Max Riley Mills came to see Secret Diaries at the egg. When we returned to the hotel we saw this wonderful blog about Secret Diaries on our social media feeds…
I’ve never been to a play before. So when hearing about a play that was involving things of which I’ve been involved in, I was reluctant to go. I came as part of the LGBT group in Bath called SPACE and myself and two others attended. However, this show has proved me wrong. It was fantastic. The storyline was amazing and the three characters were portrayed excellently by the actors. There was so much emotion involved in the making of this. I was amazed at how a single item could cement together a whole play for as long as it did. The issues made in this, meant a great deal to me as I came out a lesbian to my foster parents at the age of 15 also and got pretty much the same response. I also have connections within the play as such with Hayley’s mum leaving without notice and being with a guy to ‘fit in’ and to be ‘normal’. It was amazing how many emotions were flying around in the scenes. You could tell that the actors really felt how the characters were feeling at the time. It was great to see the connection between the actors and the characters they were playing in the sense that they looked as if they had gone from who they really were and we’re now these characters that were made up. In other words… GREAT ACTORS!
We as a group, also stayed for the workshop after the play had finished. I’m glad we did. We got to have a group discussion about the main item in the play, (trying not to ruin it for people who may not have seen it yet!) with the people who performed. We talked about how the feelings in the last scene were portrayed and what we all thought it all meant and everyone had different answers but all right and brilliant. Everyone got to share their opinions on what they thought Hayley’s feelings were at the end and in all throughout the play. There was also great stuff about the way ‘dad’ was coping throughout and what we all thought his secret item was also. Which was fun. The only thing I have that is a negative, was the fact we ran out of time! I wish there were more of it! Overall, it was outstanding. Definitely changed my way of thinking about seeing plays. I just want to go back and see it again with all the knowledge that was given within the workshop.
I just want to say thank-you, for choosing Bath and for helping me open my eyes on the world. How it’s changed from those times to now, and also knowing that although I have more problems than there were in the play, that I’m not alone out there despite the era difference. Thank-you for changing my mind on plays. And thank-you for talking to us afterwards. You all have been awesome! And I hope to be able to see you in other things. I’ll definitely look out for them now!
