Exciting News!

Here's a little update on recent events for you...

1. 100 Thousand Poets for Change - was a brilliant success!! An absolutely packed-out event with 26 poets reading in total, including the wonderful Labi Siffre who very kindly came along and did a set for us! A wonderful afternoon.


2. RSC Open Stages - a recent meeting with the National Theatre Wales TEAM yielded a good result, with the promise of assistance and advice on this project from TEAM members. Thank you Devinda of NTW for this!!

3. My own career arches ever-upwards, with gigs coming at me from all sides! You can see me perform in Sheffield and Bournemouth next week, as well as on the streets of Cardiff this Saturday eve in Everwake - the game - a live experience on the streets that's been taking the UK by storm! I'll be in Dylan Thomas's Swansea house on Friday the 7th, as well as adjudicatng the World Schools Debating Championships in Cardiff, too... Much to do! Onwards and upwards!!

100 Thousand Poets for Change in Cardiff

A worldwide poetry reading, with over 450 cities in 95 countries involved, takes place this month on Saturday 24th September. Of the 600 events, only one of these will be in Wales, with selected poets and open mic readers performing  at Shot in the Dark, on City Road in Cardiff, from 1pm.

The Welsh poets will join others around the planet in a celebration of poetry as a vehicle to promote serious social, enviromental  and political change, with poetry demonstrations being organised in such political hotspots as Cairo, Kabul and Jalalabad. The Cardiff event places its focus on mental health, creativity and well-being, with an event theme – ‘the doors of perception’ – and donations going to Lapidus Cymru, although these are voluntary as the event itself is free to attend.

The many poets taking part include local authors Bob Rogers and Susie Wild, Somerset Maugham award winner Mark Blayney, storyteller Amanda Rackstraw, spoken word artist Liam Johnson, as well as a reading from Labi Siffre, the poet, musician and songwriter whose hits include “(Something Inside) So Strong” and “I Got The”, the sampled rhythm track of which provides the basis for Eminem’s hit single “My Name Is”.

This will be Siffre’s first public performance in roughly 12 years, with the star reading some of his poems, rather than the songs which have, variously, been covered or sampled by Madness, Olivia Newton John, Fatboy Slim and Jay-Z.

The event organisers, poets Gill Brightmore and Mab Jones, will be streaming the event live via the internet for those who are unable to attend -http://bambuser.com/channel/mabjones. Those who are able to attend are very welcome, and further information can be obtained from mabananajones@gmail.com

Yes, it's the Royal Shakespeare Company, dah-ling!!

So, as per usual, I have committed myself to a massive project, the breadth and depth and height of which I was very, very unprepared for.

     Earlier this year, the RSC announced it was holding a massive competition called Open Stages, which involved inviting amateur theatre/performance groups to hold a performance of a Shakespeare play or some related activity.

http://www.rsc.org.uk/explore/projects/open-stages/taking-part.aspx

     I decided I would re-write Troilus & Cressida. For those of you who don't know, this is considered Shakespeare's most problematic play. I decided to write it as a modern, spoken word-style satire. I decided I would direct it....

     Considering the number of characters in the play (two whole armies' worth) and the fact I've never directed before, this is a massive undertaking. No, let me re-phrase that - ma-HOO-sive.

So. There is much to do. As bloody usual!!! Anyway, if you'd like to take part in my play, please drop me a line. By which I mean, message/email, or find me jittering in my usual corner, if you know where that is...

     And, here's the Facebook group, if you'd like to join it: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158332134249479

     It's the RSC, dah-ling! That's the important thing, I guess . . . . . . . . . . . .