‘Written Off’ - Questions for Theatre Literary Departments.

I'm currently working on a report for the Writer's Guild of Great Britain about ageism in theatre with particular focus on writer development opportunities. Below is a series of questions I will put to theatres, but I'd like some feedback before I do that. Have I missed out any questions? Are there any other questions you think I should ask?

We have a Facebook group called 'Written Off! where you can post feedback or you can find my contact details and email me via my website 

1.  Theatres do a great job of targeting underrepresented groups, but not often when it comes to age:  When targeting underrepresented groups in your writer development programmes, do you specifically include older writers as an underrepresented group, and what do you consider to be an older writer?

2.  Age restricted opportunities: Do you run age restricted writer development projects? What are the target age groups? Is this dictated by funding or artistic policy?

3.  There is a perception that open opportunities are not really open to all ages: Where you run writer development opportunities that are not age restricted what are the ages of those who have participated over the past 3 years?

4.  Use of the word ‘Young’ obviously excludes older writers: Do you use the word young in opportunities where there is no age restriction? Have you used the word young where you actually meant new? Are there images of older writers on your website?

5. Finding the very best new writing: Do you have a statement outlining what you aim to achieve through your writer development opportunities? How do you ensure that it encourages the broadest possible range of applicants?

6. In my research so far I have discovered a general preconception that literary departments are run by young white males. Could you share details of your team using basic equality monitoring figures?

7.  In my research so far it has emerged that older women face specific barriers. Do you have opportunities aimed specifically at women that are open to any age? Do you do anything to specifically encourage older women to apply?  If so what are the ages of participants over the past three years?

8. Please give examples of good practice where you feel your organisation is offering good opportunities to older writers, or where your organisation is making an effort to reach this group.    

Written off: Part 2

An open letter to theatre professionals and Artistic Directors

I recently posted a blog about how many writer development opportunities are for young people only, and how older emerging writers feel shut out by theatres.

The response I had was overwhelming.

There is a tidal wave of anger from writers who are excluded from opportunities that didn’t exist for us when we were younger.

Focusing resources on a tiny demographic of an ageing population does not make sense.

It’s time to make a change and you can help.

Any form of discriminatory practice is unacceptable, and the arts world often leads the way in breaking down barriers.  

At the moment a vast number of development opportunities being offered by theatres are not open to people over the age of 25-30. But surely the goal in theatre should be to find the best ‘new’ voices and that doesn’t have to mean ‘young’ voices.

Although there are many opportunities that are age-blind, there is a growing suspicion that by ticking boxes on equality monitoring forms older writers are condemning themselves to the rejection heap. Even when an opportunity is not age restricted, it’s often younger writers who seem to benefit most, causing a suspicion of surreptitious ageism.

However, given the amount of developmental support offered to young writers it could simply be that they are then able to produce work that is tailored to current theatre trends more closely than writers struggling to develop their work in an unsupported void.

One truly unsettling thing that came out of the discussion my blog prompted was how the practice of shutting out older writers had a disproportionate effect on women and on people from working class backgrounds.

I understand that in many cases the age limit of development opportunities is down to the funding available to theatres. And this is where you can help.

We are asking that you challenge the trusts, charities and organisations that fund your writer development projects, and that you commit to exploring further opportunities for older writers.

People emerge creatively at all ages and at all stages of life, so please make it your artistic policy to strive to support all emerging writers with development opportunities so theatre can truly reflect a broad range of voices and life experiences.    

Written off!

I’m old!

I don’t feel old. In fact I don’t feel any different to when I was in my twenties – well maybe a bit smarter and more willing to question the world.  

BUT – as a playwright trying to make my mark on the industry in my fifties I feel truly ancient as there are so many opportunities which are for Young Writers usually under 25.

Which would be fine if those opportunities had been there for me when I was 25, but they weren’t. I come from a very non-arts background and it took me years to find my way into drama school. Then when I realized that writing was what I wanted to do I set up my own company and very quickly was commissioned to write over 30 plays that have been seen by over half a million people. But they were educational theatre, and paid me a much needed wage until I reached a point of security where I was able to start my push towards writing for theatre.

