Hotbed Day 5 and other things

Went to the readthrough of Egusi. Some bits are really working. Other bits I'll have to wait and see....

Then watched a few things, most notably was two short plays of about an hour. The first was At Sea by Clare Bayley. She won a Fringe First for her play The Container. Very good. The acting was brilliant. As was the other piece: Four to Jericho, a political comedy by Richard Fredman, about an English Jew who goes to the homeland. Excellently directed by Patrick Morris. The energy was brill!

I have started up Play of the Week to see if I can find inspiration before I redraft my second play:

Read Paula Vogel's plays: How I learned to Drive and the Mineola Twins.
How I learned was good. Funny. I found the Mineola Twins weird. Like you had to see it to get the humour. I'm sure it's really funny.

Hotbed Day 3

The radio writing workshop with Fiona Kelcher was brilliant. I was a bit late as I thought it started at 1.30 pm. Then the panel thing was good. I hope my contribution was useful. Everyone was so articulate. Absolutely adore Steve Walters. He's so full of energy. And he's funny! Actually, I sat in his playwriting class for about half an hour by mistake. I knew I was meant to be in the radio class but it felt rude to leave once I was there. I'm glad I stayed for a bit because how good was he? I so want to do his MPhil in playwriting!

Fraser Grace said something really cool about a playwright's career. He said something along the lines of what makes your first play really good is that you usually don't know the rules of playwriting so you break them without realising. Then you learn the rules of playwriting and then work towards trying to break them.

Teaching & Debate

Was initially nervous.

I told Jenny, who organised the workshop, that I'd be a bit nervous at the beginning but she was like, yeah, yeah. So it started with an introduction about myself... not a good place to start... afterwards Jenny came up to me and was like, "Jan, you're really nervous. Calm down."

I friggin told her!

People don't believe I get stage fright because I'm such a loud person but I do for a bit. When the spotlight's on me. But I soon got into it and I loved it. It was so much fun and they seemed to enjoy it. Some of them took to radio writing like ducks to water. But on occasion it did feel like a couple of kids were taking the piss (very politely mind you) but it didn't bother me. It was an enthusiastic and intelligent lot.

I definitely want to do more teaching. For me, it felt like being paid to just talk and read plays. It was also great because I had to think on my feet half the time with all the questions. It was great. I felt challenged. I hope teaching ESOL will be just as fun.

Tomorrow, I'm in Cambridge for the Hotbed Festival. They've asked me to be on the panel to discuss the title: "Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill".

I'm on the panel with Steve Walters (playwright/ runs MA playwriting at Birmingham), Peter Leslie Wild (BBC Radio Producer) and Karen Kohlhaas (New York Theatre Director).

What am I gonna say?????

Eastenders Catch Up

There are spoilers.

Loved last week's Eastenders but was a bit shocked when Christian and Masood's son kissed. I kind of new it was coming because it would make an interesting story but it didn't feel natural, that it should have come at that point. Have I missed something these past two weeks like a bit of flirting or something?

And why is Christian behaving like a 14 year old girl over it? He must have an idea that it's not going to run smoothly. He's 37!! Still, am loving the story line....

So I'm back

And it feels like I haven't had a rest!

Well, it does a bit... just .... went jogging this morning and am in pain...

Anway, having read the latest entry on James Moran's blog I used to think I worked hard but now I don't feel bad about knuckling down and working even harder as I realise that you have to to get anywhere in this industry. So I don't feel bad working on a Friday night.

So... the rest of June is devoted to finishing Dusseldorf and getting it out there before people start winding up and going on holiday. I think the fear of rejection has been holding me back on this one for too long. I am going to close my eyes and jump. Jump. JUMP!

Egusi Soup seems to be bubbling away all by itself ... I made some big changes in the latest draft and no one's said anything. I'm not sure if it works. Even now I know there are a couple of scenes that I could improve but I've decided to see it at Hotbed and make changes after it.

Anyway, Eastern Angles is definitely co-producing it. Just spoke to them about the images for the poster. There's a tour in mid October. I mean, they've already got dates and stuff!!! Dates!
Some in Ipswich, Colchester, Watford and some other places. I am a bit excited. Just a bit...

