To be or not to be and all that

For those who don't know I started a pub theatre this summer at The Station, a splendid old pub which, by a strange coincidence, is next to the station in Sutton Coldfield. Pub theatre is a very intimate experience with the actors and audience on top of each other,

I did think of calling it the grumpy old playhouse but decided instead to go for the Royal Sutton Coldfield Actors' Workshop. "Oooooh. Now there's posh," you might be thinking. Well not exactly. It was just so I could call it The Other RSC.

Anyhow our first professional play is on next week on Tuesday and Wednesday December 2 and 3 when we have a black comedy called Contractions about the way corporations try to control and manipulate staff. It is being put on by a London company, C54, where one of the stars, Natasha James, actually hails from Sutton Coldfield.

It starts at 8pm and there is a Q&A session after the performance. Admission is £8, pay on the door and park your horse in the stables. More details on the grumpy old playhouse website.

The idea of the theatre is to encourage small, fledgling companies, new writers and actors and hopefully unearth a bit of talent If you are that soldier, then get in touch. You could be the first star discovered by blog, a bloggastar.