And I’ve done OK, self-producing with Arts Council support. But now I’ve hit a wall, and I’m banging my head against it trying to find support to move to the next level.

There are a few amazing people out there who have given me support, but I still see a strong push to support Young Writers everywhere, as if at my age I should know all there is to know. But I don’t.

I wonder if there’s an issue with the fact that some of the people I need help from are younger than me. I don’t have a problem asking for help from anyone who has knowledge that I don’t, but I wonder if people feel more comfortable supporting people younger than themselves?

I feel like I’m fighting against the saying, ‘You can’t teach an old dog new tricks’ – but sod that! I am hungrier now to gain new skills and to access new knowledge than ever before. And that is I suppose in part because of my age. I am aware of the number of years I might have left to achieve things in – which I was blissfully ignorant of when I was 25.

So apparently age does matter – it makes me hungrier than ever to achieve amazing things, but it also makes it much harder for people to see me as worthy of support.

It feels like ageism is the last acceptable prejudice, but I’m willing to be convinced otherwise.

Any thoughts?  

The Reviews are in!

This is my first full-length London production, produced on a shoestring budget, and in a rather hidden away venue. But with 3 & 4 Star reviews coming in I'm extremely happy!

The thing that's made me happiest is that critics have all loved the actor's portrayals of their characters, and that praise is well deserved. It was a real pleasure watching Andrew Thorn, Dave Short & Josh Harper in action last week, and I hope they keep having fun until the end of the run on 18th November.

I've already spotted script adjustments I'd like to make, and another production can be bigger and better, but for now I'm satisfied that the director, Kasia & I have done our best, and it's showing in the feedback we're getting from audiences. The critics are always a bit harder to please, but I think we've done pretty well so far :-)

Review by Terry Eastham ****

‘A magical evening of wonder, suspense and good old-fashioned theatrical fun’

Well, what a fascinating story The Mysterious Gentleman is. J N Maskelyne was a real-life person who did all the things spoken of in the play – including getting the phrase to ‘spend a penny’ into the English language. He is an amazing character in his own right and, when the mysterious ‘extra’ bit of his family ‘story’ is added by writer Jarek Adams, then the stage is set for an amazing tale.

https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/187451/review-the-mysterious-gentleman-the-courtyard-theatre/

Review by Claire Roderick ****

‘This is a magical gem of a show’

Writer Jarek Adams takes us from the very beginning of his career through to his death in a magical and entertaining production. The relationship between JN and George is beautifully written.

http://fairypoweredproductions.com/mysterious-gentleman-review/

Review by Simon Scott

The play is written with a gentle wit, be it in the friendly chiding between George and Maskelyne, John Nevil’s contemplation that his lasting legacy will have more to do with public conveniences than conjury, or his delight at being described as a self-publicist. It does not shy away from its undertaking though. Maskelyne is introduced to us as a sceptic, but what drives his scepticism is a powerful desire not merely to believe in a hereafter, but to know it exists. Maskelyne’s decline, however, and his apparent descent into madness, through paranoia about losing his edge to younger magicians, and his scepticism crumbling as he approaches death, is delivered with strength and conviction.

https://viewfromthecheapseat.com/2017/11/04/the-mysterious-gentleman-courtyard-theatre/

Review by Howard Loxton – who loved the stage magic

‘What these guys do with cardboard boxes and dexterity is worth watching’

These are actors not David Copperfield but they give you a play and a magic show: talk about actors’ timing—they’ve got it down to the microsecond.

http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/the-mysterious-courtyard-theat-15193

Review by Joanna Hetherington

‘Overall an entertaining production’ ***

http://thespyinthestalls.com/2017/11/review-mysterious-gentleman/

Images courtesy of James Hall

The Arch Disbeliever

John Nevil Maskelyne was a Victorian magician who gained notoriety by challenging spiritualists to prove they weren't charlatans fraudulently misleading audiences. He was known by some as 'The Arch Disbeliever' for his ceaseless challenges through the law courts.

