tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57298487237306457022011-11-13T15:12:01.147ZMostly thoughts on stuff I see. Mostly.weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.comBlogger401100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-78621023073423036502011-11-13T15:01:00.001Z2011-11-13T15:12:01.182Z

Generally I don't go to the theatre to be made a point at. This review of Forced Entertainment's Void Story gives a pretty objective account of what happens in the performance, but the reviewer criticises the show on the basis that the story has no point, and on top of that, the review claims that Void Story also misses the point of both the medium of graphic novel and the medium of live

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-71056611633566749922011-04-08T16:33:00.006+01:002011-04-08T16:37:45.977+01:00

image: Still Standing You Hello blog! Been a long time. Many half-written posts wasting away in the ether. Tumbleweed. In amongst the shooting of films, editing of scripts, making of performances and the Work, Work, Work (2010 was something of a killer); I have seen some things: - Tom Marshman: Move Over Darling - Dancing Brick: Captain Ko and the Planet of Rice [work-in-progress] - Aeon

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-53625008597506334312010-09-19T17:31:00.001+01:002010-09-19T17:33:03.809+01:00

image: Operation Greenfield Last year, I went to Edinburgh Fringe Festival again after a break of five years or so. I was there for my birthday, which in accordance with cosmic law, must always ends in proper crying. In 2009 it was silent unstoppable weeping at the poetic, unflinching horrors spoken to us in Palace of the End;  followed by I-can't-actually-breathe-now actual crying with

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-42720092696613799222010-08-21T18:15:00.015+01:002010-09-25T13:54:02.134+01:00

image: Food Court Funnily, it feels like I've not seen as much this year as I saw last year. Not sure if that's true. Not sure if it matters. I made it up to Edinburgh for a fleeting few days this year and am hoping to blog something about those shows shortly. In the meantime, here's the inbetween list, including some rich Mayfest pickings: - Full Beam Visual Theatre: The Lesser Spotted

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-88743891897797525092010-05-24T22:10:00.012+01:002010-09-25T13:54:27.871+01:00

I went to see Four Lions yesterday. For a number of reasons: Saying you love going to the cinema, but then mainly staying at home as if you secretly prefer to wait for everything to come out on DVD is not cool. And I do love going to the cinema. The last film I saw at the cinema was Mic-Macs, and that was rubbish. Not even "bad in a good way". I've yet to be disappointed by anything

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-81768539522866811452010-04-30T13:18:00.009+01:002010-06-11T16:50:48.061+01:00

image: and the line goes dead... Funny how 2010 sounds much more sci-fi than 2009. Anyway, thought I'd list up before Mayfest hits. Already this year, there's been a couple of fests or festy type seasons showing all kinds of work in development, rehearsed readings or just concentrated goddamn art experiences, so best get the diary out. - Travelling Light & Champloo: How Cold My

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-87459134630374794692010-03-17T15:55:00.018Z2010-06-11T15:50:56.150+01:00

Tuesday 16 March 2010, Bristol Old Vic Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but set in a care home, where Romeo and Juliet are amongst the elderly residents. The conceit is that Juliet's daughter wants to marry her mother off to rich ole Paris so that she doesn't have to cover the spiralling costs of residential care. It's a compelling spin for a 2010 retelling. But there's not a lot of other mucking

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-64853205492638036822010-03-13T11:52:00.009Z2010-09-25T13:57:56.753+01:00

I don't think real writers like giving rules for writing. Only "screenwriting gurus" and people who think they're writers like going on about rules for writing. I don't know who this man is, but he looks like he might be prologue-ing for some rules. I just the watched Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe Screenwriting Special again. It's ace. And anyone who's interested in scriptwriting should watch it.

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-7017490253120732842010-01-09T12:51:00.014Z2010-06-11T15:52:13.996+01:00

Wotcha! I wonder if I'll get anywhere near to regular blogging this year? Anyway, dreaming aside, at the end of last year, I applied to be one of the new Arts Council Artistic Assessors. For the last 8 years, and particularly in the job I've had for the last 4 years, seeing live art and theatre work, critiquing it with colleagues and feeding back honestly yet sensitively to artists has been a

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-30298653222207862372009-12-20T16:59:00.028Z2010-06-11T15:59:36.239+01:00

image: palace of the end For the record, this list contains one of the best shows I've ever seen in my life, and which I'm happy to evangelise for without reservation. If you get the chance to see this production of Palace of The End, see it. An unbendingly humane and utterly devastating treatise on the war in Iraq. Here's the rest of the list: -Adam Peck/FairGround Theatre: Out of

