Apostrophe Mix - April 2012

Apostrophe Mix - April 2012 from EleanorRoscuro on 8tracks.

• Pegasus - Prelude of Titus
• The Offspring - You're Gonna Go Far, Kid
• Franz Ferdinand - The Lobster Quadrille
• Valora - Extreme
• Biffy Clyro - The Captain
• Regina Spektor - Hero
• Hans Zimmer - My Mind Rebels At Stagnation
• Pegasus - Gormenghast

Kilkenny Youth Theatre would like to tell you a story, a story of family responsibility and tradition versus personal freedom and choice, a story about a very different place: Gormenghast. Where age-old rituals and traditions govern the lives of every person, where nothing has changed for thousands of years. In this forbidding landscape the old order is being confronted by two young men – Steerpike, the renegade kitchen boy who murders and seduces his way up the social ladder; and Titus, the seventy-seventh Earl, a child who comes to embody the change that threatens the very existence of his home – Gormenghast.


And that's what I've been doing for the past eleven weeks. That is what this mix is about.

Eleanor Roscuro

HELLO EVERYONE LOOK OVER HERE

Hey everyone! I want to tell you something.

Books are great, I mean really great. There's a book I just finished reading, Prim Improper by Deirdre Sullivan. It has a pretty cover:

...and is very good and you should read it.

Things I Am Doing This Week:


~ Watching Horrible Histories, on Tuesday and Sunday. Because it's the best television show for ever and ever.
~ Going to the National Festival of Youth Theatres, run by NAYD. I am extremely excited.
~ Seeing Lovers by Brian Friel, directed by Geoff Rose in the Watergate Theatre.
~ Falling in love with Special Benny.

I'm sorry this isn't longer, but this post will act as a sneak peek of future topics, because I intend to elaborate on all the above items. But I can't now, because in twenty minutes I have to go to the above Festival of Youth Theatres, I'm representing Kilkenny Youth Theatre at it with six others. It's going to be brilliant.

RANDOM PICTURE TIME!

Bye!

Christmas? What Christmas?

So it's a week until Christmas and I haven't said anything about it yet.

Wait, I have! That's done. Thank God. (You can tell that I haven't got any presents for anyone yet, or put up any decorations or the tree.)

Anyway.

It has become apparent that in 2011, I will be very busy.

The Junior Cert - For the uninitiated, if we all went to Hogwarts (!) I'd be doing my OWLs. 'shudder' Mocks in six weeks time, which is basically the same exam, but a little harder.


Kilkenny Youth Theatre - Remember a few months ago, when I kept talking about a strange play about vampires? Yeah, that's happening again. Only with less vampires and the teenage characters are undoubtedly human. Although I'm trying to get my castmates to come around to the idea of zombies. They're not budging. Killjoys. Oh, and the play is 'Paving Paradise' by Richard Conlon, if you're interested in coming. (COME COME COME)

Red Square Kibosh - So do you remember that thing I did during the summer where I became an art critic and everything? That didn't end when school came around. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to make any of the meetings since September, thanks to Number One up there. However, I was able to meet with the group a few weeks ago and we have gotten the opportunity to raid the archives of the Butler Gallery and curate our own art exhibition! But the months in which the exhibition will be open are May, June and July. June is the month of Number One, so I'm not sure if I will be able to do this. But I'll be damned if I won't try. That was what I said before Number Four. (Wait! What if I'm not allowed to say anything about that yet? Shit! Shit shit shit!)

Something That Is Absolutely Brilliant, I Can Assure You, But I'm Not Going To Tell You About It Yet Until A Bit More Time Passes - Sorry. But because of this, there is a very good chance that I probably won't be able to help curate the art exhibition. Interestingly, if it weren't for the Red Square Kibosh I would never have done this. But there you are. Irony, and life, and things.

And that's what I'll be doing for a good bit of 2011. Mostly until the summer time. Longer if I'm allowed back to kibosh things. Hopefully. I hate the taste of coffee, but maybe I should start drinking it. For the caffeine, you know? Ugh, no. I can't bear it. Tea and Coke it is!