His career began when he watched the Davenport Brothers act in Cheltenham and worked out the technique they were using to create the illusion of a spirit manifestation. Shortly afterwards he recreated the illusion, and pronounced it to be a spirit free demonstration - but not everyone was convinced.

A family legend followed him around about a deal his ancestors made with a Mysterious Gentleman who gave him and his forebears supernatural powers. And JN himself did become the most famous magician in the world, known today as the father of modern magic, and lending his name to an annual award given by the Magic Circle for services to British Magic -  won incidentally this year by the fabulous Debbie McGee for her work with the late and rather wonderful Paul Daniels.

JN Maskelyne died in 1917, but will be returning to the stage in just a few weeks time - 100 years after his death in a play called 'The Mysterious Gentleman'.

The play follows his rise to fame, his many challenges in court, but also his struggle to cling to his disbelief in an afterlife. Despite his disbelief in the spirit world, his dying wish was to find a way back if he possibly could. So is there a danger in calling him to return live (probably not the right term, but you know what I mean) onstage?

For the company producing my play it's a difficult question. We all have our own beliefs and hopes about the existence of an afterlife, but even as an open minded skeptic I can't help feeling a tingle of excitement as we mark the anniversary of his death with a performance featuring his story.

Will the real JN be watching? Will he be pleased to see how we're telling his story? We'll have to wait and see.

But you can join us for that journey at the Courtyard Theatre in London when the play opens on Halloween.

http://www.themysteriousgentleman.com/
 

  

Creative Producing

As a Creative Producer taking my own script through to production has been an interesting journey. See my previous blog for how I got the funding and the theatre space.

But at this point, I've done all the writing and rewrites on my play The Mysterious Gentleman, and now it's time to hand that over to the director, Kasia Różycki and the actors to work their magic with my words.

We held auditions for the two actors who are joining the already cast Andrew Thorn as JN Maskelyne, and it was really interesting seeing lots of actors reading for us and playing around with the script. It wasn't obvious who to choose at first, but we did a few recalls and asked the actors to delve a little bit deeper and to start building characters and soon two obvious choices emerged. So Dave Short and Josh Harper have joined us to play George Cooke & Nevil Maskelyne.

We start rehearsals in a week, and finding space in central London was tricky, but we finally settled on the very reasonably priced Theatre Delicatessen theatredelicatessen.co.uk

Marketing is the bit most creative people hate, but it's necessary if we're going to get an audience, which is really the point of all the work we've put in so far. We've got a great team doing all our online stuff - thanks Kelly France & Chris Hislop. But I'm thinking about what it is we're offering to our audiences. If you were thinking of coming along, what could I say to entice you?

It's a play about a magician who asked the question 'what happens to us after we die'? It's funny in places, and spine tingling in others. There will be magic onstage which will hopefully impress you, and there will be thought provoking moments where you'll see the struggle the characters have holding on to their beliefs. But most of all you'll be taken on a thoroughly entertaining journey into the world of Victorian magic.

I'll leave the last word to an audience member who saw the original production - 'It appealed to my dark side, of course, and I loved the mix of scepticism and the poignant desire for 'contact' after a death.'
 
And the final, final word to the Gloucestershire Echo who gave it a 5* review

From the outset, I was transfixed by a highly absorbing story that drew me inexorably in as the revelations unfolded.

 

A Self Producing Playwright's Journey

I’m a playwright, who became a producer when I realized the odds of my script being picked up by a theatre company who’ve had over a thousand plays sent to them seemed pretty slim.

So I chose to self-produce – BUT – always working in collaboration with other creatives whose work I know – AND – with funding support from the Arts Council and others. My rule is ‘never spend your own money making theatre!’

I’m on my fifth ACE funded project at the moment, and I thought documenting the development might be of interest and of use to other writers and producers thinking of taking the same route.

