Guest Blog 1 2014: Mike Beigel Present Moment Theatre Lab Assistant Director -The Tempest

Hello all!

Today I am off to meet Caroline Laurie, Anthony King (CEO) and Sarah Linzey at MIND along with my daughter Grace who is a film maker to talk about making a new film about the experience of living with anorexia. The film is inspired by Caroline's personal story and journey through living with this devastating disease. In spite of huge struggles - Caroline is a vibrant, reflective person with great insight into the disease which she will share in this new film that we are raising the money to make. I'll report back following our meeting today.

To turn to another of the projects I am taking part in - Present Moment Theatre Lab 2014. I am involved in this summer production with 28 young people from East London, who travel everyday to Islington to rehearse a full production of The Tempest - directed by Present Moment's Artistic Director Joss Bennathan - we are approaching the end of the second week and rehearsals are going very well. Its a joy to be involved with a full team of professional theatre makers and this group of dedicated and talented young actors. There's a real buzz in the studios - and I thought it would be fun to share Mike Beigel's (Assistant Director) blog which captures moments from the rehearsal room. So here it is. Enjoy! If you want to visit or follow the journey with Mike go directly to his blog at pmtheatrelab2014.blogspot.com

Theatre Lab 2014

Our journey into The Tempest.

TUESDAY, 12 AUGUST 2014

What a week!

I can't quite believe we've had a full week already, but what a week it's been! We've got two casts, 28 brilliant actors and one incredible ensemble.

So what have we been up to? Well, not only have we cast the show, started working on making sense of the text and begun blocking. We've also crammed in 3 masterclasses as well!
Our first masterclass was led by Mary Howland. It focused on voice technique and how this can be used to make sense of Shakespeare's text. We now use these vocal exercises as the basis for our daily warm-up. Much like a sports warm-up these focus on stretching muscles but with an aim to increase volume, clarity and vocal dexterity. A particular favourite of mine is Raisin Face/Lion Face, as can be seen below - I'll let you decide which one you think we're doing!

Our second session with Mary looked at deciphering the clues provided in the text. We began by getting our pencils and getting really stuck into our scripts. Putting double slashes when a phrase is finished and single slashes when a phrase is unfinished phrase - deciphering this using the punctuation provided in the text. We went on to consider the nucleus of phrases and bringing out the euphonious words where appropriate. A number of the actors seem to have a career in advertising beckoning!
Our next masterclass focused on movement - finding ways of moving through space and how this impacts on character. The session was run by Simon Rivers who some of you may recognise from the BBC series Doctors and who played Mephistopheles in Present Moment's production of Doctor Faustus.   Beginning with an exercise to develop focus - we saw how movement can combine with sound to create rhythms within an assemble. This also introduced the importance of working as an ensemble, and providing an awareness of the other actors - something he developed through a number of exercises.
Next the actors improvised what it meant to move as: fire, water, earth and air. Known as Elemental work these experiential exercises aimed at stretching the actors imaginations and bodies. Also proving very fruitful when discussing these styles of movement in relation to character.
There were a number of other exercises including mirroring and status games but too many to mention here. This was a workshop focused on introducing ideas and - through experiential exercises - developing a palette of movements in the actors' muscle memories.
The final masterclass of the week was a puppetry workshop by Raven Kaliana of the Little Angel Theatre. We looked at the possible uses of puppetry within the wider context of theatre. What they can do easily and what can be more of a challenge - before thinking in the terms of The Tempest where puppetry may be a good solution.
We looked at shadow puppets and how to create them. Introducing the idea of three dimensional shadow puppets and moving light-sources. How this can easily create textures, landscapes, journeys and scale using little more than a handheld torch and some crumpled fabric!
We then moved onto more traditional puppets and the fundamentals of creating them. Starting with a pole, a mask and a piece of fabric each of the groups of actors created vibrant characters - each with individual personalities and ways of moving.
All three masterclasses have provided me with revelations and I know from the actor's reflections that they have too. Whether it's discussing which characters are which element, finding ways to create personalities from lifeless materials or speaking the text with a greater understanding of the character's thought processes. I have seen these actors develop in front of my eyes this week and this is all work we will build on and take with us into production. You may not see any of these exercises in the final performance but the work done and insight gained will be more than evident.

Return From Sabbatical: Blog 9 2014

Good morning my dear friends - at least those of you who have joined me here on and off over the past two years.

