Foreword to Raymondo

Raymondo came out of necessity. In early 2013 I’d suffered a few big losses and I urgently needed to switch things up, in my life and in my work. One thing I needed to do was to perform theatre again. I saw that Pulse Festival was looking for acts for its Suitcase Prize 2013 and something in that travelling light approach really appealed to me. To make a super portable stripped-back show that would be intimate and connect directly with an audience. That seemed to be the best way to get back into theatrical performance, using basic skills I felt I could still count on – storytelling and music. The story tumbled out of me, as it distilled everything that had angered, moved and inspired me in the world and in my loved ones’ lives over the past few years. I’d been an abject fan girl of the work of Marcus Hamblett for a few years – particularly his work with Sons of Noel and Adrian (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sons_of_Noel_and_Adrian) – and serendipity meant he had a rare bit of free time to work on the score for the show. He was inspired at the time by the scores to Italian Giallo films (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giallo) and we felt that that sound had the right mixture of nostalgia and menace to support and add to the story. We scratched the show at Pulse in May 2013 and then were lucky to garner support to make the rest of it. Director Justin Audibert and lighting designer Andy Purves came on board and helped me shape the rest of the show and my then-new producer Ruby Glaskin helped me with the hustle of making its existence in the world a reality. If you’re reading this and haven’t seen the show, imagine a late night, cosy, slightly louche feel. An adult bedtime story. I hope you enjoy it.

– Annie Siddons, June 2015