Hi there. Well this is bloody weird isn't it. I'm in my small but perfectly formed flat in Bethnal Green that (thank all the gods old and new) has a balcony upon which the sun is pleased to shine every morning. I go out every couple of days and I social distance like a mofo. I make sure I speak to at least one other human being online every day. Sometimes that's a student, but my students are all lovely, and equally grateful to see a new face, so it counts. I've joined two online theatre companies, have nearly finished the fourth draught of the play I've been writing for a year, have set up a home recording studio for voiceovers, and have participated in several Zoom workshops, one readthrough, one pub quiz (brilliant! I came fourth out of seventeen!) and one choir practice (excruciating and hilarious).
As you could probably have guessed, I've lost about three quarters of my clients. Many are not British and have gone back to their home countries. Some of these will come back to me for online sessions when they're settled. Others simply can't afford to spend any extra money at the moment, especially given it seems we'll be waiting till June to get our government grant. A few have stuck around, and - due to my bombardment of social media occasioned by the vast amount of time I suddenly have on my hands - I'm still getting the odd new client. It's not as if I'm going out or spending much, so this small income, and my savings will see me through.
I'm lucky. There are so many blessings to be counted and sliver linings to be noted. But this is still bloody weird and I wish it wasn't happening. I want you all to keep yourselves creatively stimulated. If you're broke, there are loads of free or dirt cheap ways of doing this - see above for the list of my attempts. If you're not too worried about money, please have a look around to see who's offering their services as a tutor and pay them to teach you that thing you've always wanted to learn but never had time. Maybe that's me, maybe it's a trombone teacher, or a salsa teacher, or an Italian teacher. Whatever. They're all probably self-employed and in a constant state of anxiety over their finances.
Above all, please stay at home as much as you can. The more people that do that, the quicker we can get the theatres back open and the film sets back running. Look out for my latest blog for Magnetic island, with which I'll be pummelling you on my social media channels (@AlixDoesAccents on Twitter and @AlixActorAccentCoach on Insta) when it's published.
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