Open House Madness, Film Festival Progression & A Trip To The Mushroom Kingdom

Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. The first full week of December saw me prepping for a big event whilst also coming to the end of my cold. But I still managed to be productive whilst also taking some time to rest and recuperate for the event itself. 

Acting class:

This week was the final rehearsal of the pantomime for the open house event (but not before I had a nice cup of tea as seen above which also helped me with the backend of my cold). Now that it’s drawing nearer and nearer I’d be lying if I said I wasn't nervous about it. I just feel more nervous for my follow classmates, as I know some of them have more directions to follow. But never the less I know they can do it! My teacher also mentioned how the day will be abit all over the place. Yes it’d not ideal for autistic people like myself but it’s how I deal with it that matters. And after doing some stuff in my personal life to help me relax (which I’ll mention later on), I think I’ll be more zen for the day. Here is also a screenshot of me and my fellow AW member showing our stuff in the final rehearsal! 

Open House Event:

Before I knew it, the moment came... the big open house event! And I think it actually went really well! The pantomime went better than I expected and my monologue went perfectly (which you can see what I wore for it below)! I did however have a little blip (which I’ll mention later on in this blog), but that didn’t stop me from having a good day, meeting people I wouldn’t normally get to meet. I'll be doing a full review of the day in a later blog, and as it'll be the anniversary of The Actors Workshop Nottingham next year, I feel it'll be a good time to release it then!

Act on This podcast:

This weeks Act On This podcast I caught up on was with the incredible Kelly Valentine Hendry. I’m gutted I can’t get Disney plus, because the process of how she casted rivals was just fascinating. But maybe a free trial to Disney plus may help me catch up on it, and I also liked what she said about taking more care of herself.  Yes winter is the time to get ahead of the game for 2025, but because she was poorly hence why it took her a while to get back on, it made her realise she needed to take a step back at some point (as she stated that things could be fatal if she wasn’t careful). But overall a brilliant session with a casting legend!

Film festival:

This week I also managed to get my film submitted to another festival (which you can see below). This is another small step completed, as the more festivals we send it to the better. But we still need some more donations if we want to get it to those film festivals. Please see the link here to my go fund me page where you'll be able to make a donation, even if its as little as £5.

https://gofund.me/03a5fce7

Shows I watched:

Coronation Street:

This week I managed to catch up on the cobbles from the week commencing 25th November. And there was a lot going on. I get why Sam is annoyed with Nick, and after Leanne secretly saw the hotel booking, I think she’ll get more suspicious when she sees Nick and toyah together. not the best time given that her dad Les (who I’ve heard was quite the character), had passed away. But one thing with a battersby is you don’t want to mess them about. And after Betsy nearly makes a crucial error linking to matty and Logan, I’m just thankful Carla was convinced on not telling her. And rightfully so, for the sake of Lisa who decides to give things a go. I also wonder if Lisa will tell Betsy the truth about how matty knows what happened to Becky? But she looks like she may have a battle on her hands, as alyas return from Ireland threw a spanner in the works. And it looks like she may have gotten her relationship with Adam back on track. Although after seeing a couple of spoilers, I think it’s not going to end well. Max also stood his ground with regards to Lauren, and I’m glad that he talked Dee Dee round into helping Lauren convince the panel on why she should be with Frankie in the mother and baby unit. I’m also glad that Frankie will be in safe hands with the platts as well when needed, but they may be in for a battle when Shona wants to see Clayton, as it may put her relationship with David to the test. Finally Chesney is having a real rough time of it, as even though he convinced Gemma he’ll be fine, a run in with a van and the death of Les may cause more problems for him to come. 