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-28580757812708807552009-07-05T12:39:00.013+01:002010-06-11T16:51:02.379+01:00

Four reasons why Terminator Salvation and Public Enemies are the same film: Christian Bale Being a woman holds very little sway Sense of humour bypass Much dependence on the right to bear arms One reason why Terminator Salvation and Public Enemies are not the same film: TS: Christian Bale doesn't smile / PE: Christian Bale smiles once

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-33813234517470302272009-07-02T12:08:00.018+01:002010-06-11T16:04:28.860+01:00

image: Ontroerend Goed - Once and For All We're Going to Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up and Listen As usual, I've barely written about any of the shows I've seen over the last few months, what with being too busy an' all (aka watching The Wire) so here's m'regular catch up list for, y'know, posterity: - Prototype Sept 08 Platform - Clare Thornton - Pleats and Folds (open studio) - Dartington

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-62333992897178578312009-05-25T20:10:00.015+01:002010-09-25T13:56:23.133+01:00

N.B. In a high concept movie FRENZY, I happen to be writing this AND trying to watch Snakes on a Plane simultaneously. It must be all that crazy-jazz pic-n-mix sugar and chemicals I had at the cinema this morning. CHECK IT! Firstly - context: as much as I am a major sci-fi fan, I have never been able to get through an episode of Star Trek without a) switching channels half-way

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-83633655220154271152009-03-12T12:39:00.010Z2010-06-11T16:05:08.287+01:00

Tuesday 10 March, Bristol Old Vic At a time when all theatre-y eyes are on it, I thought it would be worthwhile checking out what Bristol Old Vic is 'flagshipping' at the moment. One of BOV's current big co-productions is Kneehigh's Don John; but given that I'm still angry from the last time I saw a Kneehigh show, I thought I'd go for Catherine Johnson's new play instead. I wasn't expecting it

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-48004616343122718262009-03-08T12:42:00.001Z2010-06-11T16:06:05.768+01:00

Friday 6 March, Arnolfini This is a brilliant show - laugh-out-loud funny, disconcerting, and weirdly moving. Beautifully written and exquisitely performed. As the Venue Magazine review says of the show: "Forced Entertainment continue to ask a lot of their audiences, giving what amounts to a smattering of clues towards a performance; and if you're willing to suspend your disbelief in new and

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-74599459640206051482009-02-21T16:03:00.017Z2010-06-11T16:06:41.072+01:00

Arnolfini, Friday 20 February 2009 "I guess I thought I was Elvis Presley but I'll tell ya something. All Elvis did was stand on a stage and play a guitar. He never fell off on that pavement at no 80mph." [Evel Knievel] "I just wanna live for another 20-25 years. A couple things I always wanted to do; one was to drive at Indianapolis... The other thing I wanted to do was jump out of an airplane

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-92109361160262596212009-01-24T18:59:00.007Z2010-06-11T16:09:47.729+01:00

Whilst I was seeking out pictures to liven up my blog, I did the obvious and google-imaged my name. You don't get much when you try my full name - mainly links to projects I've been part of, plus my facebook pic - but (unsurprisingly) my first name brings up a bunch of images of the Hindi Film Star I was named after: I really like this slightly hilarious profile of her: "One wonders if she

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-14637042552010024962009-01-24T16:51:00.004Z2009-02-21T16:03:41.352Z

Hello you! whoever you are- (probably me)I was talking to Tom Marshman the other day, and he mentioned he'd been checking out Tim Atack's website."Good pics," he said.Hmmm, I thought. Best pimp my blog.So I've just spent the most extraordinary amount of time finding and splicing a selection of 'lovely pictures' into various bits of this blog. I'm particularly fond of the image I found for CSI in

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-50491626218963157502008-11-23T14:36:00.022Z2010-09-25T13:58:28.747+01:00

Here's an article I wrote for the Theatre Bristol website. It's a personal perspective on something that's been nagging at me for ages. Thanks to theatrebristol.net for suggesting I spend the time articulating it. ---Last week I went to a meeting led by Sustained Theatre, ostensibly to discuss setting up 'regional hubs' for practitioners from "The Sector". You get what I mean by "The Sector",

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-43005500505388711642008-11-07T10:27:00.009Z2009-01-24T16:24:15.270Z

This result has to be noted. I mean, check out the size of this crowd!Even for those weeks on end, when the polls and the pundits were saying it was a dead cert, I just couldn't bring myself to take it for granted that America would elect a black president.I'm still thrilled by it. It does genuinely feel like something has changed in the world. A massive border has shifted. Aspirations are now

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-32895397666987014162008-11-06T19:18:00.013Z2010-06-11T16:18:12.497+01:00

