How can we be part of your script?

Tracey: We are on the Local Lounge radio show and this is Tracy J. Boothe from What’s Your Story show, and I’m getting a chance to interview an employee here today, and he goes by the name of Jack. Jack, how are you today and please explain who you are and what you do.

Jack: I’m Jack, thank you for having me first off. It’s great to be here chatting to you. So I work at Shoreditch Town Hall, but I work a variety of different events here in a variety of different roles. They have me doing a bunch of things. I’ve been here as a stage manager, running the bar, front of house, just wherever I’m needed.

Tracey: Today we’ve got the chance to have you with us. So what are you doing here today?

Jack: Today I’m here running the bar and we’re here for the podcast today. This is why I love this venue because there’s always something completely different going on. We’ve got about four or five different performance spaces that could be rented out and it’s always like different going on.

Tracey: I can hear something in the distance. Is that another room then? how many rooms?

Jack: There’s 10 rooms and at the minute we’ve got a west end play here rehearsing before they hit the stage in a couple of months so it’s quite exciting but that’s taking up the majority of the building all the rehearsal spaces

Tracey: Jack is it a secret or can you tell us who they are?

Jack: I don’t know if they’ve signed an NDA with the building.

Jack: It’s a returning show, if I could say that much.

Tracey: There’s so many shows out there at the theatres.

Jack: Yeah.

Tracey: Where are they going to be? Do you know what theatre?

Jack: I don’t actually know what theatre.

Tracey: We can look that up.

Tracey: Never mind. But so there’s lots of shows that go on. What else goes on here?

Jack: We just have a bunch of different shows, weddings, people hang out at the venue. A lot of filming happens here as well. We get Netflix come down once, twice a year to rent out the building and film. The BBC do documentaries and things here quite often. Yeah, it’s a really… different venue there’s always something going on here, the building is pretty historic so it gets used for a variety of different things.

Tracey: How long have you been here for?

Jack: For a couple of years now, I work here every so often when there’s different events on. A lot of the time the building lays dormant which we’re trying to change, which is why we see you guys here and use this space which is quite exciting.

Tracey: The Local Lounge show is born here. Rick informed us of this venue, that’s how I’m here today, and that’s how we got to be here, meeting lovely, glorious people like yourself.

Jack: Amazing.

Tracey: What else do you do? What else do you do when you’re not here?

Jack: I write and direct theatre.

Tracey: Oh, you do?

Jack: That’s sort of my main thing.

Tracey: So that’s, is that why you was interested in working in here?

Jack: Definitely. This is always so different going here.

Tracey: What do you write about?

Jack: I do a lot of script writing for an alter ego that I have on stage as a character that I write through and for, and just do a bunch of a variety of different shows with them.

Tracey: What’s their name, this character?

Jack: Dr Arden.

Tracey: Dr Arden. They’re a doctor they’re a doctor. And what kind of doctor are they?

Jack: Psychology.

Tracey: I love psychology, so did you study psychology?

Jack: I didn’t. I studied mainly drama. I just have a deep interest in psychology and philosophy and try to incorporate that into different shows.

Tracey: What is it, what’s his name?

Jack: Who my alter ego? Dr Arden,

Tracey: What does he do Dr Arden?

Jack: His idea is to inspire and awaken a dormant society. To get rid of sort of being passive to break through the mold and to realize the systems and structures that are in place that keep you oppressed and stopping you breaking through those glass ceilings.

Tracey: So are you saying that the Local Lounge show is going to be in your next script writing experience?

Jack: It can be, if we do a live combination of a stage show, why not?

Tracey: Well, we can set that up, Rick, what do you think?

Rick: That would actually fit in very well with our … I don’t know if you call them plans, but vision is the word.

Tracey: Our visions. So what are you going to do with this? A play, is it going to be a play, a film?

Jack: There’s a series of plays I build interactive spaces I actually would love to do one here down in the basement, I don’t know if you guys had a chance to check out down there.

Tracey: There’s a basement?

Jack: Quite incredible so as big as the floor plan is up here we’ve got a basement downstairs which has remained pretty much untouched since like the early 1900s so it’s very creepy dingy cellar down there that once you put colorful lights and stuff that it’s an incredible performance worls.

Tracey: We get a chance to see that then jack?

Jack: I could take you down there.

Tracey: It’s all happening here toda.y thank you very much we’re gonna put that on our futuristic list.

Jack: Amazing.

Tracey: That can happen.

Jack: Think it’s empty today we might be able to sneak down there later.

Tracey: Well we’re on board if you need help with that.

Jack: Oh incredible.

Tracey: On board to do whatever you need you know um okay excellent and you know what sorry I was it is a lovely lounge it’s this place here, That’s why it’s called the Local Loung Show. It’s so intimate. So there are other people in the room. I know you cannot hear them, but I heard you talking to somebody else about, was it Thailand?

Jack: Yes.

Tracey: I want to go to Thailand.

Jack: Oh, it’s an incredible place. I’ve just got back from about three months out there. One of my best friends from here is from Blackheath. He moved out there just before lockdown and got stuck out there. And he set up a charity out there called Abstract Kids. And they run drama workshops and drama retreats like holiday retreats for kids where they put on performances, make costumes, all different stuff like that oh it’s incredible so it’s out there working there for a couple of months and then doing a bit of traveling as well.

Ranjit: Do children from here go there or from Thailand only?

Jack: They take Thai kids or like expats that live out there that have kids, it’s not like a holiday camp or anything, they’re very much based within Thailand, they go to Thai schools and work with the kids there.

Tracey: Sorry what’s your name?

Ranjit: Ranjit.

Tracey: Ranjit – I’ve met you today Ranjit, that’s what we’re doing connecting people. Ranjit you were just speaking to Jack, so have you been to Thailand?

