Officially (2nd time!) off the TEAM van, into "The Clinic"!

So my second spell on tour with TEAM Educational Theatre Company's Jumping On My Shadow has come to an end.  There were its ups and downs, but overall there was good fun to be had.  I really enjoyed working with the new cast and it was nice to relive the role of Josip once more....

But what's important here is, now the show has finished on Thursday 4th June...  We had our wrap party on the night with dinner & drinks on the company!!!! Woohoo!!!

It kicked off at the chosen venue, KOH - a fancy upperclass Thai restaurant - for drinks from 18:30.  Everyone that was involved in this years tour was invited, and the night was just getting started....

Jenny McDonald (who was responsible for our post-show follow up workshops with schools we attended) is surrounded by the parents workshop crew (they did a workshop with the adult audience attending our show while the actors worked with the kids) - Ismail, Hasan, and Kieran Allen.

Aine would love this pic...  I'll say no more.... 

Andy with our lovely general manager from TEAM, Orla (who happened to be in charge of the bill on the night also... ) TEAM's lovely ladies - Valeria (administrator) and Nora (Education Director).

Myself, pictured here with our touring stage/production manager, Baz (aka. Barry).  Decent chap... when he wasn't trying to kill us on the road most time... 

Hmmm...  Too much male bonding going on, I decided I had to turn my attention to the ladies.... 

Above, with my lovely co-stars Aine and Eimear respectively.....

.... And here with the ladies from the office, Valeria and Nora.

Come 21:00 it's the most important part of the night.... Dinner time!!!! 

Everyone was so hungry at that point, we were wolfing down our starters but the laughs and banter kept up all through the night.

Didn't have time to take all pictures of my meal but here's a look at my own personal vegetarian starter (while the other carnivores shared a huge starter platter) before I demolished it all along with the rest of my meal.... 

Five months of touring is a long time....  And despite some crazy moments we all pulled through and there is much love all round since as our company name says, TEAM is team. 

The whole party of Jumping On My Shadow 2009.

The party was full swinging, and Baz brought along this cowboy hat with him...

.... and for whatever reason it seemed to have a crazy effect on whoever dons it....!!

Mind you, John Breen (TEAM's new Artist Director since March) looks rather cool and calm....

.... Actually come to think of it, it's nothing to do with the hat but maybe certain insane individuals themselves....

.... 

The cowboy hat theme didn't just die there though.  As the night drew on, few of us moved on to another destination.  My dear Kate Ferris (our previous stage manager from the tour last year - see my blog Hoo-roo, Kate!) is back in Ireland on holidays from Australia, and we caught wind of herself, Dave Ferguson and Georgina McKevitt (my fellow cast members from last years show) are out and about so we decided to join them

And it's there the hat wearing phase had hit Dave also!!!

I decided to give this cowboy thing a go too.... 

.... Nah, it looks better on Aine....

Andy clearly doesn't seem impressed with my attempt to look "cool"....

Here's me chilling with Andy and Dave, who both played the role of my "adoptive father", Mr Miah in the play Jumping On My Shadow.  Funny times I've had with them both on seperate tours.... 

So here we have it, just like our play Jumping On My Shadow - where the past and the present merge together - we have our production from 2008 meet their counterparts from this years 2009 TEAM and myself the Josip who holds the two cast as one... 

As much as I would have liked to have party on the night, that wasn't going to happen....  I parted with most of the others for fortune has it (or unfortunate timing considering the condition I was in... ) I landed a small role in a TV series and was to film the following day, Friday 5th June!!!  So I had a mighty early call at 6:45 that morning after such a late night.... 

The TV show I was shooting for is called "The Clinic".  It's an Irish made medical drama, and the popular show is filming it's 7th series.  That's pretty good going for an Irish produced TV series, and I have to say although I never really followed the series myself, from what I saw of it before it is a show with good qualities and standards compared to other things coming from our stations....

My role was outside of the medical field, but inside a seedy little gambling den where high stakes Texas Hold 'Em Up is at play.  I play McCann (don't I just like one???  Well at least it's away from your typical Lee, Ling, Chen, etc. I've played all along!!! ) who doesn't look like he has any luck at the table nor has he any fashion sense....

McCann - the worst poker player sporting the dodgiest 70's disco shirt.....  I clearly look impressed with myself don't I....? 

More "amazing" shirts to be worn....  Oh yeah....

Despite my appearance, I did get to work with leading actor, Dominic Mafham, a wonderful British actor and true gentleman.  And also Alison Doody (from Indiana Jone & Last Crusade & A View To Kill fame).  She's still looking good as always.

It was a long days shoot, but I really enjoyed the experience and it was nice to have finally made an appearance in the series....

.... Once the shoot finished though and I was driven back home, I did fall really sick....    Just literally crashed and burnt out, and was bed ridden all day Saturday.  How the irony, doing a show about "The Clinic" and there I was needing to attend one for real!!!

Thankfully it wasn't that severe that I needed any medical attention, but with good rest I made fast recover and within two days I was back in full spin kicking mode! 

So there it is, the TEAM journey put to an end.  "The Clinic" already attended.  What lies ahead is yet to be discovered....  We shall see in given time.... 

Peace & Best Wishes,

Alan