I do have other friends too (you may be surprised to hear) who wouldn't been seen dead on one of the pages of my hithertoo prolific blog. It was perhaps in honour of this 'eschewing social media club' that I thought maybe I ought to do the right thing and step down for a few months from this podium of social media self-aggrandisement and indulgence that certainly some consider this form to be. Those that do however always hasten to add, with an often supercilious smirk that indeed this isn't about 'you Carole'- its about the whole thing. "It stops people communicating in person", "People are so trite - who wants to hear what someone had for breakfast?'', 'I've heard that people lose their jobs, or get found out by their employers for some drunken night in Magaluf - ooh er"………  and then of course the very serious concerns about cyber bullying causing an alarming rise in children under 16 taking their own lives  - no longer even a safe refuge in their own bedrooms. And the dark influences such as the  pro-ana forums in which young women (mostly) with eating disorders share ways of self-harming further.

One can't take exception with most of the above - and ultimately its a personal choice as to how much you engage or otherwise with any form of communication, in person or on the net. I find it interesting and funny to see the well rehearsed arguments for and against - the former usually with a certain evangelical zeal. I'm probably most likely to fall into the former which slightly still surprises me as a woman of a 'certain age'. Suffice it to say though I find myself feeling somewhat younger than my chronological age all too visibly reveals!  

Some who know me might think this is simply a retarded maturity and they might have a point -  but by and large I think it comes down to a certain 'curiosity'. I was renowned as a child for being a little bit 'nosey', and I'm 'curious' about the different loading of the two words? I like to find out things - its true, and curiosity seems to lend itself first to such a wide array of things, whilst nosiness is definitely about other people's lives isn't it?  Curiosity by definition can be about anything though - things, people, stories, science, philosophy, the arts - the natural world and everything else you can think of and most that you can't.

On balance I suspect mine is a healthy mix of genuine curiosity and nosiness. And so to Social Media. I love it. Yes I see all the cynics shaking their heads. Yes I know Facebook has all our details and with regular accuracy sends us targeted adverts for what they know we like. I particularly hate those…….fifty something ads inviting me to make my will, take out more life insurance, or get new dentures or pay for my funeral!  And yes its all a pain, and without looking much further we can all find many more bug bears. But most of us participate for better or worse in some way or other, and in particular the Internet Natives who find social media as easy as breathing. We all know that connectivity is now seen as another vital utility not just for doing the weekly shop online, but for ensuring constant communicating with each other. 

What always strikes me as odd though is that we complain about never being left alone, or finding ourselves constantly reactive to other people's agendas. Whilst that might well be true in the working world, where instantaneous response is de rigeur, heaven help us if we live in constant anticipation of yet another message. Its danger lies in its invitation not to miss out on something  - in the grand global gossip. But here's the thing - and its rather obvious - and that's choice. Yes that old idea of making a decision - remember that?  In some ways I really respect my recalcitrant 'eschewing' colleagues and friends for their stoicism in a world gone mad. However there is a third way (oh no did I really quote him?) - and that's surely about balance and integration. It is for me anyway. Hence my enforced blog sabbatical, as I did become somewhat addicted to a daily fix last year. So I have taken some of my own medicine and taken a break. 

To boot I have a number of good friends who put up their 'open for business' social media signs just when they choose to. And at other times the shop is most definitely closed. Hey it wasn't that hard, just pull the blind down. They neither eschew nor evangelise, but indeed conduct their online life much as they do their life in the flesh. As a recovering evangelist I salut them.

This is the preamble then to a series of blogs I shall write on different subjects over the next couple of weeks (and possibly more regularly than I have just suggested - dammit - I still have the bug lurking). This is because the last three months have had their fair share of ups and downs and some exciting developments and projects. I will share them in episodes I think.  So if you are 'curious' to hear more about the trials and tribulations of an itinerant director (who's delighted to have a new agent - Niki at http://www.nikiwinterson.com) then I'm your girl. (ok woman of a certain age).

Caroline - 21st birthday 

My next blog will feature the story of Caroline, a young woman of 21 whom I met whilst volunteering at MIND the mental health charity where Caroline volunteers too. Caroline lives with the intrusive and very cruel eating disorder - anorexia. She presented to our volunteer group supervision a few weeks ago - and I was overwhelmed with her frank sharing of her disease, her articulate and passionate desire to be well, her understanding of her own life. I am seeing her this week and will be catching up to hear how she's getting on. We will share her story together here.

Nice to be back.

Carole 

Audition Coaching with E.15 Acting School Students: Blog 8 2014

Hi All,

Training young actors has always been a passion of mine. Over twenty years ago we set up an apprenticeship scheme at Arc to train people on the job. This was at a time before apprenticeships had gained the renewed momentum they have over the past ten years. 

