Tag: Di Botcher

Cardiff East by Peter Gill, Cottesloe Theatre, 22 February 1997

My log is quite clear about our opinion of this piece:

It was dreadful. We walked out at half time.

But wait – look at the stellar cast. Here’s the Theatricalia entry for it. Kenneth Cranham, Karl Johnson, Elizabeth Estensen, Windsor Davis…

…and Di Botcher. Di Botcher who directed Newsrevue in 1994 and seemed so keen on my stuff. Where’s the mutual support?

Well, in truth I do think that Di Botcher can act. Her role in this miserablist piece, as far as I could tell, was mostly to stand around looking miserable. Di stood around looking miserable with aplomb.

Here’s what our friend Michael Billington had to say…and you know for sure that when he uses the phrases “important” and “not an easy evening” that misery must be part of it:

Billington On Cardiff EastBillington On Cardiff East Thu, Feb 13, 1997 – 2 · The Guardian (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

East of Cardiff…

Michael Coveney in the Observer speaks more highly of it…

Michael Coveney on Cardiff EastMichael Coveney on Cardiff East Sun, Feb 16, 1997 – 73 · The Observer (London, Greater London, England) · Newspapers.com

…perhaps we should have stuck it out to the second half after all. But we were about to fly off to Lebanon & Syria just over a week later, so time was at a premium…and they really know how to play for sympathy over there.

We didn’t learn our lesson about Peter Gill’s miserablist Welsh plays, because just over 10 years later we went to see a revival of Small Change at the Donmar and got precious little out of that one either:

Small Change by Peter Gill, Donmar Warehouse, 12 April 2008

Some folk never learn, mark you.

My Second Invoice For NewsRevue Stuff, 10 September 1994

When I left Binders and started Z/Yen, I traded as a sole trader for a couple of months while forming the group of companies and getting the corporate business ready to trade.

I was very careful to make sure that all of my self-employed income was properly invoiced and recorded at that time. Following consultattion with the tax authorities on the phone, we agreed that, for that short period of time, I couldn’t/shouldn’t try to separate my writer/media self from my business start-up self, so for a short while I invoiced my writing activities through Z/Yen and even (for some of the weeks) paid over VAT on the royalties.

This was the second of the invoices, raised on the same day as the first. The electronic version of the first seems to have become corrupted, but I shall probably be able to dig out a physical version of it and scan it up to Ogblog in the fullness of time.

I will have raised the invoice only after receiving the dosh, so Harriet will not have had to do anything with the invoice – I suspect she studied it for at least 5 seconds before deep filing it in the wastepaper basket. Harriet?

When printed out it looked like this – click here.

Z/Yen
                                                                                                                                  Ian Harris
12 Clanricarde Gardens
London W2 4NA
(071) 243-0725
E-mail:  zyenilh@zyenharri.win-uk.net

INVOICE – FILE COPY
                                                                           VAT REG NO GB 646 1995 04
 
FAO Harriet Quirk Date: 10 September 1994
News Revue                                                           Tax point: 1 August 1994
Canal Cafe Theatre
Delamere Terrace
London
W2

INVOICE TO:News Revue
ACCOUNT REF:NR01
INVOICE NO:02002
 
In respect of songs and sundry patter for the News Revue show (known as Di’s run) during the period 7 July to 31 July 1994.
 
 
                                                                                                                   £
 
ROYALTIES                                                                                                                     48.26
 
 
VAT  – NIL (tax point prior to VAT registration)                                                                         –
 
                                                                                                                                  ————-
TOTAL                                                                                                                           £48.26
                                                                                                                                     =====

Letter To Di Botcher Re NewsRevue, 27 June 1994

Di Botcher 27 June 1994
News Revue
 
Dear Di
 
SONGS

 
A couple of rewrites and a couple of new ones. The only recording I have of Flintstones is a great pastiche in the style of Bruce Springsteen. It’s a shame we don’t have a saxophonist! Hope you like the songs.
 
See you soon. Hope all is going well.
 
Yours sincerely
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ian Harris
 
 

Submission To Di Botcher, NewsRevue, 23 June 1994

LIST OF SONGS SUBMITTED AND TAPE TRACK LISTING
 
DI JULY-AUGUST 1994 RUN
 
Dear Di
 
I enclose your starter pack of lyrics and tape for my offerings.  The pack consists of new songs, songs currently in the show and one or two rewrites of older ones etc. If you want me to work on an old chestnut of mine that you might have uncovered in the archive, just let me know.
 
Feel free to call me and let me know if you are short of any subjects or styles and I shall try to oblige.  Also, if any of these need a bit of rewrite then I am happy to change them on request.
 
Good luck and look forward to seeing you soon