I must post this article TODAY!

http://www.rferl.org/content/pen-day-imprisoned-writer-remembering-jailed-voices/24771628.html

Please have a look at this article: to all my fellow writers who cannot keep their dignity because they write about the Truth!

Blessed be xx

Production Team [1]

While I prepare the business plan for my play, here's some information on some of the artists who will work for me on my debut theatrical work.

As promised, continuing this "catwalk" of artists, my mentor and co-director, Chris Amos.

Chris graduated in Theatre Arts from Bretton Hall College in 1987 and has worked as an actor, writer and director ever since.  Written work includes RED STARS, the opera FLIGHT 19, the Cameron Mackintosh Award nominated THE RETURN OF DOCTOR X and the critically acclaimed and award winning AMERICAN EAGLE, due to be revived in 2013.

He has created the award winning module THE REALM BELOW for Bioware’s NEVERWINTER NIGHTS computer Report Programme Generator (RPG).  He is currently working on the script for THE RAINBOW WITCHES, an animated film for children, and a new play with music CHASING LEVIATHAN, due to première in 2013.  

There were two other local artists with more or less the same experience as Chris in theatre production, both at professional and amateur levels.  Chris was the first on my list and the one that matched perfectly the type of production I'm staging due to his extensive experience in Youth Theatre. He's also the artistic director of Sparx Theatre Company, a group open to people with disabilities of all ages, which made him the perfect candidate to co-direct the play! He showed an interest after reading the first draft of the script, and I feel extremely honoured and blessed to be mentored by him throughout the development of this production.

Unfortunately, I have no picture to show You yet, so I guess You'll have to make an effort to come and see the play!  :)

A quote dear to me!

Didn't we all have dreams when we were young?  But the reality of making a living took over when we had to pay our bills, rent our apartments, raise our families, and take care of others.  We sacrificed our dreams, repressed them, or delegated them to the background until they were so far away that we forgot they ever existed.  
Lucinda Bassett

You should know I'm a collector, an unusual one: I'm a collector of Words! Since my teenage I've been collecting quotations!

Quotations can be an inspiration to many, words that can brighten up a dull day or task, words that can give birth to new ideas, that can produce those rare Aha! moments we all need in our life!

Through quotes, I have often felt a relief in realising that what happened to me is common to other people, one of the reasons that led me to engage in blogging for my project.  I am aware that I'm not an isolated case, that many others like me have put on hold or completely forgotten their dreams, and I really hope this project will inspire as many as possible to go search the path they were meant to walk, because I strongly feel and believe this is the right time!

I'm also aware that this project might not be successful, but it feel fantastic to be able to work on it and try to make it work.

Things are progressing in many ways, links and networks are forming, and I have been put in front of the bold reality that it is certainly hard work but it's worth it! I must thank Pasco Kevlin for invaluable advice on how to apply for a grant: this guy might not be there in one month time since the Arts Council is changing and cutting on many of its services  ¬_¬

Blessings x

No more politics...

... since this blog is supposed to talk about a dream!

Someone else suggested to title this blog "The making of a playwright" but through this first work, I'm actually improvising myself in many other roles!

I'm not really meant to reveal too much about the play but a bit of a background seems important at this stage, since some professional figures around Bedfordshire are becoming increasingly interested in my project.

It does involve children, that was clear enough!  Children have the key to that truth that lies dormant in all of us: they are genuine, pure, loving Creatures with no prejudices and highly expanded awareness on the human nature. Children see and sense things that adults can no longer see and sense.  I am a strong believer that there's no such thing as an evil child - and don't be fooled and think I don't read the papers or watch the news...

No one is born with the seed of evil in them!

We've all gone through that innocent phase of life, through which everything was good, beautiful, light, transparent, magical... Than something along the line changes, sometimes drastically! What happened? And when?

Some stories are exactly the same as others, some are unique. Some children never had a taste of innocence or magic either.

When I started writing this particular story, I never thought it could actually turn into a script: it was out of sheer frustration for not being able to actually DO SOMETHING to help. It's been a therapeutic journey, which mostly made me realise that I wasn't dealing only with children, but with their lives, their backgrounds, their stories... An entire universe!  And no matter how medically trained You are, most of the time there's no much You can do!