Ranjit: No. I haven’t. I’ve been to India though.

Tracey: Oh right, in India.

Ranjit: Long time ago I went to India.

Tracey: It was yourself, Ranjit, you was talking to Jack, and he was asking them about something on their wrists.

Ranjit: I noticed he had some beads. I thought it was a Buddhist rosary, so I asked him if he was a Buddhist.

Tracey: Rosary? So it’s not the beads. The Catholics, don’t they use rosary beads around their neck?

Ranjit: Some people wear them around their neck. Some people wear them around their wrist.

Tracey: I didn’t know there was Buddhist ones as well.

Ranjit: Some Tibetan Buddhists wear them around their wrist.

Tracey: Okay, so how do you know about that?

Ranjit: Because I follow Tibetan Buddhism.

Tracey: Oh, right. Well, tell us about that, please. I hope you don’t mind, Jack. Is that okay?

Jack: No, of course.

Ranjit: Since the 60s, Tibetan Buddhism has come to the West. There have been different lamas going to America, England, United Kingdom, and some come visiting every now and then from Nepal, India, traveling the world, giving teachings. It’s quite well established now, there are centres throughout Europe, in France, Germany, Spain.

Tracey: So you’re a Buddhist yourself?

Ranjit: Yes.

Tracey: What did you say you called your particular Buddhism?

Ranjit: Tibetan Buddhism.

Tracey: Tibetan Buddhism.

Ranjit: There’s Thai Buddhism, I suppose you must have encountered that?

Jack: They have a variety of different temples, but they have this. so they have seven temples in a main city and it’s each day each one represents a different iteration of the buddha and each different temple has different guardians, and these are the guardians of the gods, and each of them outside the different temples do a very specific protection, and a very specific spell and you go and visit the buddha on that a different day for a very specific reason And there’s a wonderful order, but chaos to it as well, because it’s just so colourful, so bright, so crazy. But they are incredibly peaceful places when you’re inside of them.

Tracey: I’ve been into a Hindu temple before. It’s so spiritual. I felt the people were so welcoming. It was a very lovable place. I haven’t been into a Buddhist temple before. Where could we go to one in London?

Ranjit: There’s several. There’s one in Caledonian Road.

Tracey: Is there?

Ranjit: One in Bermondsey. There’s one not far from Bermondsey, I’ve forgotten, not far from Elephant and Castle.

Tracey: Okay, so they are in London?

Jack: I didn’t know that.

Tracey: Right.

Jack: I didn’t know that.

Tracey: We’re learning it all today on the Local Lounge show. All right, then. So, okay, well, Jack, what else can you tell us that we don’t know about you?

Jack: What else can I tell you? I love traveling, so I’ve just come back from Asia. I’m going back again to Japan in october, end of october.

Tracey: Konnichiwa.

Jack: Konnichiwa.

Tracey: What does that mean?

Jack: Hello. And that’s going to be incredible, I’ve been before for a couple of weeks in Tokyo, and it’s just it’s incredible incredible city, it’s just like being in the future, it’s like taking a plane on in a time machine to the future, it’s incredible.

Tracey: Does it cost a lot of money to go out to Japan?

Jack: Yes.

Tracey: What is it? £1,000?

Jack: Just under. It’s about £700, £800 return.

Tracey: Is that with your hotel?

Jack: No. No. But you can do it quite cheap. They have like backpacking hostels and things like that. You don’t have to go out and pay crazy amounts of hotels.

Tracey: If you’re daring enough.

Jack: If you’re daring enough. Most of them are okay. And a lot of them now you can get private rooms. And it’s still a million times cheaper than hotels.

Tracey: We need to know you Jack and then if we want to go, everybody just contact Jack.

Jack: Yeah, I find you a cheap safe way of doing things.

Tracey: And how can they be part of your script? Is it just this alter ego that’s in that script or is there anybody else, any other characters?

Jack: So a lot of it actually includes stooges, so people who are seen as audience members but actually influence the play.

Tracey: If you’re interested in this place here, how can you get to be part of it? Like we are we are in the Local Lounge show  – and if you don’t know, well if you don’t know you come straight in the front doors, you turn left and immediately you see this lovely lounge room, and it’s got a bar as well attached to it, and a beautiful picture on the wall, and it’s got tables and chairs, there’s access for you to just walk straight into, you don’t even get anywhere else. This is the best place to be of course today and that’s what it looks like, so how can people be part of it?

Jack: Yeah it’s a very cool space to just come, and it’s very multifunctional as well, we have a bunch of different things that happen in here, obviously got the podcast today, we have people that come in and do like acting classes different things like that.

Tracey: Do you need to pay?

Jack: I’m not 100% sure, it’s a new set up we do have a free artist space which is directly behind us where people can come in and just work on their laptops or work on computers, we do free tea or coffee as well, that’s every day.

Tracey: Every day.

Jack: Where the building times are open.

Tracey: And what are the building times?

Jack: The are nine to six mostly.

Tracey: That’s really cool that’s really cool, so you’ve got internet access of course.

Jack: Free wi-fi and it’s a good chance as well to just come and connect with other artists just in the area working on different projects.

Tracey: Is there an art gallery?

Jack: Not here no – unless we’re running an event with an art gallery which we do do fairly often.

Tracey: Okay remember we heard it first guys, thank you very much jack.

Jack: Thank you for having me.

Tracey: Thank you very much Ranjit and thank you Rick. I’ve really enjoyed it, I love meeting people and what a beautiful place to do it in, thank you for all your help and your support in the making this Local Lounge show.

Jack: Thank you for being here, thanks for having me.

Tracey: Thank you very much, you were listening to Tracy J Boothe from What’s Your Story Show and this has been the Local Lounge Show.

Rick: With Tracy J Boothe.