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 […]
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 […]
Day Three
This social distancing business is more time consuming than you’d think. After the fine plans of all the activity in the free time, just organising it seems to fill the day. Probably this is because we’re both in self isolation, having gone down with something which may or may not be Covid19. We’ll probably never […]
Cancellations and opportunities
This feels like day one of a new regime. Lots of new rules to observe, even if they’re presented as advice. Cut out social interaction, avoid the pub, no gatherings, self isolate where symptoms present. And more still for the over 70s and those with health problems. So where do we go from here? Yesterday […]
Transgression rewarded
Last night I transgressed. I slipped out of my choir rehearsal half way through so I could get to most of the Get The Blessing/John Hegley gig at Watermill Jazz Club. All I can say in my defence is – it was worth it! As a jazz fan and a poet I could hardly resist […]
Highs and lows
Last weekend we had a family trip to see Matilda the Musical. Three generations of Roald Dahl fans enjoyed it hugely, not least the younger generation. One of the things that struck me, as one of the older members of the group, was the very contemporary relevance of some of the points Dahl was making. […]
The power of music
I watched a documentary last night on Dame Janet Baker. An hour and a half of memories, insights and emotion. I grew up listening to Janet Baker singing and remember the sense of pride in her as well as the admiration of her voice, her craft and her dedication. She was a Yorkshire lass and […]
Teamwork
What does a writer do when he’s not writing? Marketing, obviously. Thinking. Procrastinating. Social media. But also, if he’s a playwright, he or she probably gets involved with a production company. In my case I was a founder director of Damn Cheek Productions around four years ago and this week we met to discuss the […]