Invitation - come the island where one is harvested for spare parts

Lincoln Six-Echo (McGregor) is a cliche of a cliche utopian but contained cliche in the mid cliche century. Like all of the cliches of this carefully cliched cliche, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Cliche" - clichedly the last uncontaminated spot on the cliche. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie. He and all of the other inhabitants of the facility are actually human clones. Lincoln makes a daring escape with a beautiful cliche resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Johansson). Clichedly cliched by the forces of the cliche cliche that once cliched them, Cliche and Cliche cliche in a cliche for their lives to literally cliche a bad pun.

I don't know why this idea bothered me, when most films I like are certainly influenced by all over the place. It shouldn't be any impedement. Perhaps it's the way the blurb tries to make the situation sound so shocking. But the reviews were densely positive, and I want to do something on friday that doesn't require much organising. So:

Cinema trip, this friday (19th), to see the 17.40 showing of "The Island", followed by food, probably at the Zebra. (Book your own tickets.)

Apologies for the early time, but the next showing would be too late for food after. Meet 17.30 for 17.40 by the ticket machines in the foyer.

Home and Tolkien 2005

It was strange being back in worcester. Everything was narrower than I remembered :) But it was lovely to see mum and dad, I think I'd missed them more than I'd realised. It didn't last very long, but we had a concentrated day and a half together, and then I got off to Tolkien 2005.

I know everyone else disagrees, but I enjoyed the weather we had.

I was curious to see the lectures, and some were very interesting/amusing, though all in all I probably might as well have gone to an oxonmoot. But the CTS managed a staggering number of performances, which was why I really wanted to go.

The Reduced Silmarillion COmpany, (by Matthew, Matthew, Matthew and Mark and a something or performing eagles) was really great, though I need to reread the silmarilion and remember more of it. I won't try and reproduce any of the jokes, you have to see it, but if you've seen a 'reduced' company before you'll know the idea; much simplified costumes and collapsing of large battles into one arm movement. This performance was especially successful because the audience really knew the material and hence got the jokes :) Unquestionably see it if you ever get the chance though the actors are rather tired of it now and intend to get away from it...

The Radio Play. For maybe the last time the CTS did a readthrough of selected portions of the radio play. It was very fun, and very much adored despite being at Early O'clock on sunday. For this and RSC[1][2] people were coming up to the casts all weekend thanking them, helped of course by the identifying T-shirts. And I think this one was the one with the standing ovation; the others were on the cusp.

[1] LOTG presumably being too late in the weekend; it was certainly popular enough.
[2] For crying out loud, how many Reduced foo Companies are there? How many have the acronym RSC? :)

I had the usual smattering of small parts including Odo Proudfoot. I felt very guilty when I managed to arrive late (having non-on-site accomodation) due to difficulty getting up at 7, trying to get a vegetarian breakfast at the busy time whilst chatting to a netball team, and then jogging across brum, but felt it was completely made up for by not missing any lines, and managing to burst in just at Bilbo's speach, calling out "PROUDFEET" from the back of the room.

Mole and Esther singing. You can't get away from the CTS at T2k5. Esther signed her first autographs!

Lord of the Goons by Tim Kelby, Tim Kelby, Tim Kelby, Anna Slack and Tim Kelby. I've heard it before, but by Ephal is it good. Like the others it benefited enormously from having a large, drunk, audience intimitely familiar with LOTR (and with a significant minority having seen the goon show too :)); all sorts of things got applause, though that rather ruined some of the jokes dependant on reading out fictional stage directions predicted on no applause :)

The CTS should spin off a complete drama society. People were certainly planning some sketches for next year, with Matthew D provisionally suggesting he'd help collate offerings so we can decide which to enact. I should have a go at parlaying my acceptable story writing into a performance career...