Pointing the way
A month in and it still feels like a new year. Partly because of politics, although that also feels like the same old stuff. Partly because of pure busyness. Every January is the same. A few days of idleness followed by everything kicking off at once. So this feels like a good time to look […]
Dinner theatre returns
No sooner had I shared the latest about The Door than I had final confirmation of the next dinner theatre event. We staged a special dinner theatre evening based on Blessed Assurance back in October at Dorking’s White Horse hotel. The productions a joint effort between Damn Cheek Productions and the Greensand Band and the […]
The Door in Guildford
I’m delighted that Damn Cheek are coming to Guildford with my original and longest running play. The Door will be on at the Yvonne Arnaud’s Mill Studio for one night only on Friday, February 7th at 8pm. Tickets are £17.50, inclusive of restoration levy and booking fee and are available on 01483 440000 or online […]
Two Ladies at The Bridge
I paid my first visit to The Bridge Theatre last week. I was looking forward to it. I’d heard great things about the theatre, it was a new play, the director was Nicholas Hytner and the casting was strong – I’d see Zoe Wanamaker in anything. In the event my reaction was mixed. The theatre […]
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 […]
Threats and opportunities
I’ve attended two meetings in the last couple of days about threats, one about cyber crime, about which more another time, and one about the climate emergency. The landscape picture above was once a sea. Could it be again? Well, probably not but a lot of coastal land could be as we know. With governments […]
A whole new world
Joining the ranks of independent authors I’ve spent the week immersed in on line chats, closed Facebook groups, websites of marketing companies and you tube videos on the intricacies of being a publisher. All fascinating stuff, some of it a little confusing and a few acronyms thrown in for good measure. I’ve been helped in […]
Preparing for power. And for publication.
Where it all started Baildon Moor. Not strictly speaking where it all started of course. I was born in a nursing home on the edge of Saltaire, but Baildon Moor formed the backdrop to my early years and remains significant. It is also the backdrop to the early years of two of the characters in […]
Venues, grand and otherwise
From the pub to the convent Over the last few weeks I’ve been involved in a number of performances in a bewildering range of venues. Poetry readings in pubs, my latest play in a National Trust property, choral Dvorak in a 14th century convent (pictured) and jazz under the watchful eye of Yehudi Menuhin. That’s […]
Kangos, pipework, and theatre
Leith Hill Place, photo by Claire Malcomson Wake up call So here we go, the first performances of a new play and the wake up call is a domestic discussion about how to access bathroom pipework. The background music is hammer and chisel, alternating with a Kango, and I’ve lost the lead for my video […]