This story will go on stage! Not only because I believe in theatre and the magic transformation it can have in people engaging in it, but also because there is a completely different perspective to a story when it's lived in a theatre rather than through a cold screen. You can hear the characters breathing; You can almost touch their emotions (and viceversa, definitely!)  They're real and they're there with You. When You are in a theatre, You're not only a spectator, You end up being the witness! The rapport actors/audience and audience/actors is priceless.

I hope it's clear I don't dislike movies, but if I have to chose between going to the cinema and the theatre, I always chose the latter!

Cheerio!

On war

Oh ohohooooh... According to someone I should get rid of my previous post, the one that "disrespects those who have fought in past wars"!

Right! First, if someone has something to say, it's not forbidden to send positive criticism and comments to this blog; second, I don't care if my post was misunderstood or misinterpreted and I'm well aware of the risks that electronic communication carries - besides, even in verbal communication, often people receive something totally different from what You were trying to convey.  This is mostly related to prejudice...

Thirdly, and finally, I don't care if I'm less popular by stating my points of view or by revealing that I'm not a national!

Followers of this blog might want to know that my life experience has led me to feel no need for national, religious or ethnic identification: I strongly believe in team building and communities, wherever they are. I could live in Scandinavia or Madagascar, and still be myself, very much at home in my heart!

I also believe that pinning a poppy on Your chest and than ignoring [or even worse... accepting] that many youngsters still die every day at war is utterly disrespectful.  I believe that is appalling that TV adverts looking like Hollywood movies still encourage youngsters to leave their studies to engage in war - to serve the country? How come the country is then struggling to support veterans in treating them for post traumatic stress and illnesses related to staying away from their homeland for long periods of time?

My brother serves the Italian marine forces: he couldn't find a job when he left school without a qualification, and even when he finally realised he needed his diploma and went back to complete his school years, he returned to the same job due to high unemployment rates. So, wouldn't it sound more correct and appropriate to You that governments should keep unemployment rates low (if non-existent at all) giving all youngsters the possibility to put they qualifications - the result of many years of studies and sacrifices - to fruition?

I feel that the past taught each and every one of us very little! War is an insane business, an excuse not to see other people's differences and accept them!  Is it easier acknowledging diversity and embrace it, or build more weapons, make a world-wide business out of this mass production and distribution and finally use them against ourselves? Well, You got Your answer there, which is why war is insane!

Now now... Don't go there asking me "And what if your country got invaded!"  If we embraced each person's differences with Love, without Judgement, what would be the need to declare wars?

Food for thought...

Everybody's Billy Elliot!

Right, enough about me!

I should mention though that Billy Elliot's is everybody's story, and linking this to the content of my previous post, we should probably start looking inside ourselves, delve deep into our innermost Selves and look at those dreams we have been ignoring for quite a while... Now's the right time... Please, please do it...

... I don't want to die without at least trying!


Body temperature raising...

Name change

I am a little unwell at the moment but feel urged again to write down about a blessing I received this week: I accidentally had to cover first aid on a History school trip to London.  I'm not going to carry on about not being told that the students had to visit the HMS Belfast and Churchill's war rooms and that I didn't really feel like getting on a war ship or going down a bunker and how it affects me to think that both venues served to prepare men to kill other men... I'd rather go to Auschwitz if I have to pay respect!

Anyway, the group of students and their teacher I was accompanying took advantage of being in London to book seats at the West End to see Billy Elliot, probably one of the most inspiring musicals I've ever seen in my life.  Maybe the majority of those who love Musical Theatre know the story, but seeing it... oh, that's a different story! Book Your tickets this Christmas, if You haven't seen it!

Now, I want to share a picture with all of You, an almost 40 year-old picture of a much younger me engaged in what I've always known I can do better...

Those of You who are following this blog from Italy will know who the presenter is; for those who don't know, only know that his name was Mago Zurlì (Zurlì the Wizard), though I truly cannot remember his real name (I'm getting there with name changes... !)  The only thing You need to know is that, as soon as he introduced me to the audience by my name and where I came from to sing on this prestigious event, I looked at him from head to toe and asked him: "Do you pee yourself often?" to which he astonishingly and very embarrassed replied: "No, of course not..." so I asked him: "Then why are you wearing a nappy?"

I cannot tell You what happened in the audience but I guess that started it all!  :D

Mago Zurlì and many other artists involved in the performing arts tend to change their names often finding a more appropriate artistic name to what they're doing in a theatre context. For example, he worked with children for a number of years, therefore his character would have appealed to a much younger audience and would have helped children to feel the magic intrinsic in the event, and obviously helped children less confident than myself to feel at ease on stage.