The first grant I got was to develop a play about an enigmatic Victorian magician, JN Maskelyne who started his career in Cheltenham. So I worked with a theatre company based there, agreed a run of three nights at a local theatre, and found seed funding from the city council. All that and a track record of writing TIE was enough to get me ACE funding to produce ‘The Mysterious Gentleman’.

Several projects later I’ve realized the need to get my work seen in London, and that play seemed the best one to showcase. So again I found a director to work with, Kasia Różycki from Off The Cliff Theatre, who I met when she directed a Rapid Write Response play of mine at Theatre 503. 

Finding a theatre was the next hurdle. Many talks went on, and our hopes were dashed several times when spaces we loved couldn’t fit us into their programmes this year. So, eventually we found our way to the Courtyard Theatre in Hoxton. Not the most illustrious name in theatre land, but a space that was willing to take us for a three week run opening on Halloween – how perfect is that for a play about magic that explores life beyond death?!

We’ve become aware of a number of difficulties other companies have had there, but decided to move forwards anyway once ACE agreed to fund us. I’ll elaborate on that in further blogs.

But for now the director and I have two key goals for the project.

First is getting our work seen by industry professionals. So we’ll be inviting everyone we can think of, but more than that we’ve budgeted for a press agent to make sure the press is aware of what we’re doing so hopefully we can at least get a few reviews that we can use to build on.

Our second goal is to move towards a commercial run of the play, so we need to prove it’s a pull for audiences. Getting audiences to a theatre that’s less well-known and a bit out of the way will be a big challenge. So we’ve also budgeted for a marketing coordinator to hopefully pull in audiences.

I'll post a bit more as we get closer to the production dates, but if you have any questions along the way I’d be happy to hear from you.

www.themysteriousgentleman.com

I'm over here!

So Hackers - rather smart, but also really annoying.

I'm posting here to say that for the time being this will have to be my website. Although I haven't been hacked, my web host has and as a consequence they've decided to quit the business. This means my website has to be moved and rebuilt, so it will be down for a little while :-(

If you need to contact me you can find my details on Facebook

But now I've got your attention I'd like to give you a quick update on all my work.

A few weeks ago the Scriptorium (the group of emerging playwrights I run) presented their collaboratively written play 'Tapestry' at Gloucester Cathedral with great audience feedback:

'I was captivated the whole way through. From the dramatic opening through all the scenarios, this production was joyfully unpredictable. A strong cast played different parts with conviction and interacted well with each other - really listening and responding. They handled the cathedral echo well and co-operated with the unusual sound environment to enhance their performance'.

'The Mysterious Gentleman', my play about Victorian magician JN Maskelyne is going to have a three week run at the Courtyard Theatre in London opening on October 31st, and once again with support from Arts Council England. I'll be working with Director, Kasia Rozycki from Off The Cliff Theatre, and actor Andrew Thorn will be taking the lead role - image below.

I've also just been commissioned to write something, but as it hasn't been officially announced yet I can't say what. But it's a really exciting invite to join a really amazing club of the UK's top playwrights.

And for all fans of comedy and great music, I'm hoping that 'The Secret Life of Dads' will be back onstage next year - I'll keep you posted on that, but here's the new poster below.

The Secret life of a Playwright

So you’ve written a script that you’re really happy with. You know it’s a real crowd pleaser. You just have to find some way to get it onstage.

Do you send it out to competitions or submit it to theatres? Then wait and wait only to find it wasn’t their cup of tea, or that there were 2,000 entries and losing was a strong possibility no matter how good your play was.

Well I’ve tried that route and had a few small successes, but there is a third option, and that’s self-producing. Those small successes were enough to convince the Arts Council to give me a production budget.

I just need to pause here to say – Yay!!!

But then comes the scary bit.

My current production is The Secret Life of Dads, and I’ve got a really great team pulling the project together with me. Three great actors playing the dads in my play who deal with their mid-life crises by reforming their old band and playing a battle of the bands gig live onstage. I’ve got a great director adding all the visual touches that I just couldn’t put into a script, and a really smart musical director who helped make my lyrics into songs.

