I was at Burslem School of Art for the first night of Ugly Duck, written by local playwright Deborah McAndrew, and staged by her Potteries based company, Claybody Theatre. A touching performance showed the humour of the region’s communities in facing the tough years of industrial decline, the emasculation of the city’s industrial workforce, and the negotiation of a complicated future – all through the dialogue of a naked man wearing a Port Vale hat with an artist painting his portrait. Reviews have been great and the play has been widely acclaimed (http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Theatre-review-Ugly-Duck/story-20083609-detail/story.html).
Long Poem Magazine: Issue 10 Launch
It was a privilege to read this week at the Barbican Library last Wednesday, October 23rd, as part of the launch of Long Poem Magazine Issue 10, and I offer me sincerest gratitude to the editors, Linda Black and Lucy Hamilton for agreeing to publish my new long poem ‘Kernel Stone’ in this issue.
Crime and Fear – Storytelling
People from the local community were treated to an evening of storytelling on the subject of crime and fear as part of Fringe 2013.