When a new name is used/chosen, it's a process very similar to a re-birth, a re-christening of that person, a process that marks a new beginning in that person's life. In my case, it has happened quite accidentally (again!) in line with many events happened in my life since I started writing again.  It's very much like closing a chapter and opening a new one, out with the old and in with the new! Rock bands, actors, singers, women that marry for the first time, women that divorce - if they marry again, usually they keep their maiden names within reach - and many more!

The name You know me by isn't my real name... it's simply the translation of my name AND surname into English!

And, believe me when I say, it's making things much easier as far as communication with people here in England is concerned! I might give away my accent, though...

More often than not, people do not engage in conversation with me more than once because they cannot pronounce my first name, they look distressed and insecure, let alone quite frustrated. Moreover, I don't particularly like abbreviations - I've been called all sorts!

Now, new beginnings... How many times should You change Your name in a lifetime? I can answer with another question, can I?  How many times do we have the guts to bring about change in our life? A new re-birth? A new beginning? A part from marriages, divorces and so on... of course!

I hope someone comments on this...

Blessings x

PS. Thank goodness for internet: You can communicate with others without spreading viral flu around!

Updates!

Oh, this is sooooo exciting, folks!  I have secured the theatre for the world première of my play and, today, I went to view the space at the local Friends Meeting House with Chris.  

It all felt a bit surreal at one point, which reminded me of a conversation I had with a lady sitting on my left last Thursday, at the MK Open University theatre, while waiting for a fantastic version of Macbeth to start.  Talking about taking the leap [working toward staging our own work], she commented with "Wow, I'd never be able to do that!", to which I replied "I actually don't know what came to me!"  At that moment, though, and for the first time in my life, I felt as if I was exactly where I was always meant to be!

Today I felt exactly the same while being shown around the Friends Meeting House, a magical feeling indeed!

While Chris Amos puts a few words together about himself, I just want to share with You a bit of history about the place where we'll be running audition workshops next spring and where the play will take its form: the Friends Meeting House in Leighton Buzzard.

"The Quaker movement was formed in the 17th Century. Followers called themselves "Friends in Truth" and at the end of the 18th Century the term "Religious Society of Friends" was formally adopted.

The Friends Meeting House in Leighton Buzzard was built in 1787 by John Grant, who ran a grocery shop in the town. It was extended in 1812. The plain interior expressed the simplicity demanded of Friends at the time. The high windows and lack of distracting ornament were to help Friends detach from the world during worship.

Until 1924 it was practice to record as ministers those men and women who were considered to be deeply spiritual and able to speak persuasively. Recorded minsters sat on raised benches at one end of the room whilst the elders of the meeting occupied benches in front of the ministers, their role being to ensure that meetings were properly held. There is no hierarchy in meeting today and worshippers sit where they please in a circle of chairs in the centre of the room. It has become customary for a table to be placed at the centre of the circle, sometimes with flowers and often with books and literature for guidance.

At the opposite end to the minister's gallery is a 19th Century room divide dating from a time when separate business meetings for men and women     were held.The divided consists of wooden shutters that can be opened for large meetings, and for weddings and funerals.

The meeting house was renovated in 1953. At this time, the gravestones were moved from the graves to the sides of the burial ground and a lawn was laid over the burial area. In keeping with Quaker practice, the gravestones are of the same size and materials, and have the same form of words. They were placed in the same manner in the burial ground to avoid distinction between rich and poor."

We'll receive soon a map of the back grounds to see exactly where burials were moved so that, when we'll use the outdoors facilities, we'll make sure no one is disturbed!

Another exciting feeling I had while viewing the premises is that we have a lovely central place where to build a new group of friends coming from different backgrounds, living in the same community and with something great in common:acting!

Changing name...

I'm not sure if any of my blog's readers had a look at this article appeared today on the BBC News web site: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20228060

Take a look, hoping You'll find it interesting and, why not, amusingM and remember that it also involves me directly - more on this topic to come shortly!

Bye for now :)

Links on text

I've just realised that there are a couple of words on my previous post that are highlighted so that You can click to open them: they've got nothing to do with me in that they're actually adverts that Google is probably marketing!

I have no idea how this happened but I'll invite You not to open them until I figure out how to stop this.