Hollyoaks:

Mondays addition of Hollyoaks saw Frankie getting everyone together on the hunt for Darren after she found a clue. And jack was right in saying that despite no luck the search wasn’t a waste of time, as it’s moments like this where it’s good to try and fail than wondering what if. But when Robbie revealed a shocking revelation, I wonder how Vicky will be able to help work his way out of it? Dilly also got Jeremy to see sense after lashing out at John Paul, but she and Prince have a lot of explaining to do after she caught the two of them doing something they shouldn’t. Finally leelas flashbacks have definitely pushed her over the edge, but the question is I wonder if she’ll tell the truth or not? Tuesdays episode saw Joel pick the wrong time and place to question Leela about her “infidelity”, especially as it was Mercedes christening for her babies. But after the truth on who the real dad is I know that resident is going to manipulate her just like Cleo. I also think that after todays episode and after seeing the winter trailer, grace and Freddie’s relationship may be put to the test when Mercedes starts to let her feelings for Freddie grow. And after Zoe caught prince and Dilly doing the dirty, it was dilly who convinced Zoe to give him another chance and even move out in order to avoid trouble. And Vicky won’t rest until she gets the truth from Robbie, and I understand the reaction when he reveals all! Finally despite no luck on Darren, Frankie finally got some news with regards to the transplant, meaning she can finally get justice. Finally Wednesdays episode saw Leela confiding in Abe about the night where Clara was conceived, not knowing he has a big part in it. All while planning his wedding to Peri. Vicky also made it clear to Robbie that they were over, and I dread to think how he’ll react when she turns to Freddie. Although Freddie may be in danger himself, as whilst supporting Mercedes through her cancer treatment, I do wonder if she likes him more as a friend? Although after looking at the winter trailer grace will not be a happy girl despite showing her support. 

Eastenders:

The streets of Walford was once again filled with drama, twists and turns. Monday's episode saw Stacey giving Eve a real talking to about her relationship with Suki. But that grand gesture she did saved the day. But after a call nugget took from Nish, something tells me Christmas will be explosive. I also felt bad for Kojo when Cindy tried to keep quiet about what happened, but after taking too much on, I think she’ll feel even more guilty when Ian is rushed to hospital. Yolanda also doesn’t seem to be in the Christmas spirit (but I did read about a hard hitting storyline she was in), and Mo was brave to make her own stall at the market. Although, Honey was right when she mentioned she needed to have a license. And Lauren and Peter seemed to have patched things up, but I wonder when the truth about the pain killers will come out. Tuesdays episode saw Suki see Nish after he took a turn for the worse following a call from nugget in the previous episode. Nish is adamant to stop her marrying Eve, but I dread to think what he’ll have next after the doctor plays a big part of his plan. I also get why Ian doesn’t want to tell Cindy the full truth, but she has bigger things to face after Kojo told junior what she said to him (which I really felt for him), and at least he’s able to tell Cindy he wasn’t impressed (although that didn’t stop him from joining up with Cindy again). I’m just surprised that Kojo didn’t tell the full truth to George, but in some ways it was partly true that George and Elaine needed to go on their honeymoon. Mo also has a very interesting idea after a hilarious encounter with Harvey, and Yolanda is still lacking the Christmas spirit after what happened in the past. But we all need a man like Patrick to bring some joy back into the world. And I dread to think how jeans meeting with a solicitor will go. Wednesdays episode proved fatal for Jean, as after Stacey turned to jack for advice, it’s only made the situation go from bad to worse. And you have to feel for Jean as none of it was her fault. Nicola was also intrigued in Sharon love life after grilling honey about her love life. If that’s not a sign of the green eyed monster then I don’t know what is. And finally, Nugget was confused about why Nish only wanted to see Suki, but she’s right when she tells her son that Nish is trying to pour hate into everyone else’s family. Ravi also took a big step in not ruining Sukis happiness, and whilst everyone else thinks it’s the end, little do they know that it’s only just the beginning. Finally, Thursdays episode saw the news of Nish’s escape spreading, and also looking for Nugget, who is not taking the news well. And despite a rocky start, things are looking up for Sharon and teddy, and Nicola is clearly jealous! Lauren is also struggling to keep her cool and Jean is now panic stricken over being scammed twice, and I know Harvey is trying to help. Finally, I think Kim, Mo and Nicola will soon become the next big trio after they decide to help each other out with their businesses (and Kim using her social media skills to promote their work obviously). 

Personal:

Exercise:

This week the only exercise I did was my yoga routines. But I made sure it gave me a good session as due to my cold I didn’t want to go full throttle and make myself ill again. And that's okay, as sometimes even the greatest athletes need to rest and recover.

Rest:

Because I was still battling the last part of my cold I knew I needed to rest, especially on the last few days before the event on 8th. And you know what, I don’t feel guilty about it! As rest is just as important as being productive, meaning you’re able to come back stronger!  

