Tony Earnshaw's Blog, page 12

Creativity in a world of Zoom

I’ve been thinking about how Damn Cheek has progressed in the last year and blogged about it on the Damn Cheek website. Damn Cheek is the theatrical production company which I co founded and which takes up a fair bit of my time. I thought our Covid journey worth sharing so what follows is a version of that blog.

The story so far

What a difference a year makes. Damn Cheek started 2020 with a visit to Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre with the latest performance in our extensive tour of The Door, followed that up with a dinner theatre evening based on my novel Blessed Assurance, complete with band, and were on the point of a premiere of Maria MacAteer’s On a Wicklow Hill when we went into lockdown.

The decision to replace the premiere with a reading of the play on Zoom set us on a path which has been both challenging and rewarding. It’s interesting to look back and remind ourselves of the way our Zoom offering has developed. Our second outing was a repeat of the dinner theatre evening, with some adjustments to the music and audience members providing their own dinner.  We then moved on to two plays by Brendan Murray – Big Baby, which involved music and multiple characters, and Collywobbles with its hints of menace. By this stage we felt we were hitting our stride and when we followed up with Kelvin Segger’s one man play Diary of a Madman, director Willie Elliott took the opportunity to experiment with more movement and staging. This was so successful that we ended up doing it four times – helped no doubt by the fact that a performance only required two people to make it work. After that there was no going back. With my play,  Little Brother we added another camera and mixed a cast of two in one place with a third on Zoom. In our Space Within evening we had different takes on Zoom by seven writers, and seven different approaches and technical challenges. Last month we went darker and had a silent movie from Brendan, a ghost story from Stephen Thompson and a sinister character returning to haunt a writer from Maria.

Taking the next step

In the process we have built a sustainable business, an audience and a community and have been able to support the cast and crew through the donations to our JustGiving page. We’ve felt the time has come to move on from JustGiving and the next show, a Valentine’s Day extravaganza, is bookable through Ticket Source, still retaining a strong element of ‘pay what you feel’ but now underpinned by a minimum charge. This will give us a base to keep the shows going, to the benefit of our audience and wider community, keep people practising their craft and give them what amounts to a welcome ‘thank you’ payment. Another step in our development, another sign that we have been able to turn the current crisis into a creative opportunity.

And finally, the Valentine’s Day Special, which includes drama, song and poetry, is at 6pm on the 14th – for about 70 minutes. I’ve contributed a short play, incorporating some love poems. If you want to join us – Book your ticket online now!

The post Creativity in a world of Zoom appeared first on Tony Earnshaw.

Sunlit uplands

We’re well into January already and I’ve struggled to find time to write. Well, not quite. I’ve written a couple of poems, a short play for Valentines Day, and a funding application for the Arts Council which runs to an unbelievable 65 pages. But no blog. Time to remedy that omission.

The year so far has been chaotic. A change in government in the States, with the outgoing president inciting violence and still retaining a strong support base. A continuing Covid crisis with governments everywhere struggling and our own seemingly incapable of making any decision until weeks after it should have been made. Infections and deaths still rising. The start of the chaos and pain of Brexit. So where are the sunlit uplands?

Despite all the above, there are reasons, as Ian Drury would have said, to be cheerful. These include, naturally, the vaccine, or vaccines. It appears that the vaccine roll out is going well so far and that could make an immense difference to us all as we get into spring and summer. Holidays beckon. Holidays in the UK, which is fine by me. (I refuse to call them staycations which implies they’re not proper holidays but day trips from home). Getting back to the Lakes, the Dales and the sea, seeing family and friends again, being able to socialise a little will all make life feel much better.

And then we have Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Much is riding on the Biden presidency, not only in undoing some of the harm of the last few years but also finding a way of restoring faith in American democracy. A lot of work to do but we can at least rejoice that we have humanity, compassion and sense back in the White House – and a Vice President who is the first woman, the first African American and the first Asian American to hold that post. That’s an embodiment of hope in itself.

My third reason to be cheerful is the Arts. It’s been tough for a lot of people in the creative world, and still is, but the arts will survive, not least because we need music, theatre, books, visual stimulus. From a personal perspective, Damn Cheek has been going from strength to strength as we have embraced Zoom and what we have learnt through that will inform what we do going forward, the community projects and Mystery Plays have developed as we have had the time to devote to planning, and we have built a great core company, advisory board and wider community.

