Last Saturday night I took part in Mortified, a show where grownups read out their teenage ramblings to a cringing crowd. It was a surprisingly enjoyable experience which I cannot recommend more highly, whether you’re brave enough to share your shame on stage or just chuckle amongst the audience.

Mortified is most well known for embarrassing teenage diaries including un-repeatable romantic mishaps. Most teenagers who keep a diary assume that an older version of themselves won’t be reading it out in public decades later. Somehow taking the mick out of your past self is okay and, not to mention, very very funny. Mortified started in 2002 in the US, where it is much more established, with it’s own series and documentary on Netflix. It’s now becoming more popular on this side of the pond and, last Saturday, we packed out Leicester Square theatre with nearly 400 people.

I read out a spy “novel” that I wrote aged 11. The original was 43 pages long and was extensively illustrated… also by me. We had to cut it down quite a bit to fit it into my 10 – 15 minute slot. Originally I was sceptical about how it would be received but the audience seem to enjoy it. Here it is:

As well as the initial nerves and the buzz you get from making an audience laugh, the experience you share with the other performers is really fulfilling. At the beginning of the rehearsals you don’t know each other, but you’re in the same boat… about to bare your teenage soul to a theatre full of many more strangers. By the end of it you’re best buddies — hands numb from high-fiving.

If you’ve got some embarrassing old material and fancy appearing on stage then you can apply here. I’d imagine most of you would rather watch, so here are the upcoming events, and if you’re a social media type you can follow them on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Thanks to our very own Kat who helped produce the show, and her husband Nick Chase who helped me onstage with his amazing vocal talents.

Hope you like it!

Chris 🙂