Over the years it has been great to see many of those young actors go on to work consistently in the profession.Indeed one of the originals - Natalie Dacosta still works at Arc. A key part of our ambition was to train and support young people, particularly from East London and this remains a continuing commitment of the company.

Most aspiring actors have been told about the precarious nature of the business by concerned parents and teachers. I remember being told myself that I would be well advised to get a 'proper' job  to fall back on if I failed. With the current obsession with reality TV talent shows the lure of the spotlight seems evermore present. But the majority of hopeful thesps fall by the wayside early on in their attempts when they realise just how insecure and unpredictable is the life of an actor. The tenacious ones learn to deal with the rejection and quickly develop an important life skill - resilience. 

In spite of enjoying many years of training actors at Arc I hadn't stepped into a Drama school studio for at least 8 or 9  years. So I was delighted to be invited Ainslie Masterton (Head of Acting) to spend last Friday as a guest director at East 15 Acting school. I had seen a couple of 3rd year shows earlier in the year and was interested in working with the student actors on the Acting and Community Theatre degree. http://east15.ac.uk/

East 15 is one of the top ten drama schools in the UK and one of the most innovative. The school boasts many famous alumni including Stephen Daltry, Bill Murray, Ruth Sheen, Alison Steadman, Oliver Tobias, Kate Williams, David Yip - to name just a few. The quality of the teaching at E.15 is outstanding, rigorous and demanding. Ainslie has high expectations of her students and the majority rise to the occasion.

I was very much looking forward to working with three groups of third year students and the day didn't disappoint. Their general enthusiasm, energy and commitment was excellent. My session was focused on their audition preparation as getting a theatre job becomes a reality for them. The students are currently working on their final community play projects and took a break from these to attend a workshop with me on their proposed audition pieces.

My brief was to run a practice audition day as close to the real thing as possible. Directors and casting agents do things their own way but there is almost always a need to perform at least one audition piece which should be chosen carefully to best demonstrate skills and range.

It was particularly helpful that I didn't know any of the students and therefore had no preconceptions or expectations. For them it was an opportunity to be critiqued by a director they don't know and to get a sense of how that experience might be. Unlike a 'real' audition however, when you can be in and out of door pretty quickly I had the opportunity to coach each individual for at least 15 minutes. It was also a chance to do some myth busting and give some basic pointers, indeed to share with them some of the common mistakes actors make. 

The students were receptive and eager to take on board criticism albeit some of it was tough at times.They are used to high demands and expectations from their teachers. Actors egos can be quite sensitive particularly at the start of their careers - after all their product is themselves and they have to have easy access to their own emotions and life experiences in order to find authenticity in creating character. Its often an extremely revealing task. 

I thought it might be of use to those contemplating entering the profession or indeed those regularly auditioning if I were to share some of the coaching tips from these sessions. Most of them are actively employed by acting teachers and directors - my task was to highlight, remind and make them conscious.

So here goes:

• Do your homework on the company, job, role you are applying for, so you are aware of their genre of work and audience.
• Keep the role in mind when you think about what to wear - a subtle outfit that suggests the character you are going for is often helpful, but don't go over the top and make sure you are comfortable.
• You are in the audition the minute you walk through the door - which means even if you are sitting in a waiting area and having a coffee you are being observed.Little comments about your demeanour and attitude do filter through to the audition room. And attitude is critically important, you can be the best actor in the world but negativity sounds the death toll for the rehearsal process! 
• Don't overdo the 'pleasing'. Its a real turn off for a director and we can see right through it. Yes of course as an actor you want to give your audience a fantastic experience, but remember you are the servant of the play not the other way round.In my experience its the actors who are comfortable with themselves, are well prepared and know their worth who almost always perform best in auditions.Be yourself.
• Some familiarity with the play or script is very useful. If its a new play and you haven't been sent it before hand you can always call the company to find out a bit more. Some actors prepare speeches from a book of monologues and have no idea about the plot or other characters in the play - that's just plain lazy and a director spots it a mile off.
• How you come into the audition studio is also very important  - you make your impression in a matter of seconds. Take your lead from the director - ie; they may stand and shake your hand, they may just ask you to start your piece straight away, they may invite you to sit down for a quick chat. They know you are nervous and take that into account of course, and they want you to do your best - after all you are the essential ingredient to making a piece work!  Try not to be over familiar - one actor last week arrived and said to me as he passed the table 'you alright' as he might say to a friend. He recognised that this was a bit of an unconscious habit -Please don't do that however informal it might seem. Be flexible.
• Be prepared to say three things about yourself - choose real things that you care about in and out of theatre. What are your strengths? but also don't be too afraid to expose a little bit of vulnerability alongside your confidence - we are only human after all! 
• If you need a chair ask for it!
• If there is a useful small prop bring it with you. (ie; a letter, book etc)
• When you perform your piece be really clear in your own mind about these key things: Where am I?, What am I doing? Who am I speaking to? What is my relationship with the other character(s) in the scene. What has happened in the moments before my speech?  Create an imaginary place - so you can see it completely and know exactly where everything is including placing the other characters specifically in your mind's eye.
• If you are performing your piece straight on - make sure you know who you are speaking to, its not good enough to say 'myself' or the 'audience' - make a clear decision about who you are speaking to - even if its a soliloquy. 
• Take a moment to breathe and centre yourself before you begin. 
• Enter the piece with the emotion and physicality from the last place your character was.
• Don't try a new accent if your'e not sure the piece needs it.
• Hold yourself for 30 seconds when you have finished your speech and then relax.