Eleanor Roscuro

Quote Of The Week #31

I've been watching a lot of vampire films - Oh, you know, just thought I'd try and get to know you better. They say some great stuff. I mean, once you get past the cape era you start wondering what it's all a metaphor for - AIDS, heroin, anorexia, the spiralling chaos of western society, and not knowing the difference between good and evil - I mean not being able to define the terms. And they're sexy and heartbroken and mostly Californian, and they keep coming up with amazing cliches like 'It's easier to succumb to the darkness within than to fight the darkness without' and you think if it weren't for their nihilistic disregard for human life, they'd be the nearest thing we've got these days to gods!

Frank - A Vampire Story by Moira Buffini, Scene V

The Lion and Albert - Marriott Edgar

There's a famous seaside place called Blackpool,
That's noted for fresh air and fun,
And Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom
Went there with young Albert, their son.

A grand little lad was young Albert,
All dressed in his best; quite a swell
With a stick with an 'orse's 'ead 'andle,
The finest that Woolworth's could sell.

They didn't think much of the Ocean:
The waves, they were fiddlin' and small,
There was no wrecks and nobody drownded,
Fact, nothing to laugh at at all.

So, seeking for further amusement,
They paid and went into the Zoo,
Where they'd Lions and Tigers and Camels,
And old ale and sandwiches too.

There were one great big Lion called Wallace;
His nose were all covered with scars -
He lay in a somnolent posture,
With the side of his face on the bars.

Now Albert had heard about Lions,
How they was ferocious and wild -
To see Wallace lying so peaceful,
Well, it didn't seem right to the child.

So straightway the brave little feller,
Not showing a morsel of fear,
Took his stick with its 'orse's 'ead 'andle
And pushed it in Wallace's ear.

You could see that the Lion didn't like it,
For giving a kind of a roll,
He pulled Albert inside the cage with 'im,
And swallowed the little lad 'ole.

Then Pa, who had seen the occurrence,
And didn't know what to do next,
Said 'Mother! Yon Lion's 'et Albert',
And Mother said 'Well, I am vexed!'

Then Mr and Mrs Ramsbottom -
Quite rightly, when all's said and done -
Complained to the Animal Keeper,
That the Lion had eaten their son.

The keeper was quite nice about it;
He said 'What a nasty mishap.
Are you sure that it's your boy he's eaten?'
Pa said "Am I sure? There's his cap!'

The manager had to be sent for.
He came and he said 'What's to do?'
Pa said 'Yon Lion's 'et Albert,
'And 'im in his Sunday clothes, too.'

Then Mother said, 'Right's right, young feller;
I think it's a shame and a sin,
For a lion to go and eat Albert,
And after we've paid to come in.'

The manager wanted no trouble,
He took out his purse right away,
Saying 'How much to settle the matter?'
And Pa said "What do you usually pay?'

But Mother had turned a bit awkward
When she thought where her Albert had gone.
She said 'No! someone's got to be summonsed' -
So that was decided upon.

Then off they went to the P'lice Station,
In front of the Magistrate chap;
They told 'im what happened to Albert,
And proved it by showing his cap.

The Magistrate gave his opinion
That no one was really to blame
And he said that he hoped the Ramsbottoms
Would have further sons to their name.

At that Mother got proper blazing,
'And thank you, sir, kindly,' said she.
'What waste all our lives raising children
To feed ruddy Lions? Not me!'

'Orses 'Ead 'Andle

Many comic poems, I find, are not funny at all.

Except for one,

I think it's called 'The Lion and Albert',

And the only reason I find it funny

Is because of the memories it conjures

Up in my head,

Away from Blackpool,

And the fresh air and fun.

I can hear one of my biggest friends

Reading the poem to a group of children

Myself included (Where did you think I got the memory?

From a Pensieve?)

And not having to fake the required accent

As the group of children had to,

Because we are from Kilkenny,

And we talk flat.

And I can smell, hmm,

I can smell fresh paint,

And tobacco.

But this is the only place it smells sweet.

And I see little me,

I remember that day well.