Technology, hey? ... :(

Don't be shy!

Since more and more people seem to be showing an interest in this blog, I would like to take advantage [of the fact that this is my twentieth post] to invite anyone to (PLEASE!) write comments as we go along in this journey!

As I already mentioned, this blog seeks to work as a tool for reflective practice, to see how this artistic project develops, what went wrong and what worked, so that I can improve myself and my practice in the Performing Arts, from now... forever and ever... Amen!

Oh dear, it does sound a bit ambitious, but there's nothing wrong about it: it cannot be too wrong if anything I do toward staging the play now brings such excitement and happiness that inevitably surpass fear and doubt, which is quite a novelty to me!  I'm aware that other people have been before where I am now and know how daunting it is to embark in such processes, yet the gain is said to go beyond expectations, and I'm not talking about financial gain at all!

Anyway, every small step taken toward the realisation of this project is time consuming but rewarding in a way I never experienced before, and I keep having this strong feeling that it'll be worth the effort.

Currently I'm developing a Child Protection Policy, since there are 34 young characters in the play; this is a huge learning curve, challenging but very appropriate, as You can imagine, so it's also about exploring issues on how to handle the entire process.  For the records, the policy is compulsory when hiring a theatre, not just because we'll be working with young people.

I really feel I'm learning more skills than I thought I would, therefore expanding my knowledge and skills as I go ahead!  :)

If You have been through a similar process, I'd really love to hear from You...

Postcard to view

Here are the postcard's front and back that the majority of local traders have now received, still with very little result, though, but I'm a very patient lady... 

Stella worked really hard on this and to her goes all my gratitude!

I will have to advertise now for a choreographer: I really would like the play to be open by a dance as in the original script, because it works very well with the plot!  It's just that youngsters involved in the Performing Arts are ever so busy...

Wish me luck!

Why can't I?

Folks, I did warn You this was going to be a slow-motion kind of project!

I'm getting better at what's needed to apply for a grant, but any kind of advice from anyone out there who's done it before me at least once would be highly appreciated!

I've realised that writing the script was nothing compared to what's going on right now, to what I need to study understand and learn so that the play can be produced, people paid and I can keep my promise to support a local project...   Does it sound too ambitious?

Do You think I'm scared? Well, I've also realised that my comfort zone is well behind me and it's quite challenging to say that, at this point, there's no turning back.  But the dream of seeing something I wrote taking shape through the talent of other people is something that belongs to the very core of my Being, is so entrenched in me that I cannot see myself doing anything else in the future...

I've had many roles in my life: a full-time mother, a nurse, a teacher, a first aider, a full-time worker, a secretary, a financial adviser, a time and space organiser, a decorator, an interior designer, a mechanic (!)...  I just feel it's time to re-invent myself and allow creativity to flow the way it was always meant to!

Many celebrities have re-invented their social and personal role: Sir Anthony Hopkins is now composing classical music, Jonny Depp is becoming a publishing editor, Madonna wrote children books for a while, Berlusconi will enter a prison soon.... Ooops, sorry... You're right, I also said no politics in this blog... sorry!

I know, You're thinking that I'm not a celebrity - and I have no intention of becoming one as well, but... why not me, why can't I re-invent my life and give it the direction it should have taken in the first instance?

We shall see...

Got some dates (2)

By the way, I'm not going to reveal dates yet, but the play is likely to be staged next summer, and... that's official!

So... don't book Your holidays in July! ;)

Got some dates!

Ahahahahah... No, I'm not going out with a new man, but I can safely state that I've got a new partner!

Nooo, I mean... a partner-in-crime, of course! And this is also the next artist I'm going to tell You all about in due course! 

Yes, yes, I'm talking about the person who will co-direct my play and act as my mentor in this very exciting experience! I can only say, for now, that his name is Chris Amos, a very popular name in the local artistic scene! More to come shortly!

Going back to the second artist I have already introduced as part of  this project, You should probably check the following link and see what Mr Young is up to:  http://www.johnyoungband.com/fr_home.cfm

Time-consuming yet enriching

Studying what's on offer in terms of grants and funding for the Arts in England!  :)

Creativity and Our World

I've been added on facebook to a fab group, Arts Gateway MK (please go on fb and Like it!)  I never realised the artistic population out there was so immense: I had a hint when writing my play and planning to involve local artists, for there are many around here, but the entire family is massive.