So, as I've been mentioning, I got to get official as a film producer earlier this year, working with a professional cast and crew, and even a little budget. All my dreams on VHS is now complete, and the DVDs are being burned. I can't wait for people to see it. I really want to know what people think - both those that were involved, and people who know nothing about it. It sure is a handsome film

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-22528454703619716482008-10-18T19:24:00.008+01:002009-01-24T12:08:21.089Z

A little while back, when the boyf and I realised we weren't going to be able to afford to go on REAL holiday for a couple of years, we decided we'd buy a couple of guide books instead. And pretend, imagine, or (most optimistically) look forward to visiting those places instead.We ended up getting Rough Guides to Scandinavia and The Baltic States. I've always been fascinated by that direction.

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-72159751306899683862008-09-01T13:08:00.009+01:002008-11-08T11:26:25.481Z

Jeeeez - was I really intending to write about every performance I see? Here's the latest list of theatre/live art I haven't blogged about:Tom Marshman - The InvitationPacitti Company - CivilTim Atack - AstronautBodies In Flight - Model Love (durational)Tim Crouch/News from Nowhere - EnglandTom Marshman & Friends - Hello Sailor (Goodbye Heart)Mem Morrison - LeftoversRosie Dennis - Love Song

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-13867580708391787402008-08-27T15:07:00.009+01:002009-01-24T16:47:31.207Z

So, we're right into editing All My Dreams on VHS. I got to check out the rushes over the bank holiday weekend and will get to see the first rough assembly this evening (yikes!). It's all a bit bloody exciting.It's written and directed by Tim Atack, stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw and O-T Fagbenle, and is produced by George Chan for the BBC Film Lab. For my part, as well as my usual script-editing duties,

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-35776465621183644842008-08-19T19:55:00.006+01:002008-11-08T11:23:26.757Z

I haven't blogged in AGES.Yes, I've been busy... but you know... I've also watched a lot of TV, so no excuses really.And then I got BLOG FEAR, the official term for which, I believe is "blogstipation".I'm hoping to relieve my symptoms by going on a course of 'get-boyfriend-to-give-me random-blog-titles' pills. Let's see what happens. Given that summer seems to have taken the year off this year,

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-76464576126862117212008-05-18T12:11:00.020+01:002009-01-24T10:50:14.374Z

Last week, I went to a talk by James Yarker, Artistic Director of Stan's Cafe. I've only seen a couple of Stan's Cafe pieces (The Black Maze and Of All The People In All The World) and have loved both of them. Neither of them were theatre pieces, but I still often quote them as key examples of extraordinary ways to work with audiences. The image above is from It's Your Film. It was a great talk,

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-23817017627510384262008-05-05T18:18:00.013+01:002010-06-11T16:52:43.852+01:00

26 - 27 April 2008, Arnolfini, Bristol Image from Tuning Up by Bill Leslie & Stephen Cornford (photo: Toby Farrow) Blimey, I think I've only just recovered from last weekend's 'Nightmare'. Nearly 60 pieces showing across the weekend, an open and generous atmosphere, a ridiculously broad range of work in terms of quality (from the truly sublime to the truly, truly awful), and baking sunshine for

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-42824933159756090352008-03-08T17:02:00.003Z2009-01-24T12:16:41.061Z

Grrr. I can't keep up with all the stuff I've seen. Blogs are prone to lists, so just for the record, here's a list of the rest I've seen so far this year:Spaghetti Club - 3 Minute WarningYou and Your Work 4 (5 artists - at least, five I can remember...)Bodies in Flight - Model LoveNational Review of Live Art (21 pieces)Kettle of Fish work in progressUninvited Guests - Love Letters Straight from

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-10561617008769699732008-02-05T13:21:00.004Z2010-06-11T16:21:15.163+01:00

Saturday 26 January 2008, Arnolfini, Bristol Nightfall has been a long time in the making and, after seeing a couple of quite different work-in-progress versions, I was looking forward to seeing the finished work. Unfortunately I found it to be a pretty flawed show. A shame, as I do think there's a good idea buried in there... but it needs digging out. The good thing is that I think the company

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-77337432990895299882008-02-01T14:42:00.016Z2010-06-11T16:24:22.548+01:00

Saturday 12 January 2008, Arnolfini, Bristol Blimey, there's nothing like this blogging lark to encourage a bit of verbal spew forth (see Part 1). Here's some thoughts on the studio programme: Peoples In Pieces: 15 Storms in a Teacup A nascent version of this piece was made for the I Am Your Worst Nightmare Platform in March 07. For GSFB, they've extended the show (it's about twice as long) and

