YES on 34: An Evening at The Residence of the British Consul-General...and news of a Havel trilogy.7/23/2012 This evening, I was honoured to be in the company of a group of people with warm hearts and we hope for the sake of the Yes on 34 campaign, deep pockets!
We'll take it as a given that the "deep pockets" do not belong to us impecunious theatre types. None the less, I plan to do all I can to support Prop 34. Thanks to Kim Manning-Cooper of Amnesty International UK for inviting me. We last saw each other some twenty-three years ago in the corridors of the college we shared. You must have a portrait in the attic Kim and if you drink enough and squint your eyes you'll see that I haven't aged a bit either! Joking aside, I'm incredibly proud of Kim and all the work she is doing on behalf of Amnesty. Tonight, the eloquence of the speakers drove home the importance of this issue, not just in terms that we are sadly familiar with: the miscarriages of justice, the position of other death penalty regimes around the world in relation to the stance of the U.S. but also in economic terms; a central theme of the campaign's thrust to abolish the penalty in a state that is currently broke beyond belief. In other news (and since I spent so much time telling anyone who would listen) it really is time we had some mention of the Havel project on this website. I'm delighted that Theatrum Elysium have invited me to direct three one act plays by the great Czech writer Vaclav Havel this autumn. The Vanek Trilogy, springs from Havel's own experiences as a dissident writer living under the regime of the former Czechoslovakia. Central to these plays are the character's relationship with the material world and their moral world. As such, the make for astutely relevant pieces today and are as deeply psychological as they are political. The plays will be performed at the company's new home in La Crescenta (and NOT, as I wrongly asserted this evening in Downtown LA). Theatrum Elysium is a fledgling company that started life in a 10, 000 sq. ft warehouse space in the heart of Downtown LA, before moving to their new home in La Cresenta. They are making a name for themselves with bold and imaginative productions that appeal to a counter culture of theatregoers in the Los Angeles area who are looking for a stirring and potent theatrical experience that will live as long in the memory as it will in the heart. Watch this space for news and details of the production or click here for the Theatrum Elysium website.
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I recently learned that September 1st will be the publication date of my forthcoming book on acting Shakespeare. A huge thanks to Nathan Spring, Head of Production at Smith and Kraus for his guidance, hard work and help. Here is a sneak peak of the book cover:
Thank you to Classical Theatre Lab for inviting me to moderate their workshop class last night. It was a privilege to be in the company of such fine actors, each of whom brought their unique talents and spirit of inquiry to the process. It was a joy! I just hope they all had as much fun as I did!
Jonathan Vandiveer took my first L.A. headshots several years back when I first arrived in Hollywood. The results were 'stunning,' and www.stunningheadshots.com is an accurate description of an artist who produces excellent results in the relaxed environs of Silver Lake.
A gentleman and consummate professional, I highly recommend him. You can see more of Jonathan's work at www.stunningheadshots.com and on the cover of my forthcoming book on acting. Many thanks to the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles for letting me kick off a series of rehearsed readings this Sunday. The rehearsals explore a series of 10 minute versions of Macbeth, The Tempest, Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
With the support of a dedicated troupe of actors we had and will continue to have a lot of fun. The 10 minute versions of the plays appear in my forthcoming book: To Play Or Not To Play: 50 Games for Acting Shakespeare. Details here. Below Left to right: Martin Jago, Liz Femi Wilson, Trader Selkirk, Von Rae Wood, Josh T. Ryan, Nicola Bertram, and Graham Barnard. I have just read the superlative case for Shakespeare, a superbly well-crafted and systematic dismantling of anti-Shakespearianism conspiracy theories. Thank you Paul Edmondson and Stanley Wells. Here's a link to the free downloadable essay.http://bloggingshakespeare.com/shakespeare-bites-back-the-book
More than 2188 plays were submitted to this year's Bruntwood Prize, the U.K.'s largest prize for playwriting.
This was a record number of entries for the Bruntwood, which is partnered by the Manchester Royal Exchange. I'm delighted to announce that my play, MacGregor and Beth, was chosen as one of the top 100 plays this year. The prize winners from will be announced on Tuesday 15 November. I have a new mic in the home studio and wanted to take it for a quick test drive. The result is this recording of Shakespeare's Sonnet 2....since it was the first thing that came to mind (I do hope that without the script in front of me my memory is still serving me well): Several months ago I was invited by the internationally acclaimed artist and author, Quintan Ana Wikswo to record voice over on several short stories that were to form part of a wider project by the artist entitled, Prophecy of Place.
In the project, Wikswo combines original text, photography, installation, video and brings together collaborating composers and choreographers in a dynamic exhibition that also includes live performance. The source of the work lies in a variety of global sites that once bore witness to crimes against humanity. Prophecy of Place spans seven countries, eight centuries and nine languages. Using artifacts such as battlefield cameras and military typewrites, Wikswo's work is a startling encounter with atrocity that raises questions, serves as resistance and memorial. Further details here on the Yeshiva University Museum website and here on the artist's site. Beware the tides of March...and the radical sea change in the fortunes of arts organisations the length and breadth of the United Kingdom.
Today's funding announcements by the Arts Council of England will have a long lasting effect on the cultural landscape of Great Britain. By slashing 30% of it's grant-in-aid the government left the ACE the unenviable task of passing on those cuts. However, rather than reducing the budgets overall, the ACE has announced bold funding decisions making winners and losers of arts organisations across the country. 206 arts organisations have lost 100% of their funding. Here's a link to the Guardian's full decisions list. |
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