came down, they all understood the project. Try showed me the calendar for the different watches. They said "we're green watch which is the best and the next best is white watch, you'll love them because they just started and they are full of beans and young handsome guys - good for telly!" I explained it was like documentary theatre and not on TV :). Simon and Billy started making up funny stories about "their first love" and "the first thing they ever killed" and things like that, but I could tell they were genuinely very bright men with hearts and would definitely be up for an open dialogue one on one. Simon made fun of the Fulham station where he came from saying, "it's much better over here, at least they don't speak in monosyllables and most of them read the guardian." They kept using bigger and bigger words after that almost to be the chosen one for the project! They kept saying"draconian and Machiavellian, etc".
They were very excited about my idea of showing "the human being behind this heroic position" but they were concerned about the bureaucracy of it and they got my on the phone pitching to the head of the fire department for London, David. David kept saying, " are you am actress? What exactly is this?!" But I eventually won him over. Now I have to email him the pitch and see what he says.
After the Fire Brigade extravaganza, I took my own... Pause... In the children's room of the Hammersmith library. The ceiling was covering in strings of colourful little socks and I was the only one in the room. :)
Next stop was M & S because Mandy the baker always interested me. I suppose I've been drawn to people who seem a bit wounded but there is a true kindness that comes out if you spend a moment, like warming cold butter in your hand. (I bake a lot) :)
She agreed to a meeting the following morning and said I could come back and meet her here again. The customers were quite aggressive with her and it made for a strange dichotomy.
Walking back I was aware of how and where I would walk/pause. I saw I man outside his flat in the council flats at 2 Bath Place, and he was smoking. I was desperate to talk to him but didn't for some reason. Instead I stopped in my tracks and we looked at each other, with fairly neutral stares, and then he went inside.
There was a "experience healing today" sign which seemed an appropriate way to conclude.
I noticed so many men who were collecting rubbish were on their phones so I could not approach. I turned and hadn't noticed there were two men fixing a car and lying underneath it who had been watching me watch the man having a cigarette. Chain of observing! ...
I took one last little poke down a different route where Sid and Jane had set off. I talked to a young woman in a falafel shop named Sarah from France with stunning blue eyes. She said she probably couldn't take part because "she was young and hadn't lived yet" ... Something tells me that would be inaccurate :).
I got back to Riverside Studios and I saw the cleaner, Marlene, who I often talk too. We had this banter right off the bat for some reason. She kept trying to take me to the front desk or the cafe because she maybe thoughts wanted tickets. I kept saying "you're the one I want to talk to!" And her face lit up and she giggled. We set a meet up for 4pm after her shift tomorrow. She works 6 days a week at the Riverside. I am probably most looking forward to talking to her.
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