CurvingRoad, the arts charity I founded several years ago with my friend, Sonja Rein, is in a very exciting mode which I can finally discuss! Some may remember how our efforts brought us into the West End in 2008 with our production of Leo Richardson‘s play, Sh*tM*x. Building on that production, Leo’s career has gone from strength to strength, with a series based on the play commissioned by big-time tv, another pilot being discussed, another play being readied for the stage. Certainly, our job has been successfully done with our dear Leo. And now, we’re doing it again.
In 2009, we publicized a Call for Submissions for plays written by playwrights over the age of 40 whom have never been professionally produced. We received nearly 100 plays from all over the English speaking world and spent months reading and discussing. We finally made our decision which I announced here, namely that we would be producing two new one-act plays: J.D. Smith‘s “Dig” and Michael Hart’s “No More, Salvator.” (Discerning readers may realize that Michael’s play has had a name change).
Over the past few months we have been working on the plays with our playwrights, holding readings with our director, Ellie Joseph, and various actors to see what works and what doesn’t. More and more, this is how plays are readied. It is such a collaborative exercise and the writer is just one part of the creative process. But we can now announce the details of the run:
The Next Curve: Two One-Act Plays
The Old Red Lion Theatre, Islington, London
Tuesday June 8th until Saturday June 25th, 2010
We are putting together our Creative Team, continuing our work with our writers, preparing for auditions. And we are fundraising. On March 4th we will be holding an event for supporters from 6.30-8.30 pm at 1901 Arts Club near Waterloo in London. There will be food, drink, entertainment and surprises. Tickets are £100 per person. We’d love to have anyone of you join us if you’d like. And for those who can’t join us then but would like to support the efforts of CurvingRoad to help find and launch the careers of new artists, we have set up a Pay Pal function on our website.
It is always difficult to fundraise, especially in the arts. But bold ventures require bold efforts. Any support, in either sterling or US dollars, from 10 to 10,000 is important and will help insure that we will be able to take this “next curve” and help other writers and artists to navigate the curves after that. If you’d like to help, you can go here for Pay Pal or you can leave me a comment after this post about writing a cheque. Thanks!! And stay tuned for more details about how we take a play from the page to the stage…..
Groovy.
This is really starting to happen, isn’t it?
So exciting, it’s in my diary!
I think this very exciting. A little different from looking out of my window at a field full of sheep. But what different lives we lead. It is beyond my realms of imagination to pay £100 per ticket for an arts charity event. Will Bob Dylan be along? How our lives contrast. (Just got the thesaurus out I was using different too many times.)
Seriously though, have fun and obviously you are going to let us know here how it went.
On a different note, your is one blog I come back to every few days as I really enjoy reading it. I used the word different again, aah…
You’re doing such great stuff with this, Sue! Kudos!
J.D.: Hold on to your hat. Here we go!
Tania: I’m so glad you’re back in the UK now and can come see this!
Glyn: If Dylan was coming we’d charge 10xs as much 🙂 I do hate having to do all this fundraising, unfortunately this is the only way the arts – and especially theatre — can get done in our society. And even with the fundraising, I know the play will cost more than we can afford. It’s always that way. And if we paid out actors a decent wage instead of a pittance, we wouldn’t be able to do it at all. But luckily there are people out there who can afford this and more, and I’m pleased to be able to remind them that supporting the arts is worth doing.
Nicky: Thanks so much!!
Yeh, I wondered if my comments would be taken as a criticism. That wasn’t what I intended. If as much money was spent on the Arts as is wasted on the Armed Forces…I rest my case.