Survey:

This week I managed to complete some surveys, and with the amount I've done, I would say I'm quite pleased with myself. Another form of rest and relaxation and a nice way to earn abit of money!

Colouring in:

This week in order to help me relax for the show I turned to the world of colouring in. Yes it’s normally considered as an activity for children, but you’d be surprised by how therapeutic it can be. As during the middle of the week, I did feel my mind racing, but after ten minutes on the book I suddenly felt at ease and went into the state of flow. 

Super Mario Bros Movie:

This week I also got a chance to relive some childhood memories and watch the Super Mario Movie. It was great to watch something for the enjoyment and not just for research on where I see myself in the industry. I'll be writing a full review of the film along with other movies I watched this year so keep your eyes peeled...

Shows I watched:

Strictly Come Dancing:

This week I only managed to finish the musicals week of the well known Ballroom and Latin show. Pete and Jowita brought a romantic Waltz from West Side Story, and JB and Lauren definitely flew a kite with a Viennese Waltz from Mary Poppins! Overall, it was a brilliant end to musicals week and why i love this genre so much!

I'm A Celebrity:

This weeks I’m a celebrity was epic. I didn’t watch the last two episodes this week due to preparing and resting for my show and also having to be at my day job the morning before. But there was still lots to see! Alan’s and Colleen's prank after their trail ended up being a lovely surprise for camp, and the letters from home really were emotional to watch! Oti also did an amazing job doing a trial that Dean failed on, and Danny’s life as a band member really shows that it’s not all positive, and that it can be mentally draining. I also would love a trip to the jungle Arms if I was offered a chance, and The Arcade of Agony in the fight for Celebrity Cyclone was competitive, and I’m glad Oti won her place and also immunity from the first two vote offs! As well as Danny’s life in a band, it’s also refreshing to see some campmates talk about being parents and also what it’s like to live in the limelight when there are cameras everywhere (something I need to consider as I develop my career as an actor). Finally Reverend Richard is one brave man to get an extra star and win camp a drink each, and seeing the camp mates loved ones really brought tears to my eyes as seen below! 

Gogglebox:

This week I managed to watch a full episode of Gogglebox as part of my self care routine prepared for the show. All I can say is after seeing them react to “Subservience”, I don’t think I want to get a robot, and “Meet the Rees-Moggs” is literally the equivalent of the Kardashian’s. “Scan Interceptors” is also an example of when AI is a bad thing, and Denise Van Outen gave us some good tips for saving money for the winter. I also think that “The Last Woodsman” really needed to think better on their plan, and were right to suggest that a woman will probably do a better job, and it was really heartbreaking to see one of the Goggleboxer's reactions when watching the news about assisted dying. Finally, when I head to Shri Lanka, I need to get some food ready for Rajah the elephant and as much as I loved the inspiration for door decorations on "This Morning", I think it'll make things abit complicated for me personally. But they do look amazing, I'll give them that.

Hard Times:

I think some hard times for me this week was coming to the back end of my cold. And because of it, it did made me miss out on certain events. It was a shame also but because I needed to rest for Sunday I knew I didn’t want to overdo it. And during the event itself whilst I had a good day, one of my pieces of theatre didn’t go to plan. And what I meant by that was that even though I did a small bit of it to one person, like with the other bits of pop up theatre I expected for the audience to be silent and have their attention on me. And because of that, it did cause me to have abit of a blip. And in the end I decided not to try again, as I didn’t want to get overwhelmed. And because it was a long day for me also, I didn’t want to make myself worse. I guess another drawback to the event was not seeing everything and having to miss the group number. It was a shame yes but at the same time because I was at work that morning and because the weather has been really bad, I knew I needed to get back early. But that didn’t stop me from having a good day. 

What have I learnt this week? A few things actually which are the following... I can do it. If I have wobble, take a breath and come back when I'm ready. And just because something didn't work this time, it doesn't mean it'll work every time. As lets just say I got a little bit of impostor syndrome after my attempt of bringing my little yellow friend with the black ears didn't go to plan as mentioned before, but we learn from them and I know I will come back from it stronger than before!

See you soon for another blog. Until next time...

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)