So it’s all good.

Now here comes the ‘but’.

In order to get a grant I needed to show there was an audience for the play so a large chunk of our income needs to come from ticket sales. If I’d given a low estimate that wouldn’t show confidence in the production, but too high and we’re left out of pocket. Added to that I’ve chosen a venue that isn’t known for theatre productions, and we’ve got nine performances to sell.

So here’s where I have to set aside my writer’s hat and become a marketing whiz – not a comfortable place for me to be.

But that’s what I have to do now if I want my play to be seen, and more importantly if I want to get paid for the work I’ve put into this production, because there’s an odd twist to this tale. As the producer I have to make sure everyone is paid their agreed fees, but if there’s any shortfall in income it’s me who has to take a cut.

Would I do this again? Well this is the second time I’ve done this, so yes. It’s not for the faint hearted but it is a thrill when you see your words coming to life on stage, which is the goal of every playwright.

So please come and see The Secret Life of Dads at the Guildhall in Gloucester this August, and feel free to say hello to the writer sitting at the back of the auditorium grinning from ear to ear, but also counting heads and trying to work out if I’ll be able to pay the mortgage this month.

http://venues.gloucester.gov.uk/Freetime/Guildhall/listings/theatre/TheSecretLifeofDads.aspx

    

Diary of a Menopause Denier

I’m pretty sure my new neighbour now thinks I’m an alcoholic.

Just to give you some context, I’m one of those people who never gives in to illness, so I refuse to admit that I am in any way experiencing menopause symptoms, even though I keep finding myself wandering around the house in my bra and pants this winter. I keep blaming the new central heating system, despite the fact that my other half is bundled up in a blanket huddling in front of the fan heater. I am not having hot flushes!

So at the housewarming party of our new neighbour, wearing a full length Victorian dress, I was having a lovely time, despite being rather warm – they have a new central heating system too. The room was full of people and as the fun started the temperature rose to the point where I was feeling rather clammy.

Then all of a sudden I started to feel extremely unwell – and please bear in mind that I’d only had one very small glass of white wine at this point, so I was not in any way squiffy – but I suddenly felt very hot and decidedly not right. Cutting short an interesting conversation with a very nice lady I found my way to the hall where my other half stared at me wondering what the heck was wrong. My first thought was to get to the bathroom where I could lock myself in and be ill in private because that’s how my mind works. But realizing I wasn’t going to be able to make it up the stairs I lurched for the front door, and on hitting the cool evening air I promptly fainted. Now I have never fainted before, and I don’t ever want to again – it was really unpleasant. To my credit I managed to stay upright by clinging to the front door, and for a brief moment I felt absolutely lovely – all floaty and dreamy. But then I opened my eyes and saw my new neighbour, let’s call her Cleo, staring at me, but I was unable to articulate that I was not drunk, just hideously overheated.

Back at our house after a cool shower and a pint of iced water I felt absolutely fine, but my other half refused to let me go back to the party wearing a bikini, which was probably wise as I don’t think it was that sort of party and at no time had we been asked to put our car keys into a bowl. The new neighbours seem like nice people, although they’re probably thinking twice about their new neighbour who they probably think is a lush, while I adamantly refuse to admit I had a major hot flush and continue blaming overly efficient central heating systems for my symptoms.  

Invisible me

I know I've been a bit invisible for the past few months. I am still here, but I've been doing all the things a writer has to do, but which are far too boring to share. Such as working out funding applications, having meetings with people, and bouncing around hundreds of emails with other creative types to work out future collaborations and partnerships.

But now that's nearly all done I will soon be able to start telling you all about the fabulous projects I've got lined up to do over the next couple of years. There are still a few things to pin down, but there will be at least one new play next year, as well as exciting plans for my fabulous Scriptorium writers.

So I will try to be a bit more exciting from now on and to keep you posted on developments about 'Urban Myths', 'The Secret Life of Dads', 'Aethelflaed', and much, much more.

