July 15, 2015
Can Crowdfunding Become Addictive?
With the announcement of the Royal Academy of Art launching their first crowdfunding campaign to bring Ai Weiwei's Tree to London I find myself asking a question: can crowdfunding become addictive? Back in 2014 I made a new year's resolution that I would donate monthly to the arts. Most of the companies I greatly admire, including most of our largest institutes, are charities. If you've been following anyone who works ...
July 11, 2015
Soundscapes at the National Gallery: How do we hear art?
Is it possible to hear art; to look at a painting and hear the textures and tones? Not just technical sounds but emotive qualities; can a painting evoke music from our curious gaze? The National Gallery in a newly commissioned exhibition, Soundscapes, has given six composes, musicians and sound artists the opportunity to explore a piece from their extensive collection through music. The result is a dizzying and ...
March 14, 2015
Battersea Arts Centre: At the heart of our community
I can't stop thinking about Battersea Arts Centre and the recent fire. Watching those images unfold across social media and news sites on Friday is fixed in my mind and they won't shift no matter how much I try to get on with my weekend. BAC holds a special place in my heart and it is only through something as tragic as a fire destroying the Grand Hall that I have realised just how important the venue is to me. For the past ...
February 20, 2015
Education and Engagement: Strangling Young People and the Arts
The following keynote speech was delivered at the Royal Opera House Bridge's conference You Ask, We Listen at the Royal Opera House on 20 February 2015. The conference was based on the BrigeFest report which asks why young people do not engage with the arts. Ah, young people. Those mythical beings we hope, nay, we pray to get through our doors to engage with our work. Much like the Unicorn, the young people are a shy ...
January 27, 2015
Theatre is not a club, so why do we make it feel that way?
Attending Secret Theatre's Show 5, A Series of Increasingly Impossible Acts, at the Tricycle Theatre with my boyfriend Jack I got more than I bargained for than an entertaining night. I've seen all of Secret Theatre's shows to date, and caught A Series... when I was at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year. It's a piece of theatre that brings me great joy. Jack meanwhile doesn't work in theatre, he's a personal trainer ...
December 28, 2014
Top 10 Theatre Moments of 2014: An Idiosyncratic View
It's that time of year where everyone starts to publish their Top 10 lists, and let's face it, no one needs another 'these were my top 10 shows of 2014' list. Keen to add my voice to the hum of list making I've decided to go personal (when do I not?) and write about moments, experiences and those HELL YEAH I LOVE THEATRE thrills that I found myself in. So here it is, a mashup of things that made 2014 the most theatrical it ...