That's pretty much it for today. If you would like 1-1 or small group audition coaching do get in touch with me for more details. jasminestreetlab@gmail.com or 07412602141.

Have a good day.

The Power of Subtext: What are we really saying? Blog 7: 2014

So here again! (quality not quantity? ironic smile)

I was trying to arrange a time for coffee with a friend the other day - 'Lets meet for coffee' is probably something most of us either say or hear every day even if we don't drink coffee! It got me thinking about the many meanings underneath this innocuous phrase. Whilst procrastinating I had fun thinking up as many as I could. Haven't got space to share them all here.

Another good friend often laughs at my interest in subtext in everyday conversation. She thinks this is a slightly compulsive habit not least because she doesn't have much truck with subtext herself.If she wants something she simply asks for it, and if you ask her opinion she doesn't skirt around her answer however tough it might be to hear.You know where you are.Don't want to know - then don't ask!

In response to my friend's teasing curiosity about my interest in what people might be really saying or what unconscious messages they are giving I remind her its a hazard of working as an actor or director. Dramatic dialogue is clearly different to real conversation, its consciously and carefully crafted by the writer engaging its audience through a great story, complex unfolding human relationships, conflict - comedy and tragedy. The first playwright I knew well was Mike English and he introduced the rather innocuous phrase  'Pass the marmalade' to a group of actors with whom we were working - its stayed with me ever since as a simple example of a phrase that can mean dozens of different things depending on context, character and relationship. Try it with different intentions - its fun.

Unlike my rather rare friend many of us don't actually say what we mean much of the time (Simon Cowell excluded!) for fear of offence or conflict, the sin of omission being the most common (see Margaret Elizabeth Sangster's poem below). Its an unwritten rule that maintains a level of civility for the most part. The film Liar Liar took the notion of speaking the subtext to a whole different level and got its protagonist into deep doodie! We also often expect people to know what we want or mean when they haven't the foggiest.

My dear friend, defender of truth also likes to call me a 'drama queen', again what does she really expect? Subtext keeps drama alive, remember intently analysing text and dialogue in English at school? Drama students spend hours unpicking subtextual meaning and nuance. It doesn't mean they are right - but what it offers is a way into role that makes sense to both director and actor and brings to life often unresolvable conflicts and contradictions that inherently beset 3 dimensional characters - like they do most human beings.

As audiences we get something out of seeing the human condition played out in front of us in its many forms. We know that life is both comic and tragic and much is centred around love, money and property, and we get to experience these vicariously through drama and the other arts. I suspect we find relief in it being about someone else's life rather than our own, which of course isn't always the case!

So for a bit of fun, and because it gave me twenty minutes of distraction from writing a job description yesterday (admittedly along with occasional moves in online Scrabble) - here are some sentences found commonly in every day conversation and my tongue-in cheek suggestions about their subtext. I am sure you might take issue with some of them, because of course intention colours the tone, pitch and inflection of any interaction. 

(In 1970 anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell advanced theory that a mere 7% of our inter-personal communication is words, 38% tone of voice and a massive 55% our physiology - discuss)

So here we go with some I have been having fun with!