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-78383551412959823452008-01-20T14:34:00.009Z2010-06-11T16:27:40.948+01:00

Saturday 12 January 2008, Arnolfini, Bristol image from Peoples In Pieces: 15 Storms in a Teacup (Good Shit evening programme) Now this was a great way to start performance-going for 2008. The 8 pieces in the day-long programme worked beautifully together and there was a great vibe throughout the day. The evening programme was absolutely ramjacked and it was great to see so many local artists

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-79930107459917704192008-01-18T12:36:00.004Z2010-06-11T16:28:44.957+01:00

For some reason, I've so far avoided blogging about one of the best things in the world EVER - namely, Doctor Who. OK, so I've snuck in a couple of brief mentions, but now that I've written nearly 7000 words about other stuff, I'm going to bloody indulge myself. > > > > OK, the minor freakout about where to start has subsided and I now have a strategy. I had thought, why not write about each of

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-5082262791561486052008-01-04T16:40:00.008Z2010-06-11T16:52:03.429+01:00

image: The Performance Reenactment Society OK, so when it says the last post was written on 10 Nov 2007, what that actually means is that I started writing it on 10 Nov 07, but only finished writing it today (4 Jan 2008 - woo hoo! Happy new year etc etc etc), which doesn't exactly bode well for writing about all the shows I've not yet written about. It's not quite what I intended, but in

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-33234399985925179432007-11-10T10:45:00.002Z2010-06-11T16:35:32.953+01:00

Time to question some prejudices, I thought. Time to go see some [shudder]PHYSICAL THEATRE[/shudder]. There, I said it. Now, I know these sort of artform subdivisions are always clumsy and mean different things to different people, but for this purpose it's a useful shortcut. Maybe I'll write about where I draw the lines another time. Draw a map or something. VENN DIAGRAM! But not right now.

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-34670264861967030962007-11-09T19:08:00.002Z2010-06-11T16:36:10.203+01:00

Wednesday, 24 October 2007. Wickham Theatre, Bristol Firstly - thank you to the company for inviting me and for sticking a comp aside for me. It's always much appreciated and I don't take it for granted. This is the first show by 'Kettle of Fish' , a company of recent (2007) Bristol drama dept graduates. It was up at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer and is showing to the home crowd at the

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-6277966709332455182007-11-03T18:56:00.003Z2010-06-11T16:36:46.210+01:00

Wednesday 24 October, Barton Hill Settlement, Bristol I got into work this morning and one of my colleagues had just heard that this was on at midday, so we decided to spur-of-the-moment it across there. Briefly, this is how Asylum Monologues works: the script is constructed from first-hand testimonies of asylum seekers and contextual information about the process of seeking asylum in the UK.

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-69244174639603911202007-10-28T18:51:00.003Z2010-06-11T16:37:54.551+01:00

Tues 23 Oct 07, Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton Without a doubt, one of the most wonderful shows I've ever seen. There was something so very open, genuine, warm and sincere about it. It did what all the best live art does, which is to make you feel part of a singular event. It has the "I was there..." factor. Here's how the copy starts: "Susan Pritchard is Darren Pritchard's mother. She is

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-78817902426872207502007-10-23T13:31:00.003+01:002010-06-11T16:41:40.053+01:00

I can't believe I'm writing about telly, but I really want to write about some actual thing that I've seen (as this blog was intended for), even if it's not exactly live performance (as this blog was intended for). Firstly, I should declare my prejudice: I love TV. I particularly love TV now that we have a house, with a proper sofa and a hard drive recorder with a freeview box. My OH has band

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-5166933657044888262007-10-22T15:35:00.000+01:002008-11-08T11:12:33.340Z

OK, so I fell for that whole "start a blog with good intentions and then don't post for ages" thing that seems to happen to so many people. Since my initial post on 4 September, I've seen live work by:(The legendary) Foreign MuckYara El-SherbiniStacy MakishiMarcia FarquharRichard DedomeniciBobby BakerCuriousRoza IlgenQasim Riza ShaheenJiva ParthipanTim BrennanAlex Bradley & Hetain PatelSteve

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5729848723730645702.post-79756300874514129962007-09-04T11:55:00.001+01:002008-11-08T11:10:58.752Z

So, here we go.Three months ago, I wasn't even considering starting a blog. But then three months ago, there were loads of things I wasn't considering doing. Three months ago, I was also getting a bit down about about all the things I wasn't doing.One of those things I wasn't doing, was keeping decent notes about the shows I was seeing. It's useful for me to do this for work, but it's also much

weirdy papoosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12162409794780643472noreply@blogger.com0