Meanwhile, Mole Valley Poets have flourished with a mix of Zoom and Skype, have addressed current issues and gained some energetic new members. We’ve missed a couple of members for whom video calling is a step too far but they’ve kept in touch and I know they’ll be back in the fold as soon as we can meet normally. My own writing has gained from this and I’ve just reached agreement to have a collection published in May. More on this in the coming weeks.

The next thing we need, I need, is to be able to sing and play jazz again. Here’s hoping!

So that’s the three glimmers of hope – vaccine, Biden, the Arts. I’m hoping for a positive 2021 for all of us.

The post Sunlit uplands appeared first on Tony Earnshaw.

Hearts for the Arts

We’re thrilled to learn that Mole Valley Arts E-Live festival 2020 has been shortlisted in the National Campaign for the Arts (NCA) Hearts for the Arts Awards, which are to be announced on Valentine’s Day!   

Tony has a long association with the annual Mole Valley Arts Alive festival, and had two hugely successful events in Arts E-Live 2020, the online version of the festival created in response to the pandemic, these being 2020 Vision with Mole Valley Poets and Damn Cheek’s Zoom production of  Little Brother.

Congratulations to the Arts E-Live team, and to Arts Officer Claudia Cartwright who has been shortlisted for an NCA Best Arts Champion Award. All well deserved.    

We’re looking forward to working with Mole Valley Arts Alive again in this year’s festival

The post Hearts for the Arts appeared first on Tony Earnshaw.

Magi

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

I know that, strictly speaking, the Magi, are still on camel back following a star but I also know everyone is bored with the story by epiphany so here is my final Christmas related poetry blog. Courage, doubt, fear and wonder, in the story of the Magi. What had they been part of? Like us, they wondered whether ‘this was a future they wanted to know’…

Magi

Summoning his courage, the man dismounted 
and, hand on back, prepared to enquire
Had King or court seen the sight they looked for, 
following that celestial shooting fire?

Short shrift was what he felt they gave him 
though to his face they seemed keen to help.
He didn’t hear, but sensed, the whisper
‘Let them find him, then we’ll kill the whelp’.

Slipping weary through foreign streets, 
conspicuous in their eastern gear,
with tired mounts and aching feet, 
feeling the pull of hope and fear 

they came at last to a stable yard, 
muck underfoot and the horses put out.
A baby was there, his father on guard, 
so, filled with joy and wracked with doubt,

they gave him their gifts and went their way,
avoiding the court and all public show,
with confused thoughts, unable to say 
if this was a future they wanted to know.

Reaching open country they increased their speed,
seeking to leave all their fears behind
and focus for now on the hope instead
that somehow they’d glimpsed, in that yard, the divine.

C A Earnshaw 28/12/20

The post Magi appeared first on Tony Earnshaw.

Rooftops

Image by Alexandra_Koch from Pixabay



 

The last pre Christmas blog, and this time focussing on Santa Claus – hoping he doesn’t let us down!

Rooftops

Brushing soot off his tunic (new, wipe clean, breathable material) he surveys the rooftops.
He belches, the last lot’s food offerings (whisky, milk and breakfast cereal) playing havoc with his digestive system.
Whistling for the team (trained to perfection by the reindeer whisperer) he prepares for the off.

Straightening, the man of dreams consults his watch
Hours gained by time zones stretch the working night
and he has had much practice, since that first open handed gesture
to ease the plight of those within his care,  
but dawn approaches and it’s a close run thing.

Tired now, like a benevolent Flying Dutchman, he longs for ease, 
a return to the safe harbour of his bishopric, to share the peace, to celebrate the eucharist, to contemplate and pray.
He shrugs and coughs, climbs back on his sleigh.
Duty calls and the world needs Christmas cheer.
To disappoint the children would be to serve the self he sacrificed 
for them and for his Lord. 
To claim a higher calling would be mere presumption.

So. Back to his dwindling present hoard.
Back to his sleigh, his elves, and all the accoutrements of office.
Back to the growing myth, the night sky and the snow.
Back to the mince pies, scotch and warming coffees.
Back to the hearty laugh, the ‘ho, ho, ho’

He straightens up, his spirits lift,
speaks to the reindeer, says
‘Come on, guys. With gifts we celebrate a gift;
so no more slacking,
let’s hit the skies’.

Have a great Christmas

Tony Earnshaw. 23/12/20

The post Rooftops appeared first on Tony Earnshaw.