We really must meet up again soon.
(Its not at the top of my priority - probably won't happen)

No, you're not fat
(But you could afford to lose a few pounds)

It wouldn't hurt to lose a few pounds
(You're pretty fat)

Of course I'll still respect you in the morning.
(I'll tell you any lie to get what I want)

How do I look?
(Please tell me I look fabulous)

Where the hell have you been?!!
(I love you and I've been sick with worry)

Of course — I started on that project days ago.
(Just don't ask to see how much I've actually done)

No, really — I never liked that vase anyway.
(You'd better come up with a suitable replacement, or I'll really be annoyed)

I'm really a bastard, ha-ha-ha-ha.
(Seriously — I'm really a bastard)

It's hardly noticeable.
(It's the first thing anybody sees)I am sure you have many more to add!

And finally in today's hotchpotch - a copy of The Sin of Omission by Margaret Elizabeth Sangster.

(but essential to drama Mags!)

The Sin Of Omission

It isn't the thing you do, dear,
It's the thing you leave undone                          
That gives you a bit of a heartache
At setting of the sun.
The tender work forgotten,
The letter you did not write,
The flowers you did not send, dear,
Are your haunting ghosts at night.

The stone you might have lifted
Out of a brother's way;
The bit of heartsome counsel
You were hurried too much to say;
The loving touch of the hand, dear,
The gentle, winning tone
Which you had no time nor thought for
With troubles enough of your own.

Those little acts of kindness
So easily out of mind,
Those chances to be angels
Which we poor mortals find -
They come in night and silence,
Each sad, reproachful wraith,
When hope is faint and flagging,
And a chill has fallen on faith.

For life is all too short, dear,
And sorrow is all too great,
To suffer our slow compassion
That tarries until too late:
And it isn't the thing you do, dear,
It's the thing you leave undone
Which gives you a bit of heartache
At the setting of the sun.

Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

A coming up blog will explore the question 'Does the actor lose himself totally in the character he plays' - a question I was recently asked - its a classic and interesting question for the actor.

Bye for now

Personal Perspectives on Tribe and Outliers: Blog 6 - 2014

Hi all,

Its been an interesting although a rather short week and its Friday evening again already - well Saturday afternoon now when I have come back to my post!

Its the weekend, a time when families often get together and do their thing whatever that might be - walking, eating out, taking a drive, visiting National Trust houses, going to B&Q, doing the garden, going to the theatre or a concert, having Sunday tea in a country village somewhere - maybe extreme sports..... the leisure time they spend together. 

Most of us gather together in our 'tribe' one way or another. And there are rules, some unspoken and others expressed in familiar and explicit agreement. And there is a shared language, stories told and retold and passed down the generations. Tribe appears to reinforce our personal and collective sense of identity,our sense of belonging - our inherent herd instinct.

Society organises itself necessarily into communities which function to protect the good of their whole, and we all belong to one tribe or another and usually several, whether its at work or at home. Its a complex web with many intersections. We rely on each other, share secrets, counsel each other - do the practical stuff of living. 

The dictionary definition of tribe is 

'a social division in a traditional society consisting of families or communities linked by social, economic, religious, or blood ties, with a common culture and dialect, typically having a recognised leader.' 

A tribe is almost always hierarchical in spite of many alternative experiments in living in a collective. In most cases in family, religious, political tribes everyone has a defined place, there is a pecking order and each usually performs a function complementary to the others which enables the whole. Some we are born into and some we choose.

Meredith Belbin came up with a theory of team roles which is used in many businesses and organisations as an explicit way of identifying what is needed in a team and many spend considerable amounts of money on team building exercises. http://www.belbin.com/rte.asp?id=8 

Team or tribe is seen as critical to success.The tribe looks out for each other and will fiercely defend its members against attack from other tribes. However tribe also brings with it rituals, values, language and behaviours that maintain control of its members.If one of them breaks the rules then the punishment may be severe as we see in the problems that arise in forced marriage in some communities. If a young woman wants to marry for love she may be shipped off somewhere or worse still she may even be killed as she has brought shame to the tribe. 

So as well as the benefits there are also the disadvantages that are capable of stifling the individual. The balance can be hard to achieve because its not easy to live outside tribe. Whilst the idea of living alone on a desert island might be attractive to some, most guests who toy with this on Desert Island Discs cannot contemplate surviving for very long! 

Actors are serial tribe joiners - its a thing that comes with the job.Actors are generally freelancers and go from job to job as do directors and many others in the industry.Whilst not exclusive a specific set of skills are needed for this - resilience, self reliance and an ability to deal with rejection, not least because their product is themselves. 

As a director I have employed countless actors, and when they come together they form an ensemble with a clear, time limited objective to get the show rehearsed and performed to an audience. The experience of doing this needs an ability to 'join', to immediately embrace the goals and values of the project or company even though we all know it will be short lived. This necessary impetus creates a sense of belonging and often intimacy  because there is sharing and sometimes disclosure of personal experience in the creation of character. There can appear to be an intoxicating sense of falling in love - hence the term 'luvvies' often attributed to actors. 

