I’ve been working on a kind of self-help tract for my own self, to reconcile some of the contradictions of being a caring artist in the shadow of capitalism. This is the second notebook post on the subject. You can find part one here. If any of this is of any use to you, please… Read more »
Since late lockdown, I’ve been working on a kind of self-help tract for my own self, to reconcile some of the contradictions of being a caring artist in the shadow of capitalism. For a while I thought it might be a book, or a talk, or… something, who knows. But it’s become clear I ought… Read more »
The story of a song from A MILLION TINY GLITCHES A Million Tiny Glitches by Sleepdogs When my brother Mike died in 2012 he did so in a dramatic way very much out of keeping with his calm and unflappable personality. An astoundingly rare condition took him away in the blink of an… Read more »
Some subroutines I’m trying to run for my writing, whenever possible. Or whenever I remember. Warning: contains pedantry. 1 No roles, only desires Many of my stories are about people who wouldn’t normally connect, people who come from different walks of life, having to work together. This isn’t something I’ve engineered consciously. It’s something… Read more »
How being a musician affects scriptwriting and storytelling – The second in a series of short (ish) articles – WARNING: contains autobiography – 2. Craft work I’ve been thinking about a gig I went to with some friends, and the support act was your classic modular synth guy: sat on the floor, in front… Read more »
How being a musician affects scriptwriting and storytelling – The first in a series of short (OK, short-ish) articles – 1. Story ghosts One of the amazing things about making digital music – especially working with laptops and sample libraries – is that you can follow a chain of thought that would have taken… Read more »
It’s been a tough year for anyone working in the performing arts, and I want to pick apart something I’m hearing more and more, especially as theatres announce their re-opening programmes and projects. In private I’m hearing an increasing number of brilliant artists – and in particular writers – saying that theatre isn’t a welcoming… Read more »
So my play Babel’s Cupid has just been announced as one of the three runners-up for the Yale Drama Series Prize 2021. Over the moon, me. Many thanks to judge Paula Vogel and Yale Drama Series, and huge congratulations to the winner Rachel Lynnet, as well as my fellow runners-up Molly Bicks and Francisco Mendoza…. Read more »
On quantum emotions Writing drama, you’re regularly asked to justify the actions of the fictional people you’re creating, to give them clear reasons for doing what they do and saying what they say. And of course this is key to a method of storytelling that seems to have done us fine for a good two… Read more »
I made this for the Sleepdogs office. It’s about not always doing things the same way, with the same patterns (unless that’s the right thing to do.) Also: trying to be clear and kind – to others, to your own bad self.Also: recognising when you’re doing something new. The sections can be addressed in any… Read more »