Creativity in a world of Zoom
I’ve been thinking about how Damn Cheek has progressed in the last year and blogged about it on the Damn Cheek website. Damn Cheek is the theatrical production company which I co founded and which takes up a fair bit of my time. I thought our Covid journey worth sharing so what follows is a […]
Creativity in a time of Covid
It’s a strange phenomenon. Theatres are dark, just a few lights here and there, brave venues operating at 30% capacity. Concert halls have musicians bravely playing to empty seats. Stars of the musical theatre are driving vans. Ballet dancers are encouraged to become cyber experts, an encouragement now denied. And yet, in the midst, creativity […]
Crowded beaches
We were nervous about going to the beach. All that noise about Bournemouth and crowds , the parking, the litter. And yet, here we were, at our regular dog walking spot and lots of space. There’s something uplifting about the sea as it meets the beach. The grandeur, the colours, the space, all add to […]
On line poetry – and history in the making
I’ve tended to have an old fashioned view of libraries – a very positive one, but limited to book borrowing, quiet spaces for reading and a children’s corner. Of course, there is much or to a modern library than that and I have become involved with a couple of aspects of Surrey Libraries of which […]
These are the things
I’ve been thinking about what happens next. There’s been a lot of talk in the press, and shared posts on social media, about the stresses of lockdown and I understand that. I’m also aware that I’m in a privileged position with a garden, surrounded by countryside, and no longer worried about maintaining a steady job […]
Virtual Theatre is a hit
When Damn Cheek teamed up with Brighton Beam for a co production of Maria MacAteer’s ‘On a Wicklow Hill’, we expected a normal run of small venues, a normal approach to ticketing and marketing, normal performances with an audience seated in front of or around the stage. As it turned out, that’s not normal at […]
Jackdaws and social isolation
These are strange times and we all cope in different ways. Some of my relatives have been amusing me with tales of exploding slugs (of which more another time) and jackdaws in chimneys, a tale which seemed to suit rhyming couplets, so I thought that today I’d simply share the story of Jack Daw… Jackdaw […]
A day for hope
It’s Easter Sunday and the message of resurrection will be proclaimed from pulpits all over the land – to empty churches with the services beamed into living rooms. Just one example of the changes in our national life over the last few weeks. Whatever our beliefs, faiths or traditions I’m sure we’re all looking for […]
And now we’re in lockdown…
A new phase and a new routine. Gone are the slightly awkward elbow bumps and uncertainties. Now we know what we should be doing and can get used to the new way of life – hoping it doesn’t go on for too long, recognising it will be longer than we want. I still haven’t written […]