Directing
“the urge to direct new work is a result of wanting to see drama explore new areas”
I am not a classic –sit-at-my-desk-and-write-my-magnus-opus kind of writer. More often I am involved in getting events or projects off the ground from scratch. This can involve writing project proposals, applying for and securing funding, liaising with venues, contracting actors, setting deadlines and timetables – the management responsibilities of a producer with the artistic vision of a director. I think the urge to direct new work is a result of wanting to see drama explore new areas – sometimes the events that I work on are as much ‘explorations of a theme’ rather than plays.
‘ASPERGERS: A MINORITY REPORT’
“We’re not great at diplomacy. Never…never ask an Aspie if your ‘bum looks big in this’.”
This event was staged three times in Wiltshire in 2015 and was a hybrid of performance and training. It was designed to promote a debate about the different languages we need to learn if people with Aspergers and NeuroTypicals (98% of us) are to get the best out of each other.
‘OUR SEASON’
“We are excited, we are scared. We know you are scared too.We will get things wrong – but some things will be right.We will make mistakes, but you have taught us well.”
‘Our Season’ was developed with South Wiltshire MENCAP to explore the passage of young people with a learning disability from childhood to adulthood. This period isn’t easy for anyone but is has specific challenges for parents who want to continue to protect their children whilst also sending them out into the wider world. Some participants in this piece had little speech but were recorded to make sure that their hopes and fears were shared – the piece was performed at the 2014 South Wilts MENCAP conference in Salisbury.