Just like to say that Menagerie has been really supportive of me and Egusi Soup and I would encourage anyone who wants to have a go at theatre to think about sending stuff there as well as to the usual suspects. I mean, my play has been looked at by agents and theatres since January and all sorts and it's being produced. Yes! Produced!

Anyway, they're doing a scheme next year for new writers and it's open to writers from all over the country as well as the East. (I saw it on the website the other day but I can't see it now but I'm sure it's there)

Went for a CELTA course interview yesterday. Boy, was it laborious! Gone are the days you just pay your way onto a course. Anyway I got on it. I really need to earn more money and I think that teaching in the post 16 sector might be the way... on top of my part time job. However, have discovered that in times of recession everyone and his brother is going into teaching so things will be just as competitive. Also, not sure how this all fits in with my writing as it's quite a demanding course even though it's part-time. I'll have to really think about it. Plan to complete two more theatre plays this year.

Well off to prepare for my first writing for radio workshop that I'm giving to some sixth form students somewhere in Norwich on Monday. Am really excited about that. And I get a tiny bit of money, too...

Scheming

Somewhere among the countless Caravaggios and Michaelangelos and Botticellis and other renaissance big hitters whose names I now can't remember but at the time thought, when walking through the galleries, how clever I will be back in England because I'll be able to spot a blah blah or a blah blah for future pub quizzes, my creative fire has been relit.

Just being among these artists who dedicated their lives to their work has made me want to press on with it. I must admit, though, these guys were quite famous in their heyday so I'm sure it wasn't such a drag and they seemed to have loads of chums and followers. Not sure about money, though... But the ones that stood out are the ones that pushed boundaries, set trends. Not sure how to do that with the old writing.... But I do want to experiment. Yeah!

Anyway, I think I know how to fix Dusseldorf so I am ready to write it. I think my problem was I had sacrificed what made my story good over plot. Character. So, I've been noting down some changes here and there and I can't wait to get back and play with these people and then finally send it out!

I haven't been writing, though, which is good. Although snippets of dialogue for a new character in that play I wrote as part of the critical mass group keep coming to me.

I've also been thinking about another play, which I've been putting off for about 6 years. It initally started as a screenplay but I'm seeing it more as a play...

And then there's acting and maybe a novel. Too much! Too much! Or is it?

This hostel, Archi Rossi, is fab. Not only do you get internet access in your dorm room - I have seen my fellow dorm mates get up in the middle of the night to facebook or whatever - but you get breakfast and dinner thrown in and it's great. Where it's virtually impossible to find fruit or salad at a reasonable price amidst the pizzas and gelatos you can get it all free at this hostel! FREE! Only downside is that it's a bit noisy with all the backpacking chatter in the quad outside. But if I had just finished uni like 90% of the people here I'd be loving it! New dormmate just asked me if I was a student. Yes!!! Still got it!!

Off to Naples tomorrow. Hope Vesivius stays calm. Ciao!

I feel sick

Not because of the tartare I had last night (see picture. Although the one I ate was homemade and the egg was all mashed in and it just looked like mince before you cook it) but because of this:

Egusi Soupby Janice Okoh
A funny and poignant debut play from Menagerie’s new Associate Writer. As a British-Nigerian family pack their luggage and prepare to head home for a funeral, they realise they will need to get rid of some excess baggage first… a fast, furious and funny new family drama about life in London, death in Lagos and soup on the kitchen table! Premiering at Hotbed prior to regional and national touring.

Fri 3 July - 7.30pmSat 4 July - 2pm
£5/£4 80 mins

To book tickets for Hotbed 2009, go to http://www.junction.co.uk/.

Someone told me this quote. I've heard it before. Artistic works are abandoned not completed. I still feel I can work more on this play but I do feel that it is what it is and I can't make it anything else than what it is. I mean, it's nearer to what I wanted to say when I started out writing the play but I don't think I can get any closer without writing a new play. (I know! Too much sun!! Oh, couldn't believe how cold venice was! Milan is so much better)

Right, on with my holiday. Going to Lake Como tomorrow. Know it well from my Latin days. Ovid was exiled there. (I think I can still recite some of his poems)

p.s. the tartare was quite tasty in the end. Felt bad about all the fuss I made before eating it. Although occasionally I tasted that metallic raw meat smell... which reminded me that it was raw. But at least it helped contribute to my raw effort that day.