For those who haven't noticed, Creativity is really spreading quickly like a virus - see the Doppio Gioco blog I'm following.

Creativity is one of the most positive energies that are definitely moving around swiftly from mind to mind, from heart to heart, and touching the Soul of this World, and I'm thrilled to see that this is not only happening through easy access to technology, but through any form of Art.

I have always believed that through our human being's blueprint we were all given artistic talents: all of us can dance, sing, play an instrument, draw, paint, etc.  It only takes practice to find out what You're really good at!

If You ever craved to do something artistic, I suggest that You give it a go and start living the dream as soon as You can.  And ditch the conditioning that You haven't got the time, since time is only an illusion - in other words... stop making excuses!

THE WORLD NEEDS YOUR CREATIVE INPUT... Get it?

Blessings

Fingers crossed!

I might have found a potential choreographer... Will know next week, but in the meantime let's cross anything that can be crossed, please!!!

I also want to start a campaign to save the English T: is there anyone ou' there tha' can suppor' me?  ;)

I have added today another interesting blog, although not my thing but could be useful to viewers, especially if You are in the UK!

As expected, soon after releasing this idea for the play into the world, my hands have started producing more and more creative ideas: words just flow right through my fingers on to the keyboard, I have no idea where exactly I stored so many!

I also have no clue why I write with stage and/or camera in mind... Wouldn't it just be easier to write books? I guess, though, this might be linked with my background, and what I've been involved with in the past.

Looking at other blogs, I've also realised that this blog it's not about politics, religion, science or society in general as we might see it: it's simply about recording the birth of creative ideas and see them grow into a performance.  This journey is more a discovery than anything else and, although it's pretty personal, I feel it links me with many other people around the World who have had, or are about to have, a creative burst where their creativity could no longer be contained inside them - either in their brain or heart, or both!  Therefore the only way is to express it!

So I won't write about Nick Clegg and the raising university fees or the Math teacher that disappeared with a 15 year old student. In fact, my mission, if I dare calling it that way, is to write about stories that will never make the news!

That's what this play is all about: it's about stories that very few people have noticed, stories that may happen behind close doors but that could change a person's view on what life is at a certain age.  

Not by chance, the subtitle of A Day In The Medical Room reads "Any reference to people or facts isn't fictitious at all!"

I hope to bring good news from my co-director and a new choreographer next time I write here with more details about them!  :) 

No comment...

... Apparently I've lost the choreographer!  :(((

Anyone out there who's interested in taking up this post?

Postcards

No chance to upload the postcards yet... Guess??? Yep, technology again! They're on an Adobe format, so I have to ask Stella to change them into another format... Ahahah, it seems as if we need to wait!  :)

The entire process of this project is organised in order for it to proceed as slowly as possible.  This is a huge challenge for me for, more often than not, I find myself acting as a control freak and cannot deal with frustration because things just don't go they way I want them.

I have realised (finally!) that the more I try to control things, the less they work and take the direction I want them to take.  In fact, quite recently, I realised that when we let go of things and stop controlling everything, things just happen, we get into that flow through which life JUST HAPPENS.

It's good to have plans, but it's better not to be driven by them - try and sit back and see what happens.  By this, I don't mean that we should go on automatic pilot mode, but simply that events unfold without us making much effort and without getting all worked up by them!  It's a new concept for me and, believe me, it still sounds strange to me, too! But I have a feeling it's a great step forward! 

This take-it=easy attitude has also been inspired by a famous writer, Kostantinos Petrou Kavafis: some Christmas ago, I received a mug from my old best friend Marina.  The mug has a quote from Ithaka, one of the most popular poems Kavafis has shared with the world; the poem is enclosed below with the bold part highlighting the quote on the mug.  

The mug has been sitting on my desk at work since that Christmas, reminding me every day how and why I should take it easy while keeping in mind the direction that my creativity is taking.  Happy reading!


Ithaka by Kostantinos Petrou Kavafis (1863 - 1933)

As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon-don't be afraid of them:
you'll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon-you won't encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbors you're seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind-
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you're destined for.
But don't hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you're old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you've gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won't have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you'll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean. 

In Limbo...

I haven't forgotten my duties, People... Just waiting to hear from the choreographer I contacted, my next artist, unless he decides to drop out... :$

Whatever he comes up with, the hunt for sponsors started last week after receiving postcards from www.alocalprinter.com! I must mention them because the finished piece is absolutely outstanding and I'm really happy!

