One thing I have a lot of trouble with is writing on any sort of schedule. The corollary of this is that I feel guilty when I don’t, which can serve to delay getting back on the horse even more. It’s been a long time since I last blogged, so I’ll fill in some of the gaps.
The plays I directed opened and closed. Appropriately enough, the much-delayed cast meal is tonight, so it’s a good time to look back on it. The programme was what I would consider a success – most people enjoyed being in it, most people enjoyed seeing it, even the techies liked it (which in many circles is considered the highest praise a play can get). I believe money was made, and they pretty much were performed as well as I hoped. In some cases and on some nights they exceeded expectations, but on the other hand I didn’t fully account for the highly technical nature of Still Life, so due to nobody’s fault but mine we never quite got a clear run. I’m very proud of all the actors, grateful to my team, and consider it one of the best experiences of my life to date.
I’m now holding the very different role of producer on Sweetmeat, a new play by my friend Ivo de Jager. It has a great script, a brilliant cast, talented and enthusiastic directors, and is shaping up well. This weekend we’re filming the trailer, and also the few filmed pieces in the play itself.
The first block of my radio show wrapped up with a technically challenging but very interesting phone interview with Sara Slack from Inspired Quill. I’ll be posting that podcast when the show hopefully relaunches in February. There’s a link to the Mixcloud page where you can find all the previous episodes on this site.
The poetry module when well. I think I produced a good amount of good work, and I have definitely improved as a writer because of it. That play I keep not writing has filled out in my head into a proper two-act thing, which is nice, but I kinda need to put it on paper otherwise it’s not a real thing. Finally, I’ve been invited to contribute a short story to my friend Nick Palmer’s site, which means I’m getting back into prose after a long absence. Although, there’s a particular story that keeps coming out stillborn, but I’ll get there.
The degree is wrapping up scarily soon, so figuring out my life after June has become a priority, but I’m certain writing will be a part of it.
More soon.
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