Things I’ve seen since Nov 2013. Running list:

1. Hate we when thou wilt, Nico and the Navigators, Berlin. Nov 2013

2. Teatro Minima, Seville, Nov

3. All that Fall, New York, Nov

4. Dress rehearsal, Satyagraha, ENO, Nov

5. Elephantom, The Shed

6. Protest Song, The Shed

7. My Winnipeg, Buffalo 66, Wolf of Wall Street, Rush, An Education, Take This Waltz, Blue Valentine, The Heat, Grownups 2

8. Mojo, Harold Pinter

9. American Psycho, Almeida

10. Beckett shorts: Not I, Footfalls, Rockaby, Royal Court

11. Fault Lines, Hampstead Theatre

Also, some pretty good interviews of actors and directors via the Hollywood Reporter series of Roundtable talks. Superb reminder that classiness, intelligence, honour, steeliness and hard work work. (Also that some people have “it” and that some people find a way to their “it”.) The fake self-deprecating, wry sarcasm, too-cool-for-school, smallness does not work.

And I saw Hannah Quigley’s second research and development showing of Girls and Dolls, featuring hearing-impaired BSL actors and hearing actors in an ensemble production where BSL was not used as a translation tool. Instead, the story was greatly enhanced by the layering of presentation. I came away thinking that I had witnessed one of those rare moments of theatre at its purest and most live.

Scriptathon at my home was three scripts at various stages of development, being read by some of my favourite people, attended by more of the same. They included writers, directors, performers from different disciplines and it was GOOD. Thrown in honour of writer Erik Patterson, who was visiting from LA, this was the second ever UK Scriptathon of Erik’s work. It was super fun and great to hang out, sharing food, wine and chat with brilliant artists.