The Summer Theatre by the Sea by Tracy Corbett: Guest Post

The Summer Theatre by the Sea by Tracy Corbett

Release Date: 2nd April 2018
Publisher: Avon

Genres:  Romantic Comedy

A summer to remember…

Charlotte Saunders has always loved the buzz of city life. So, when she finds herself abruptly fired, dumped and forced to leave London to move in with her sister Lauren in Cornwall, she thinks the world is ending.

To keep herself busy in the quiet coastal town, Charlotte agrees to help the local drama group. Designing the set for their performance of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, just for the summer, while she figures out her next career move. But could days at the beach, new friends and a dashingly handsome doctor, change Charlotte’s mind? Suddenly Cornwall doesn’t look so boring after all…

GUEST POST

As a child, I tried the usual hobbies, Brownies, Gymnastics and ballet, but it wasn’t until my mum and dad took me to see the local pantomime that I found my niche. My first role was in Aladdin. I played a jewel in the genie’s cave. I was told to ‘stand there and sparkle’ – not exactly taxing stuff. The following year, I progressed to the chorus, belting out songs like ‘Jumping for Joy’ and ‘Oh, What a Beautiful Morning’ before finally landing a main part. While most teenagers spent their free time obsessing with fashion, make-up, pop music and boys, I was prancing around the stage pretending to be Miss Muffet, Bessie the Milkmaid, and my personal favourite, Aurora the Goose. My brothers played football, rugby and cricket. My sister was a keen tennis player. But for me, I was never happier than dressing up in a padded white-fleece animal-suit, wearing orange tights, and pretending to ‘lay an egg’. I admit it, I was an odd child.

Adulthood brought with it more serious roles, such as Nora in The Dolls House and Maggie in Hobson’s Choice. A few years ago, my drama group decided to put on a production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Having played Viola in Twelfth Night a few years earlier, and thoroughly enjoyed it, I decided to try out for a part. I went along to the auditions hoping to be cast as Helena or Hermia, one of the glamorous female leads, who got to wear pretty dresses and swoon over handsome men in tight breaches. Instead, I was cast as Puck, the mischievous pointy-eared goblin, who flies around the forest planting spells on people, and who has a highly suspicious relationship with the King of the Fairies! Despite my reservations at being given the part, I ended up loving it. Puck was great fun…although it did leave me with a strangely jaundice skin-tone from the green make-up, bruised shins from crashing a bicycle into the wings, and orange hair that took forever to grow out. But it was worth. After all, it was the inspiration for The Summer Theatre by the Sea.

I feel there’s a close link between acting and writing. When I’m creating a story, my characters require direction; they need to know when to enter and exit a scene, how to deliver their lines, and how to evoke emotion from the audience…or reader. It’s still storytelling, and I believe my experiences on stage have given me the tools required to create stories in print. At least, I hope so.