I'll post the postcards' front & back soon... :)

Heeyyyyy... I told You it was brewing... Bit of patience and You'll know everything about this project!

A Day In The Medical Room... Yes! For now, what You need to know about it is that 97% of its content is real life stuff, meaning it's happened for real! I'm sure when the time comes for You to watch it happening on stage, You'll be able to figure out what could be classified as "fiction" but still fits the plot perfectly!

Now, as promised, something about the second artist I involved in my project: John Young.

John has been on the music scene for... oh goodness... donkeys years now, and made some very interesting albums, like Significance. He's extremely busy at present giving the finishing touches to his brand new album with his band, the John Young Band. Never heard of them? Can't be! Well, here's their names and people they worked for:

John Young, keys & vox (Strawbs, Scorpions, Asia, Bonnie Tyler etc) 

Robin Boult, guitars (Fish, Howard Jones) 

Ian Salmon, bass (Arena) 

Frosty Beedle, drums (Cutting Crew)

I happen to have been introduced to John Young himself during the Christmas festivities of 2010. His music, however, had accompanied my everyday dance since 2004: very much known for his "musical traps", I find John to be an extremely honest artist, very far from producing commercial stuff, and prone to singing life as it is, like the majority of his musical colleagues have done, such as Sting, Bruce Springsteen and many more!

For this reason, I chose one of his songs as the finale and curtain call for my play and, although I discussed this at length with him and he never gave up, I still hope he'll have some time to play it live at the three performances!

If You want to know more about John Young and what he's up to, find him here www.facebook.com/johnyoungband 

Next time, next artist... :)

Printing the postcards...

... I should have probably mentioned that I managed to print 500 postcards from 100% recycled paper  for my hunt for sponsors! :D

I've gone too far... Bought 500 postcards online in order to attract the attention of potential sponsors, so there's no turning back!

I really feel compelled to release the news in to the world: the excitement is growing and, as I always say, it cannot be wrong!

When I was younger I used to have a recurrent dream about big changing rooms stuffed with theatrical costumes of all kinds, made with different materials I could actually touch and feel in the dream, surrounded by millions of different colours...

I was always asked to chose a costume, but they were far too many: so I'd start browsing around, liked a few, but in the end I'd never make up my mind, and would wake up always feeling very frustrated.

It hasn't been that long ago since last time I had this dream, but I remember vividly that I found myself in a smaller changing room with less costumes and a person standing at the door behind me saying "You got to choose, there isn't much time left!"

This is not the only reason why I allowed myself to finally write for the stage but I'll share the other story later!

For now, let me introduce the first Artist, as mentioned previously: Mrs Stella Goddard!

Stella is a graphic designer by profession, and communications officer at a nearby secondary school, but her real work is at home as mother of three teenagers.

She has lived in Linslade for 16 years, getting involved with many local groups, schools and organisations as her children were growing up.  One of the most rewarding has been working with South Beds Friends of the Earth.

She seems to be quite excited to be involved in my Community Arts Project and looks forward to seeing the finished production, but I'm sure she doesn't realise what she's put herself into!  ;)

Stella has a particularly precious artistic gift and sees things differently for real - and not just because this is the slogan of Friends of the Earth!  She's taken the responsibility of proof-reading the script and I owe her so much since she's managed to fit my requests into her extremely busy life.  I feel very blessed that she's been my companion since the beginning of this journey!

If You want to contact Stella, her email address is: stella@stelladesign.co.uk

Until next time... 

Oooooh dearrrr... I did start writing I was new to the blogging experience, didn't I??

Well, from none to too many! I must have opened a new blog without even realising what I was doing... You might think I should have read the small print! Yep, that would have been a good idea... :P

Any way, here's the design:

Ouch, obviously disclosing the title of the play here... ;)

Keep connected!

Design available to view!

There You are!

Here's Ms Goddard's original design for whatever will be used to marketing the play! I don't think the bottom is displaying correctly, but I guess You could open the picture and see it fully on Your browser!

Don't You think it's nice? I think so... I love it!  :)

It's all very exciting, especially working on the script again: my co-director wanted me to extend it a little bit more, an exciting and exhausting process all together!

My next post on artists' profiles (part one).  Meanwhile, please sharing Your comments/views/ideas/criticism and so on...