Mary Sang

Image by framolca from Pixabay

Just a week to Christmas and amid all the noise and controversy I thought I’d share a musical take on the Christmas story with this poem first published in the Mole Valley Poets Christmas Anthology last year

Mary Sang

Mary sang, a fine contralto, deep and pure.
Joseph played bass, metronomic, steady, 
the beat nailed to the floor.
He thought the boy should play guitar 
and made him one from fine cedar;
strings of camel gut, fret board inlaid
with finest golden sand;
a masterpiece of craftsman’s eye,
craftsman’s insight, craftsman’s hand,
but as it turned out the boy
made music all his own,
unique in style, in sensitivity, in tone,
and when the townsfolk heard him sing,
hearts lifted, cares fell away;
it seemed to them they heard bells ring
and hope was born to see them through the day.

The post Mary Sang appeared first on Tony Earnshaw.

Surrey Poetry Blog

Surrey Libraries run a lovely poetry blog. A good variety of new and old – and one of mine has been added today – https://npdsurrey.wordpress.com/2020/...

The post Surrey Poetry Blog appeared first on Tony Earnshaw.

The Fleece

Image courtesy of Billy Wilson via Flickr and creative commons

I’m doing my best to ignore all the political shenanigans this week and focus on the festive season. Growing up in sheep country a high percentage of the pubs were called The Fleece and this poem honours them and the shepherds.

The Fleece

Over a few pints down the Fleece 
the story came out.
How Jim was dozing on the moor 
when the bright light shone.

They’d had to restart night watch duties
with all this rewilding nonsense –
wild boar, wolves and what have you
roaming the land
and picking off lambs
cool as you please.

There were three of them that night.
Jim, dozing as I said,
Bob and Tom playing poker dice
and sharing a brew
when this amazing voice
came loud and clear.

‘Something they’d been smoking’
was the general theory,
provoking laughter, loud and beery,
but ‘No, think on lads’ said Jim
‘they spoke of hope, of life, a bairn.

They said to go and visit him.
We did. A mucky byre, crocked tractors,
discarded tyres and, sacks of feed
and a baby in its mother’s arms.
It felt like he was all we’d need 
in this life or the next.

I was stunnered. You saw my text.
Had to tell you all just what we’d found’
They clapped him on the shoulder then,
uncomfortable with emotion,
as quietly, in the commotion,
Bob went and bought another round.

The post The Fleece appeared first on Tony Earnshaw.

Advent 2020

Image courtesy of Marilylle Soveran and Flickr; Creative Commons.

Hard to believe that it’s December and we’re coming to the end of a year that has presented many challenges. In the Christian tradition, candles are lit for Advent, representing hope, love, joy, peace, and the light of the world. This year we’re waiting for vaccines, an end to lockdowns and tiers and I’ve tried to express that below.

Advent 2020

It’s advent and we’re waiting. 
We’ve been waiting since March 
but now we’re lighting candles.
One for the hope we feel,
tentative, hard to handle.
One for the love we’ve shared, 
often at a distance.
Virtual hugs to show we care,
heart shapes, blown kisses.
One for the joy we long to feel,
for vaccined liberation,
an anticipation of freedom.
And one for peace of mind, 
a cause for celebration.

The fifth candle, the Christmas candle,
this year represents the light
at the end of the tunnel.
Maybe it always did.

The post Advent 2020 appeared first on Tony Earnshaw.

Shades of Grey

I’ve been thinking about black, white and grey recently. Not black and white as in race and certainly not shades of grey as in 50, but more a concern about polarisation. I took the photo above this morning and took the colour out to make it ‘black and white’. Except it isn’t. Rather, it is a beautifully nuanced range of tones of grey.

We seem to have lost the sense of nuance in our public discourse, and certainly on social media and this seems to me to present a threat to our ability to live in community, to our ability to build for the future, and to the future of harmonious relations between people of different backgrounds, creeds, races and views.

The need to engage with each other is not helped by the polarisation of views. Who wants to be shouted down? We do need to be reminded, though, that holding a different view to ourselves is not necessarily a sign of irredeemable evil. Otherwise we end up with the extremes we would all want to avoid. And there are plenty of examples of that around the world.

This was going to be a much longer blog but there was a danger of getting sidetracked. So my plea today, my challenge, is to listen, to engage critical faculties and to see merit where there is some. And, to finish on a positive note, to engage with the arts – the range of voices we heard last week on our Damn Cheek evening, The Space Within, the different takes on the same subject, was inspiring. Add to that the creativity of the poets and writers I interact with and maybe there is hope for nuance and subtlety after all.

The post Shades of Grey appeared first on Tony Earnshaw.