Lewis Gardner's BAPP Blog

  I watched a live concert this weekend. It was Mahler 5th conducted by Klaus Mäkelä and performed by Cleveland orchestra. Not only was I over 6,000 miles away watching this breathtaking performance but I was watching with my boyfriend, who was also about 6,000 miles away from me, but in the same state as the performance. He had been to watch the concert live the night before and wanted to watch it again with me. It’s an extraordinary time we live in when we are able to watch a performance of such quality in the comfort of our own bed… in my case.    During the Pandemic, live theatre streams as well as pre-recorded versions of productions became a part of our everyday life. Not only for us artists and regular theatregoers but also for an audience who wouldn’t usually attend a show. Going to see a live performance in a theatre is something I take for granted, many people don’t have the means to do this, whether that’s because of the price of theatre tickets, distance to th...

Well, module two came around quick… I thought I’d start with a little life update. I spent January on vacation in Mexico and LA with my boyfriend, it was the most amazing time and I feel so luckily and grateful for the moments we can share together. We are long distance so every moment is precious. I came back from vacation and did some serious thinking… I’d been contemplating this decision for awhile, but it just seems like the timing is right, so I’m going to take the leap. 2023 will be my last year as a performer. I’ve been lucky enough to be on stage professionally for over 10 years and thankfully without many injuries. Unfortunately my knee injury from last season seems to want to stay with me and gives me a lot of pain and discomfort I don’t want anymore. But I feel very positive about the change and I believe, in part, this course has given me the confidence to take the leap! So I plan to push through this year and retire in December. Next year I will move back to the uk, by whi...