And its true in the intense and all consuming life of making a piece this can seem to be a reality. And then it ends with everyone promising to keep in touch, meet up, hugging each other and sometimes crying because this heightened experience is over. Its probably true of any group that goes on a mission together. But then everything changes, there is no reason to keep in touch, apart from occasional networking -  of course in some cases real friendships are sustained. But mostly these actors go on to join another tribe if they are lucky enough to keep in work.

Why is this of any interest to me?  Well I'm always interested in how individuals and groups function together and I spent nearly thirty years in tribe in my role as Artistic Director and CEO of Arc, indeed as a founder I played a senior role in shaping our tribe and we grew together as a strong team with shared values and goals. And then I decided it was time to test myself and go it alone as a freelancer through my new company Jasmine Street. And its been a fascinating time to be on the outside of a tribe you were part of for a generation - looking in. The functions and systems seem much clearer from the outside. 

I have pitched myself into the same terrain as the actors I employ. Its a hardcore experience flying solo!  I no longer belong to this tribe. And there is a huge and exciting freedom that comes with it - an adventure. I can explore new projects and relationships in territory that I could not have imagined in tribe. There is of course a downside when you have only yourself to depend on- its harder to delegate and call on the skills of others in areas in which you are less competent. And in spite of the desire to test myself I have also experienced grief at no longer belonging to my tribe. Its life changing - and the embracing of change is both exhilarating and terrifying! 

When I stepped out of tribe to my surprise I met quite a few outliers, and that's been a revelation. Some of them have become friends.

For the record the dictionary definition of outlier is 

'a person or thing situated away or detached from the main body or system'.

The writer Malcolm Gladwell wrote a whole book about these, funnily enough called Outliers!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Outliers-Story-Success-Malcolm-Gladwell/dp/0141036257 

I read it a few years ago and found it a very interesting read. On the outside of tribe live the outliers some might call them mavericks  -  they break the norm, they scout, follow their noses,pick up on random opportunities, follow up on seemingly irrelevant things, go their own way. Of course they need good friends, dependable colleagues, but they are often loners too. They are the ones who travel alone, sail solo round the world - who might well survive on a desert island at least if it was time limited because from time to time they too need to be in community.The difference is that they dip in and out, choosing when to join the rituals and when to leave. Most tribes will welcome the outliers for a time, they are the mavericks who bring new things but to whom being part of one tribe is for the most part unappealing. They treasure their time on their own more than most.

Over the period of leaving tribe and spending time with outliers I have learned so much, about survival, testing and the benefits and costs that come with both. In my very brief experience its definitely tougher on the outside of tribe, equally it offers an opportunity to grow in new ways. I am enjoying spending time in other tribes - and working with some of them too.I am also indebted to the good outlier role models I have met.

I've got my rucksack on my back and I'm heading out alone. I still need and want to be part of a professional tribe but quite like the idea of dipping in and out of new ones. Not sure yet what that will be like - but enjoying the glimpses! 

Long one this time and if you have managed to get to the end - well done and thank you! 

Easter Rising 1916, Tim Lott, Mum and Gold Rings.... Blog 5 - 2014

Hi All

Most of my blogs are prompted by something that's recently happened, a new person I have met, an old friend, a rehearsal, a chance conversation, a celebration, very often a book I'm reading, a new project, a film or a piece of music.... a moment when two or more ideas, conversations or events collide - life I guess. 

The last couple of years have seen root and branch changes in my life and with these a demanding period of review and reflection as well as reinvention, both personally and creatively. I guess the ubiquitous middle-age crisis is essentially imbued with a need to make sense of one's own history and narrative - a place that most of us come to at one time or another, especially in the face of change and when the time that lies ahead is likely less than what has been before. (No moroseness intended).The big questions. These or simple indulgent naval gazing? 

Today's blog is prompted by a few things that initially appeared to have no relationship to each other, but turn out as so often they do to be intrinsically linked. Firstly - my writing work in progress The woman who stepped through the screen- is still in its infancy, but fills my thinking a lot of the time. Enough to get a bit lost on a bus in Shepherd's Bush last week on my way to meet Ria Knowles, actor and good friend. I took some initial scribblings to share over lunch with her. We met at Ria's kind invitation at an excellent Thai restaurant at the Ladbroke Grove end of Portobello where we sat outside in the sunshine enjoying a light lunch and glass of wine.http://www.thairicelondon.com/. 