Design

Another few things have been completed so far... How slow could the entire process be? It's about juggling life and dreams and trying to merge them with the creative currents transporting me in the Present!

The design for posters, flyers and programmes is ready to be copyrighted: the author of such simple but careful design is Stella Goddard, a local freelance artist and graphic designer with an exhaustive knowledge in web site creation.

I shall start very soon writing about all artists involved in this huge process! First, a little note about the people who should manage local / community projects, whichever their nature: I sent  an email, then a letter (on recorded delivery) to the office that deals with funding community projects.  They have both been ignored completely!

I cannot explain why if You ask for money, You become suddenly invisible (unless it's a bank You'are asking to); if You owe money, they'll find You even if You try to make Yourself invisible! :)

Someone out there enlighten me, please!

Anyway, the hunt for sponsors is about to start... Keep watching this space!

KLG

A bit about me!

Right, I'm better start telling more of what's happening around here and what it is I'm dealing with!

First, if You are into theatre and the Performing Arts You may continue to read this blog; if You're not, You'd better forget about it and leave right now - You won't be blamed!  ;)

Second, I'm probably meant to introduce my self at this stage - I'll try and be brief... Something like 30ish years ago I was a teenager who enjoyed amateur drama within a parish church group. With this group, we staged a few musicals/recitals, even scripted one adapting it from a book by Richard Bach. We used to have lot of fun but most of all it was a fantastic way to express and release our creativity through bringing to life stories, with which people - us first - could sympathise!  I would have wanted to carry on since I often had he chance to choreograph but something distracted me along the way and I strayed completely from what should have been my life path (or always was!)

When You leave something undone or unsolved in Your life, it'll stay in a limbo state until it finally catches up with You again: it's up to You to complete it or not; in fact, You can do various things with it, but I won't explore all the available chances at this stage - You might want to add up to this point, instead, and tell me if this has happened to You, too, and what You did!

As far as I'm concerned, no matter how much I ignored that those skills were always there, deep inside of me, deeply entrenched in my very Soul, they'd always re-appear unexpectedly, and it hurt!  It hurt to see how much time I'd wasted...  So during my mid-life crisis, occurred not so long ago (phewww... been there, done that!) something shifted along with much of my awareness of what I had left unsolved: I decided I didn't want to live (and leave) with regrets, so I enrolled in an A Level Performing Arts course in Milton Keynes, just for the fun of it, and studied in a safe, enjoyable and empowering environment.

I should probably add here that the course was organised in 2006 by ACE Adult Learning and was run in Wolverton, MK, by the amazing Rosemary Hill.  I gained an overall B and and A in my examined performance, which should have been enough to understand where I was coming from and in what direction I ought to go! Still, life with its commitments strongly directed me toward a different direction, despite joining Rosemary's theatre company after the course, attending master classes (even an audition in London at the Birbeck College for a course in Foundation Studies in Dance) and taking Modern Dance classes at a local school of dance for a while, which gave me the opportunity to re-explore dance on a more serious level.  

I felt content, that type of contentedness You feel when You're ready to compromise and settle for less, for little, but know deep inside that You're much more than that, that You're worth a lot more... Anyone out there acquainted with this feeling? Please tell me more...

Anyway, things didn't seem to work in any of these cases and I had to compromise even more, mostly about money and other commitments that I've always put before me... Bloody money! How much has it ruined in Your own life?

The funny thing is that the more You move away from what You're meant to be or do, the deepest it goes inside of You - You even start dreaming about it, Your unconscious mind keeps reminding You even if You run away or hide, scared... No, it cannot be, that can't be my life, I'm not that brave, I'm not that clever... It works as a magnet!

Now, I have written a script, an original script! I found a co-director (who even wants me to extend it because "it's too short!"), a choreographer and a graphic designer... I have the most amazing local talents on board, because after all it is an art community project that will bring together so much local artistic talent!  It is set to be a fantastic project, the most exciting creative project I've ever produced - after my children, of course - and it feels great, it feels I'm finally coming full circle, I'm finally coming home!

More to come...

KLG8

The Beginning

Hi Internet Population!

I'm very new to the blogging experience but if my grandmother can do it, why can't I?
It's time for me to get serious on blogging for I'm finally working on a brand new artistic project, an idea that's been brewing in my Mind for the last 5 years and it's just getting real!

So... watch this space because, step by step, I'm going to add more.

Blessings

Katherine