Performing again! A busy September
It feels good to be making work and sharing it again!
LETTERS at the Gate Theatre (on Zoom) was a joy and an exercise in openness, the unexpected, and how possible it is to connect through a screen. I am so grateful to my show-partner Helena for her courage and heart, as well as her beautiful letter! Hearing both of our voices from back in June, such a specific and vulnerable time, and seeing each other for the first time since we performed Dear Elizabeth in early 2019, was a LOT.
“Live from their own homes, each pair of performers open and read the letters they've received from each other. Neither knows what their letters contains. All they have is a series of instructions and a surprise box of "props to create a show together by opening up, meeting one another, and exchanging the gift of a poem”
Just before that I had the joy of performing with NYT Rep again; at HoneyPride Festival in the Scoop - the women of NYT Rep company sang a song we wrote together for our production of To Kill a Mockingbird at the Lyric Hammersmith, directed by Meghan Doyle. One of my favourite productions I’ve ever been in! It was really brilliant to re-conjure some of that magic and to see the Rep for the first time in so long.
On September 30th I took to Zoom again for my second show with The Show Must Go Online. Playing Blanche & Prince Henry in King John with TSMGO was one of my high points of lockdown - collaborating with actors all over the world, working hard and fast to make something high energy and high-impact, all through the medium of Zoom, was really good fun. TSMGO is doing an amazing thing in bringing people together in a time when physical proximity is impossible. I have chosen to be in the plays that I had previously had no exposure to, as part of my bid to expand my knowledge of Shakespeare. It’s been a journey of discovery, and there’s no better way to get to know than by performing.
And a little bonus content for anyone who’s read this far - as part of my creative journey on the 12-week The Artist’s Way programme, I conjured up the courage to share a song I wrote during lockdown. This is very new territory for me but I was so warmed by the flood of love and encouragement it received. Head to my Instagram to see it! I am collaborating with a friend to record a full version of ‘I Wanna Be Her’ too, so watch this space.
It may be a while before I’m in front of audiences again, but in the mean time there are so many ways to make, share and connect. I’m so grateful for the many communities of artists supporting one another right now <3