I was nervous about sharing - I think its because this type of writing feels somehow more exposing, in spite of its fiction and my relationship with it - a kind of love affair.It was good to talk about the story  - the narrative shape and style. Ria brings an uncompromising insight which I welcome - in spite of the darkness of the subject matter, the piece will be funny, ironic and ultimately hopeful. 

In searching for and collecting personal stories about depression I have come rather late to the work of writer and Guardian columnist Tim Lott - in particular The Scent of Dried Roses (1996) http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Scent-Dried-Roses-Suburbia/dp/0141191481 which is a raw and authentic memoir of depression and an unsentimental social history of the changing landscape of postwar suburban England. 'It is a story of grief, loss and dislocation' yet also of the power of memory and the complexity of living on the inside and outside of the 'tribe' into which we are born. I am struck by Lott's ability to conjur up the time, the physical and sensual world of my own childhood and adolescence with such accuracy that I am momentarily transported there. So transported I must say that I forgot to get off the bus at the right stop to meet Ria.

This is a good read for anyone interested in the fault lines between society and identity - indeed Lott who talks frankly about his own depression in this book calls it 'The illness of identity'. He suggests it intersects with changes in society and personal meaning which can lead to a feeling of disconnection and loss of belonging, which he believes ultimately gave rise to his own mother's depression and eventual suicide. In spite of its subject matter the book is surprisingly uplifting, honest and hopeful.

And so to the third connected thing - and too long to write about in one post. But I'll start a little bit with more to follow. I drove down to visit my mum and dad in Kent on Good Friday. Met with warm hugs and a cold meat salad lunch with buttered triangles of bread, I found the resonance and coincidences of Lott's recently read book echoing through my head. Indeed I could see evidence of that black and white memory right in front of me - of my own history, the photos, the ornaments - each with their own remembered moment in time. But Friday was different to other visits. After the plates and Branston pickle had been tidied away (Branston Pickle was first made in 1922 - some things have inborn longevity!) my mum - nicknamed Nan, wants to share some of her own writing, a series of captured moments from her own childhood in county Mayo in Ireland. She reads for about 40 minutes from her own memoir - although she doesn't call it that.

Its compelling, emotional, dark, authentic - a story of a small bemused girl of 6 hurled around in the maelstrom of complex family life in the unsettled Ireland of the thirties. A young child subjected without understanding to the traumas from which her parents tried to shield her, but which resulted in her mother leaving home when Nan was 6. Nan was sent away to a catholic boarding school in Dublin with little explanation. Against this very personal experience the shifting political and social backdrop following the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 and the ensuing Civil War between those in favour of and those against the Treaty of Independence signed with England in 1921. I haven't heard Nan's story for a long time - its painful, yet evocative and compelling. My dad supports her reading, especially in the moments of reliving. He does his bit by showing me a picture of her at 22, in Jersey on their honeymoon. I remark how beautiful and happy she looks.

Nan - Jersey 1954

A cup of tea later Nan goes upstairs and comes down with a box, she nods at my Dad, Edgar with a recognisable indication of an earlier decision. She takes out some gold jewellery, commenting that you can get a good price for melted gold. She passes me a gold wedding ring, 'It was your granddad's - I'd rather you had it now'. She carries on sorting out other pieces with Edgar - and I slip my granddad's ring onto my right hand ring finger. Its a bit big but it doesn't fall off. And I find myself unexpectedly in tears. And I can't stop. The idea of melting the ring for a good price seems the most absurd of ideas. My imagination is captured. I take the ring off and look at the hallmarks with a magnifying glass. Its dated with a 't' - Birmingham 1919 - my granddad was 29 and his bride Mary 18. I feel the ring and I think about the man I never met who died of a heart attack in 1950. A doctor, Andy was a fierce republican, involved actively in Eamon De Valeria's opposition to the Treaty with England and subsequently in his new party Fianna Fail which formed its first government in 1932, the year of Nan's birth.

I turn Andy's ring on my finger again, and I suddenly realise once again that its Easter and I think about the Easter Rising of 1916 - which my granddad supported, and then the start of the war of independence in 1919 - the year of his marriage to Mary. And then his ring which travelled with him until his death in 1950 just two years after Ireland seceded from the United KIngdom and declared itself a republic.

Jung would have called all of this synchronicity - an experience of two or more events as meaningfully related, where they are unlikely to be causally related. Its clearly a matter of where my attention has been drawn - and this is my attempt at making sense of that which has no intrinsic sense! Ah the power of making stories or in my case a life of making drama - on and off stage!