Theatre Review

Often as a writer watching other people's plays I see things I would do differently, but if a play is working well I just find myself sitting back and being drawn into the experience, which is what happened with a play I saw last night. 

The Visit is Spanish writer Nieves Lopez's first play written in English, and it's a claustrophobic drama that is keeping the audience on the edge of their seats at the Olympus Theatre on Barton Street this week.

The play opens with a young girl telling us her story while a video is played showing the event that triggers the action about to happen. This worked really well as a shorthand way of feeding us the back story, and from then on we were straight into the action. Two sisters, played with genuine warmth and affection by Monica Crespo and Fleur Hanby, are forced into an absurd situation with seemingly no way out but for someone to die. The rest of the story is a game driven by the extremely creepy Isabel Vargas, and the silent but deadly Lara Hall. The all female cast beautifully underplay their roles, allowing silences to speak vividly, and creating an extremely creepy and intense feel on stage.

The simple setting of the piece in a small apartment adds to the claustrophobic effect, and the audience were carried along with the story, and kept guessing about how the story would be resolved until the very last moment.

This is an extremely accomplished piece of work from a Gloucestershire based writer who is certainly one to watch as her career progresses, and I'm thrilled that she's part of the Olympus Scriptorium writers project.

 

As a bonus to the play there is an introductory appearance from Eve Loiseau as Edith Piaf, poignantly setting the mood before the play starts. And, keeping the audience glued to their seats during the interval was local singer songwriter Joel Ramsey.

The Visit offers a truly good night out at the Olympus Theatre, which is giving local talent a much needed space to develop and flourish.

 

Tom Cruise has never won an Oscar

It's worth pondering the fact above because it's relevant that one of the world's most bankable actors has never been honoured by the industry for his work.

Anyway, it stuck in my head while I've been struggling over the past few weeks to rewrite a play which was put before an audience a couple of years ago as a script-in-hand performance, and had unanimously positive feedback from the audience and the actors performing it. 

So why the rewrite? We’ll if I want to submit it to a theatre it needs to be more…well…theatrical or it just won’t be taken seriously.

So what does that mean? Well it seems that despite years of comments about theatre turning off audiences with impenetrable political issue-driven plays, if you want to be taken seriously by theatre professionals that’s what you need to be writing and putting out there. 

So I’m at a decision point. The plays I’ve written and put on stage have all received extremely positive feedback from audiences. My plays for kids have been seen by over half a million children, and some have been touring constantly for over twenty years to rave reviews. I’ve made a decent living from my writing, and I’m now teaching and mentoring a new generation of writers. 

But that’s not classed as success. As far as the theatre world is concerned I am a nobody, and in order to become a recognised talent I would need to drastically alter my writing style and to produce work that is designed to satisfy the tiny number of theatre folks who decide what is worthy, rather than simply engaging audiences.

So rant over, and decision made. If I want to keep paying the bills and doing what I love, I don’t think I’ll be winning any awards in the near future, but I will be putting something on in a theatre near you sometime soon which will leave you feeling happy, entertained, and hopefully like you’ve been transported to another world for a short while.

Isn’t that what good theatre should be?        

And I'm not the only person saying this. Playwright Anthony Neilson said this ages ago 

http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2007/mar/21/features11.g2 

The Mysterious Gentleman

So rehearsals have finally started for this production.  The script was written a few months back, but since then I've been working with the fabulous Jenny Wren Productions - director Jenny Wicks, and three brilliant actors to develop it further. Playing JN Maskelyne is an amazing actor and magician Peter Clifford. The sublime Mr Derren Brown says of him 'Peter Clifford is one of my favourite magicians and one of the loveliest people I know.'  Peter has been busy creating incredible illusions for the play, and the other actors Elise Heaven and Murray Andrews have been busy learning all the magic they need to perform.

It's been a fascinating process writing and then adapting a script to include magic effects, but collaborating with a huge team of people is going to make this play really spectacular on stage. We've got a great team building all the effects, and our set designer has come to us after working on Game of Thrones, so it's going to look amazing.

