h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have just spent much of my Sunday running around shouting, threatening someone and fondling young women. However, it should be noted in mitigation that I was doing so in the cause of art, under the direction of another young woman.

Yes, I'm rehearsing for another show. And this time, I get to play a sleazy, lecherous git.

What's more, I'm doing so in a piece of classical drama: a segment of Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' (Act 3, Scene 2) in which I'm appearing as Demetrius. It's being staged as part of an unusual sort of show: 'Off The Page', taking place at the Bradford Theatre In The Mill on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week (Nov. 25-27).

'Off The Page' is a kind of theatrical Christmas selection box, featuring excerpts from five very different dramas. As well as our slice of Shakespeare, there's also portions of 'A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg', an Alan Bennett monologue called 'The Outside Dog', and two comic pieces called 'A Boy's Life' and 'Essex Girls'. It promises to be a varied and vibrant night's entertainment, and it starts each evening at 7:30. Tickets are a bargain £4.50 (concessions £3).

One pleasant side-effect of this show is that I've been playing a lot of my old David Bowie records. I was reminded of him because we're doing our Shakespeare segment in modern dress, and my look for the show - suit, white shirt and severely slicked-back hair - is very Thin White Duke.

But will I end up as a cracked actor?

I love reading your journal entries about the parts you've been playing . It sounds like you're having so much fun!

Good luck with your show (or am I supposed to say 'break a leg'?), wish I could see it.

Sounds fab Ormy!

Will be thinking of you on performance nights

Do let up know how its goes ...

It went splendidly, thank you. ! Not that there weren't minor hitches: our Puck got himself entangled in the ropes he was meant to swing on one night, and we almost had a garotted goblin on our hands. But in the end nothing went seriously wrong, and we were well received. I had one lovely compliment after I came off stage on Saturday when someone told me that she'd never understood Shakespeare before hearing me perform it. I was so touched and taken aback I totally failed to get her phone number, so obviously my lascivious Demetrius persona hadn't completely taken hold.

* giggles * I am glad we have not lost our Ormy totally!

Sounds like it was a great show - well done

What are your next acting plans?

, !

I actually don't have any more firm acting plans right now. I have asked to audition for a couple of short films that some electronic media students at the University I'm at are making, but that's all very uncertain at the moment. If it happens, I'd be filming in February and March.

But my next *performing* plans are more definite. I'm singing in the next concert by BUSOM (the Bradford University Society of Operatta and Musicals). We're doing a show called 'BUSOM With Bells On' at the Uni a week on Thursday (the 9th), doing numbers from 'Cabaret', 'Chicago', 'The Rocky Horror Show' and various other musicals. We're finishing with a rather lovely four-part harmony arrangement of 'White Christmas'. Just call me Bing...

First you're the Thin White Duke, and now you're Bing. Don't you think that hogging BOTH parts of 'The Little Drummer Boy' is being just a tad greedy

* giggles *

Sounds like fin Ormy! Be sure to let us know how it gos

'Sounds like fin'? Where? Where?

who swapped the 'i' key and the 'u' key round?