Tag Archives: katherine gregor
A Poesy Ringful of Stories
I used to be a theatrical agent. A young actor from RADA, whilst deliberating whether or not to accept my offer of representation, asked, “What, would you say, sets you apart from other agents?” I struggled to come up with an … Continue reading
Church Bells
Sometimes, the wind carries in through my windows the faint sound of bells from a Tudor church that stands right by the river. On a Sunday morning, it is a joyous pealing. In the evening, the sound is more measured, … Continue reading
Female Solidarity?*
A couple of years ago, my colleagues and I were watching BBC News 24 during our lunch break. There was a report about the Chilean miners trapped underground for several weeks. Finally rescued, the men were telling the interviewer about … Continue reading
Dress Circle: Another Pearl, Crushed.
It was Michael who first taught me the difference between soundtrack and cast recording. “Soundtracks are from films, darling,” he said, pushing up his glasses, his mellow Irish accent softening a vague distaste for my ignorance, “and cast recordings are … Continue reading
The Delight of Hand Writing
I am sitting on a wooden bench, by the red-brick wall of a small Elizabethan palace. My back against the arm-rest, my legs stretched out before me, bare toes wriggling with the pleasure of sunshine. Behind the bench, a few … Continue reading
Odds & Ends: In Praise of Food
I was seven years old and auditioning to be the voice of the Russian commercial for an Italian chocolate spread. The director was desperately trying to drag more enthusiasm out of me. “Do you really, really like this chocolate spread?” … Continue reading
Review: Scandal, Lyres and Audiotape
Take a lyre. Take a harp. Both string instruments, right? Well, not just string instruments. The lyre and the harp have been heroines of the music stage since the dawn of times. Since Orpheus first charmed his way in and … Continue reading
Odds & Ends: Art or a Naked Emperor?
A ten year-old Italian boy called Federico went to the Tate Modern with his mother. When he saw Damian Hirst’s formaldehyde-pickled cows, he said, “That’s cruel. Why didn’t they allow this calf to grow up and have calves of its … Continue reading
Odds & Ends: A Nomad to Guard Someone’s Land
My Armenian grandmother, Yekaterina Gregorian, passed away last March, at the age of one hundred. Several years ago, when, blind and almost deaf (but her mind as sharp as a needle), she was moved from my mother’s to a nursing … Continue reading
Odds & Ends: London – Can’t live in it, can’t live out of it.
Ask me if I like London. No, I don’t, would be a frequent answer. Architecturally, I don’t think it’s beautiful. Not as ugly as some other places (no names mentioned) but not a city where you can walk down the … Continue reading