Progress in SOME directions



The play-writing course is doing what it’s intended to do – helping me and the others in the class to write plays. I now have three fully-drafted scenes and I know what the two remaining scenes will comprise, but I won’t try to write them until I’ve received further guidance from the tutor. I’m quite confident about my incipient play, much more stageable-looking than the version I tried to write a year or so ago.

The Hebden Bridge storytelling evening last week was excellent. Xanthe Grisham was performing – mainly doing her Russian Baba Yaga tales – and she was as good as ever. The only drawback was that the organisers put the star turn on first and used the last 30-40 minutes of the evening for floor spots, the practical consequence of which was that I was required to perform immediately after Xanthe. Not kind! But the audience was friendly and receptive (no doubt thanks in no small measure to Xanthe) so I got away with it without too much embarrassment. Since then I’ve been to the Matlock storytelling cafe (Friday past) and the Buxton storytelling group (this afternoon, Sunday), and for the latter event I worked another of my Peak District tales up into tellable form.

The ‘spooky’ film being made by/for the learning-disabled people under the guidance and directorship of my friends Nicola Worswick and Ken Smith (the Life You Choose project) is progressing well. On Saturday evening, 7th March, I did the planned ‘interview’ (about the alleged haunting of Glossop Rectory), and Ken was pleased with the results. I was delighted to be able to contribute to such a worthwhile venture. Proceeds from the film will be used to provide services for adults with learning difficulties, and the film itself will be used to promote them.

But there could be a spin-off for me: Ken might be in a position to record me reciting a selection of local folktales with a view to producing CDs, which can then be sold to help finance ventures such as Life You Choose. If this can be done in time, I might also be able to sell some at the Buxworth Gala on Easter weekend, when I’m scheduled to do storytelling on two successive days (Saturday and Sunday). Once again the proceeds would go to good local causes.

I’ll blog further about this in due course!

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