There's been so much interest and support for this project all along, and tickets are selling well, but the BBC are going to do a feature next week so if you're thinking of coming I suggest you book before that goes out on the telly!  Tickets only £10.  Dates 8,9,10th May

Box Office 01242 522852 

End of year update

PHEW! Well the Arts Council came through and have given me funding to make the Maskelyne project happen next year - 8, 9 & 10^th May at the Playhouse Theatre in Cheltenham.  John Nevil Maskelyne was a master magician. His illustrious career began when he exposed charlatan spiritualists in Cheltenham Town Hall. He then went on to create illusions that amazed Victorian audiences, and still astonish people today. But why did he explore dark magic? Were his powers supernatural? And who was the mysterious gentleman in black who convinced him never to dabble in darkness again? 

NEVER GIVE UP HOPE: I had one play dumped earlier this year with no sensible explanation, but thanks to the fabulous 6ft Stories Theatre Company I finally saw ‘Urban Myths’ brought to life in the Mill Studio at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford.   

BRAIN STRETCHING: After many long hours online I have gained a Certificate of Mastery in Greek Heroes from Harvard University. I started this in the summer when my brain was being underused, but then lots more things started happening, but I stuck with it and now have a head full of fascinating thoughts about theatre and drama.

QATAR: Still on, but looks like being later on next year now.

UNEXPECTED WORK: Andy and I had a meeting with the local council about a project we had in mind and were asked on the spot to deliver a project called ‘Podsmead Visions’.  It's a book of bedtime stories to inspire kids in this deprived area of Gloucester to have ambitious dreams and goals for their future.  That’s all done – we’re just waiting for the proof copies to be delivered.

AND FINALLY: There are exciting things happening in Gloucester, and I’m very happy to be a part of the Olympus Theatre regeneration, where I’ll be running the Playwright’s workshops and hopefully doing much, much more.  Talks are in progress for projects up to 2016 – watch this space!   

Laughing with the Universe

My Crazy Life Part 2

OK, so after all the strangeness of the summer, things have finally started to turn around.  The future is looking quite interesting and just like the global economy there do seem to be small signs of a return to stability.

I’m going to ask you all to cross your fingers that an application I’ve made to the Arts Council is successful, because it’s for a really fabulous project where I’m going to work with Jenny Wren Productions to produce a play about John Nevil Maskelyne.  Haven’t heard of him?  Well he was an amazing Victorian inventor and magician who started his career in Cheltenham by exposing the fraudulent performance of a couple of spiritualists before going on to create incredible lifelike automata, and developing some illusions that are still stunning audiences today.

On top of that my other half and me have been invited out to Qatar to present workshops at their first ever Science Festival.  This would be our first international Science Festival and a huge opportunity for us – all will be confirmed by October, so cross fingers for that one too.

I’ve also signed up to do a distance learning course with Harvard University through edx.  I’m studying Greek Heroes and will hopefully gain a certificate of mastery by the end of the year.  If you don’t know about edx courses they’re absolutely free and the standard is exceptionally high.  They’re mostly science and technology courses, but a few humanities ones are appearing on their list so take a look if you fancy a mind stretch.

Talking of Science, despite having spent the past couple of decades as a Science Presenter my high school was rubbish and gave no encouragement to girls who were shoved towards studying shorthand, typing and home economics.  So my other half bought me a chemistry set for Christmas, and I’m working my way through it then searching the internet for extension projects I can do.  I’ll share more about my copper plating fun on our Timezones Facebook page next week.

And finally, after more than ten years with no telly I’ve discovered Netflix, where for just £5.99 per month I can watch as much telly as I want, which is fab.  The terrestrial channels are all full of dreadful pap, but I’m loving seeing smart US comedies and sharp US dramas such as ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ and ‘Hemlock Grove’ – I’ll start on ‘Breaking Bad’ once I’ve finished ‘Orange/Black’.

So with all of this going on it feels like me and Andy have woken up from comas and are now feeling that life is fun and full of wonder again.