November update

It's been a while. Only a little while but long enough for me to feel it's necessary to fill in the blanks.

As I approached the MA deadline I looked forward to all the things I'd be able to do once I had passed the finishing point. The reality of finishing has been different to what I expected.

Bizzarely, despite the pressure passing, I have been tense and restless and have found it very difficult to establish a new routine. Eventually I had two weeks of disruptive migraine which forced me to slow down and lie down, followed by yet more illness (i will spare you the details) before I came back to any state of normality. And even this new normality feels wierd.

I'm hoping that a massage and a haircut and a facial (seriously - i look like I've had a very hard life right now) will help me feel like I have turned a page. That and the assessment results I am expecting in the next day or so...

In other news:

I've taken over as editor of the Yorkshire region's Whatsonstage.com - have a look at the work we do : http://www.whatsonstage.com/northeast

I've put Northern Creative Theatre forward for a couple of development opportunities. Fingers crossed and watch this space for news about these.

I met with Dean Murray yesterday about a future plan for Northern Creative Theatre and from our discussion it seems that we're on the same page and that he's interested in committing on an ongoing basis to the company. There's still some bedding in to be done with NCT. For a long time NCT has been something I've done singularly with the support of various associate artists but I have decided that it's time to share the load and to open up to a core team.

Roles are yet to be decided. I want this process to be organic. I truly believe that the right people will emerge when the time is right. Dean is the first and I hope there will be others. Discussions with other interested parties including Jonnie Khan and Ruth Marston are pending. As this is a large committment and because there isn't any funding/pay at the moment it is essential that individuals are doing what they want to do, rather than what needs to be done or what they ought to do. It is also essential that the creative/aesthetic aims and artistic policy chime with objectives and ethos of whoever comes on board.

In the meantime I'm working on progressing the creative work, gathering together the necessary people and finding a space to work in.

I have a little bit of fear. Could it be that I've made myself so busy that there's no time/space to actually continue developing my craft as a writer? Have I deliberately filled my life to avoid writing? Not because I don't love it, but because I'm afraid of it and what happens when I do it?

But I also feel bold and courageous. The work I'm doing with NCT will spur me to find my groove as a writer. NCT activity provide/inspire a brief. NCT will allow me to find new ways and approaches to writing.

Here's the artistic policy:

Northern Creative Theatre are a theatrical think tank who employ new approaches to new writing by blending traditional play writing with experimental technique.

Story and character form the foundation of Northern Creative Theatre’s work ensuring that it remains accessible as they innovate with structure, style, form and process; their objective to explore play writing and the role of the writer in contemporary theatre performance.

north·ern

Adjective

1. situated in or towards the north

2. native to or growing in the north.

cre·a·tive

Adjective

1. having the ability or power to create.

2. productive; creating.

3. characterized by originality and expressiveness

Noun

1.  one who displays productive originality

2.  an assumption breaking process

the·a·tre
Noun
1. A sphere or scheme of operation

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