(Actually, I only remember the moments in this place. But I digress.)

That was in Sixth Class I think.

(The beginning of the end, but we'll get to that later.)

And now the poem is over,

And the memory is gone.

But now that I think about it,

Isn't it a little pathetic that I have to read a poem to make myself happy?

And now that I think about it a little bit more,

No.

No, it isn't.

Isn't that what comic poems are for?

But now I've remembered -

They're not funny.

Just Enjoy The Show...

So there I was, drafting a post, when I decide to go on to Musings, to check for comments and see if anything needs to be fixed, when I found a comment from Ariella, saying that she had made her own blog award, and I was one of the first recipients! After whooping and running around a bit, I sat down and started fulfilling the requirements. Which is what I'm doing now. OK, I have to post 'the weirdest picture that you've ever seen or taken' and since I don't really take photos that are weird (I never get the opportunity...) here's the weirdest photo I have ever seen...

I didn't take this, but I was still present when this was taken. But that doesn't matter. Look at that arm! Oh, and SGuitar is there too, in the middle. He's quite new to blogging, so give him a read! Yep, this is what Kilkenny Youth Theatre do in their spare time... Told you we were awesome.

And now I have to answer questions.

*Have you ever used Photoshop?

No, but I have used Picasa. I can't make photos the size I want them to for PTS posts though, which is really annoying! (PTS is for another post, dearies...)

*Have you ever wanted to kill your camera because you couldn't get the perfect picture?

Many, many times. But I dropped it in the snow a few months ago, and now parts of it don't work right, and it makes me sad. And it's really frustrating.

*Have you ever taken a picture from the top of a very steep hill or a cliff?

I try not to go near the tops of very steep hills and cliffs.

And now I have to give the award to eight other people...

Lauri Angel

Thunder + Threads

Music and Life

Style Rookie

.{Miss Vintage Vixen}.

MessyCarla: A Fashion Blog In A Size Sixteen

Annalee McGarry

Dirty Kisses + Filthy Lies

High-Fives,

EleanorLight

Quote Of The Week #7

When life gives you lemons... SHUT UP AND EAT YOUR GODDAMN LEMONS!!!!

That's my friend Johnny. I just love that quote so much!

As you might guess from my recent posts, I've got the play on the brain... three days until the opening night!

A Vampire Story

I'm a member of Kilkenny Youth Theatre, which is part of Barnstorm Theatre Company, a really famous theatre company in Ireland who produces brilliant plays for children. In Kilkenny Youth Theatre, there are twelve of us, from 13 years to 16, and we're doing a play called A Vampire Story by Moira Buffini. And I play one of the main characters, Eleanor!!!!! (Everyone else finds it really confusing, since I'm also called Eleanor (duh!) and another main character called Ella is called Eleanor by everyone else in the play. Everyone else gets really mixed up, but I find it hilarious.)

In the play, sixteen year-old Eleanor and twenty-one year-old Claire arrive in a nameless small town. Their relationship is not clear. Are they really sisters, or is Claire Eleanor's mother? Eleanor goes to school and Claire gets a job in a pub.

During an exercise in her drama class, Eleanor confesses that she has been alive for over two hundred years and has survived by drinking human blood. Her classmates think she is utterly crazy and Mint, her teacher, puts her in touch with the school counsellor. She makes one friend, Frank, a boy who has been home educated and is as much of an oddity as Eleanor. He tries to get to the bottom of her vampire delusion, thinking it an epic and compelling psychosis. Why would anyone want to be undead?

Frank’s parents believe that Ella is an anorexic - why does she never eat? Eleanor has started to write her life story as a play. She describes Claire’s background as a prostitute in 19th century London and her own as a child in a private orphanage. Meanwhile, things are falling apart. People are disappearing. Are Eleanor and Claire vampires? Or are they troubled young women on the run?

The play is split between the 19th and 21st centuries. I play Eleanor in the 19th century, and my friend Bronagh plays Eleanor in the 21st. I'm so excited! As rehearsals go on, I'll be posting pictures, and perhaps even videos! I'm so happy!