It has been the same as the last blog each day this week, though the competition began on Wednesday: Arrive at The People Show in Bethnal Green or Toynbee Studios in Aldgate for 10am, finish rehearsals for five pm cycle to Euston and meet the competition judges at 7pm at The Place. Performance begins at 8pm, watch a selection intense fifteen minute contemporary dances as judge for the largest contemporary dance competition in Europe sponsored by Bloomberg, have discussion with judges and then get home for midnight. That’s a sixteen hour day, from Wednesday to Saturday. There’s a piece about The Place Prize in todays Independent on Sunday which centres on the audience vote which puts one entrant of the twenty into the final. The judges select four
others from the twenty seen the past four days.
On Wednesday an interview with The Times after rehearsals at 5.15pm. To put it in context I am supporting the changes in National Childrens Homes and my story exemplifies the reasons for the shift in direction of The NCH which is what the article is about, a sort of poster boy case study in point, along with others. Out of respect for myself and the journalist interviews should always be prepared for, doesn’t matter how big or how small. I was awesomely ill prepared and bumbled through with inarticulate ramblings and I wasn’t dressed for the photo-shoot either but for rehearsals. It’s infuriating that someone who spent his life articulating his life – to prove that he is alive – becomes so inarticulate when talking about his life. And yet, maddeningly, it makes total and absolute sense.
On Friday Lisa Dwan came to The Place and that was a fun night, a breath of fresh air.
I was supposed to spend Saturday daytime writing up the notes from the weeks rehearsals at home but I just couldn’t get near to the computer file. Everytime I
got close to write a voice in my head would say, facebook facebook you must go onto facebook or tv tv must watch tv.
I’d been working on the show (the play) all week. I couldn’t look at it again. I needed Saturday on a sofa with a remote control in my hand. Course what happens is noone wins. I can’t really enjoy the TV cause I know I should be working. So nobody freaking wins. On another matter altogether I’ve stopped eating dairy – it stops me snoring. It works. I started writing up the script from notes on Sunday, Today. I can honestly say that as I write stress seems to fall away. Stress happens mostly when not writing. Stress happens in the construction work needed to scale the reasons not to write. It’s alot of work being counter to what you are – a creative animal. It’s not stress when you’re writing it’s like a gentle work like inaudible humming.