Have a good week.

The Rooky's Privilege of Editing: Blog 4 - 2014

Hi all


So its almost the weekend and I am just putting down my red pen and picking up my glass of red wine. Sigh.

I have been taken up for a number of days this week in my ongoing first attempt at editing anything other than my own writing (you be the judges of that), play scripts and funding proposals. So this 'other' is the draft of my friend's second book,the title of which remains to be revealed  - mark my words its good - but you'll have to make up your own minds when its published.


Now in spite of my friend's positive response to some of my feedback, I am a total novice at this type of editing. I wasn't sure to begin with whether my help was enlisted to proof read or to comment - both or neither? So I googled some advice on how to approach the task, and the usually helpful Mrs.Google took me nowhere with useful tips for rooky editors.So I had to make up my own rules.I have gathered since that there is a methodology and set of symbols employed by the well-seasoned editor, but some of you probably already knew that.I am rather pleased to be under-seasoned, it reminds me of not knowing what I don't know,which almost certainly remains most things. 

So instead of calling on some revered editorial wisdom I am just doing it in my own idiosyncratic way. Striking out into new territories -  at the very least I hope it helps flag up any questions of meaning or emphasis and doesn't send me off to Siberia!

Notes to self and anyone who might be vaguely interested:

What follows are my home grown guidelines for rooky editors. (If you are already a seasoned editor you may wish to skip the rest of this blog - or at least send me any additional tips)

1. Remember that it's not your book - Your job as an editor is not to tell someone how you would have written their book. Your job is to help them write the book they want to write. This can't be emphasised enough: It's not your book. It's not. Defer to the writer. Try to help them do what they're trying to do. Work within the world they've constructed.

2. Find out what the writer is looking for before you start editing - are they wondering about a particular section? Are they hoping for a major edit? Are they not really looking for editing at all but for moral support? Make sure you have a sense of what they want and where they are coming from before you start editing and adjust your approach to match this.

3. You're not doing them any favours by being too nice. Here's what a writer wants to hear when someone is editing their work: "OMG it's perfect I love it!" Resist the temptation to tell them this. Your job is to help them make the work better, not to rubber stamp it. There is an exception to this: When the writer is looking for reassurance that they should keep going and is not really looking for editing. In which case the appropriate reaction is "OMG you're brilliant I love it  - you should keep going!" (of course this is absolutely not the case in working with my friend- she would kill me first)

4. You're not doing anyone favours by being cruel either!When you are editing someone's work you have their fragile, mercurial, reptilian writer brain in your hands. Do not crush it. Be gentle. Be polite. Suggest, don't order. Ask questions, don't assume. (I have been known to fail abysmally at this on occasion in the past - mostly on play scripts!)

5. Pointing out problem areas is far more helpful than offering solutions.While editing, it is inevitable that you will be struck by ideas about how someone else's book could be better. It's okay to offer up some illustrative directions the writer could change if something isn't working in your view, but ultimately the writer is best equipped to come up with ideas for new directions. Your job is to spot what's not working, not to rewrite.

6. Try to work out why something isn't working for you.There will be times where something about a chapter or section just doesn't seem right. But rather than thinking about how you would make it work better, try to articulate why it isn't working for you. Identifying the underlying issue can be invaluable for the writer.

7. Just make it work  -  You're looking for whether the writer has achieved what they set out to do. 

8. But - don't overdo it - Tailor your edit notes to the amount of work that needs to be done. There are two reasons for this approach: 1) You don't want to overwhelm the writer and 2) There's no reason for spending a lot of time on line edits or grammar checks if they are being revised anyway.

9. Remember that personal taste is personal - we can often be too sure of our own opinions. We may hate things other people love and love things other people hate. Never be too sure of your opinions when editing; you may be the only person who feels that way. Be cautious when making suggestions and frame your thoughts as your own personal reaction rather than as a pronouncement from the editing gods.

10. Be Positive - Your job as an editor is not to crush someone's spirit, even if you think their manuscript is missing a lot. Your job is not to "tell them like it is" (telling them like it is is telling them how YOU see it). Your job is to be helpful. Your job is to be supportive. Your job is to leave the manuscript and the writer in better shape than you found them. That is the essence of editing. You are a critical friend. If not - your life as an editor will be short lived! (and that's coming from someone who is on a steep learning curve and certainly has not earned the right to be called an editor).

So that's my basic and rather simple advice to myself and others  - just need to remember it now as I approach Chapter three...........

Have a great weekend!