Rachel Blackman, who has lived in Brighton for 23 years, will debut her one-woman production, “You Aren’t Doing it Wrong…”, at the Brighton Dome Studio Theatre on Wednesday, July 16.
This show was initially scheduled for last year but was delayed when Ms. Blackman ruptured her Achilles tendon during a rehearsal at South East Dance.
Describing the dramatic incident, she said: “When it snaps, it makes a very loud, audible BANG that sounds a bit like a gun shot.
“We were rehearsing at South East Dance at the time and the sound was so loud, the staff came in to find out what was happening.
“It sounds dramatic, it doesn’t actually hurt at first, but you suddenly can’t walk at all.
“Then you have to wear a big darth vader style boot for three months, 24 hours a day, and then it takes six months to be able to walk normally again.
“At first, I thought I might be able to do the show in the boot, but the doctor looked at me like I had lost my tiny mind.”
The show is about turning childhood awkward experiences into something adults can embrace.
The audience can expect “terrible ballet, some embarrassing confessions, a surprise appearance from a celebrity superhero, some moving storytelling, and some incredible music not made by me”.
Ms. Blackman said: “You will probably laugh, you might cry and you are very likely to feel some relief that it isn’t you up there.”
The inspiration behind the show comes from Ms. Blackman’s struggle with the high expectations set by her family of gifted classical musicians.
She said: “Every time I approached the subject, I would hit these mental blocks of impossible standards and imposter syndrome.
“This show has emerged from wrestling with that.
“That is the grit in the oyster.”
The show has already left audiences with “warmth in their hearts” and ready to “hug a stranger”.
Ms. Blackman shared an anecdote of an art teacher who was so moved by the show that she adopted the phrase, “You aren’t doing it wrong if no one knows what you are doing,” for her students.
Ms. Blackman said: “This was the biggest compliment – that the show might invite willingness to experiment.
“That is music to my heart.”
The Brighton resident said she loves that she can walk everywhere in the city, and the proximity to the sea, the Downs, and London.
She said: “Best of all worlds.
“If you have to live in England, I choose Brighton.”
However, she is not too fond of the seagulls.
She said: “My least favourite thing about Brighton is the enormous dinosaur-sized seagulls that you guys think is normal over here.
“Your fish and chips are not safe, people.”
Tickets can be purchased from the Brighton Dome website.
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