Oh Jo. I'm not surprised to hear writing has...paused. It won't have ended. You know. You know,
But Olly and the immediacy of his early loss' visceral link to thoughts of Susie - and then that utterly beautiful substack you just wrote about Susie - will all have exhausted you and wrung you dry. We are still in winter and its so isolating. Sunshine and warmth yet to come. So I raise a glsss to life and to your words and you.
Jo, things are NOT going to change for the better. We are in a phase of inexorable decline, especially in politics which is where decisions to change or muddle on are made, or not made. These are dark days in what is now a failed state Creative people with a vision, like you, will have to adapt to that reality and see what light they see and what improvements they can make in life, their life and that of others. You must return to making theatre.
Thank you, dear Joe. Deeply moved by your obvious concern. Just to let you know that I fundamentally agree, though I think we're in a failing state rather than a failed one (an amazing number of things still work....)
In particular the structures we use to fund theatre and make theatre don't work any more; and the failure of the major Scotish theatre companies to acknowledge and act on this means their days are numbered.
I actually saw this coming way back in 1989 when the Berlin wall came down.
Which is why I wrote at the head of my website:
Teatro do Mundo
Theatre of the world because:
theatre needs to be written for the world and about the world.
The problems that confront us are global: an artistic response based on the dilemmas of a single individual, or a single individual within a single nation, is no longer adequate.
all traditional values are no longer adequate to handle the dilemmas that confront us.
our political ideas and institutions are no longer adequate.
our economic values and institutions are no longer adequate.
our scientific values and institutions are no longer adequate.
our ideas of gender, of what it means to be male or female, are no longer adequate.
our artistic ideas are no longer adequate.
We have to create new values, new institutions, new economic and political structures. Or we will destroy ourselves.
It is the responsability of the artist to help dream, envision, create these new values and these new structures.
"Light In The Village" was intended to be the first in a sequence of 5 plays looking at this to be ready to be performed at the beginning of the new millenium....
Scottish thheatre did not see this at all; and soon afterwards I was dropped by the Traverse and unable to write new work for theatre in Scotland until "EveryOne" in 2010. I kept going with translations and adaptations of all kinds ("Life Is A Dream" etc) and self funded my own work ("God's New Frock" and "The Gospel According to Jesus Queen Of Heaven".)
This is largely where I am again now - there's not much use in trying to create work for the traverse or the Lyceum until they start functioning properly, if they ever do; and the NTS have made it very clear they are just not interested in me.
I'm looking for ways to tour "The Covid Requiem" and my as yet unperformed piece "Sister Death" will find itself a home in the next year or to.
Meantime I found a new way to perform "The Gospel..." in Iona Abbey last year and will be performing in churches in 5 cities in 2 states of the US this coming June. And again in N Ireland in the autumn.
None of this can be announced yet, but it is all happening.
So fret not, dear Joe. I am having to work in non-theatrical spaces, but I ammaking theatre in them.
Thanks again for your concern. Lots of love, Jo xxx
Dear Jo, thank you for sharing these words. From where you are today. So very human and humanizing. Shame, sadness, death, futility...oh it visits us all. It visits me regualrly. It visits throughout a life that is also filled with joy and blessings. To hear you share yours today makes mine feel less overwhelming.
Lovely poem, but please Jo, learn to love yourself and to believe in yourself. You are a highly talented person, and I look forward to you surprising us all with a spurt of late production. We can talk abut late Ibsen, late Chekhov, late Aeschylus, and these are works noted for a new depth and a new vision of life. That should be your aim. Don't forget the past and the people in it, but live and write NOW. You owe it to all your friends and admirers, who are legion.
Thank you dear Joe. You're right: there is a lot more work inside me; the trouble is that withou a functioning theatre industry it has to find other forms... let's hope things change for the bettr xxxx
Oh Jo. I'm not surprised to hear writing has...paused. It won't have ended. You know. You know,
But Olly and the immediacy of his early loss' visceral link to thoughts of Susie - and then that utterly beautiful substack you just wrote about Susie - will all have exhausted you and wrung you dry. We are still in winter and its so isolating. Sunshine and warmth yet to come. So I raise a glsss to life and to your words and you.
Thank you dear Katherine. Words are coming back. As they must...lots of love xxx
Jo, things are NOT going to change for the better. We are in a phase of inexorable decline, especially in politics which is where decisions to change or muddle on are made, or not made. These are dark days in what is now a failed state Creative people with a vision, like you, will have to adapt to that reality and see what light they see and what improvements they can make in life, their life and that of others. You must return to making theatre.
Thank you, dear Joe. Deeply moved by your obvious concern. Just to let you know that I fundamentally agree, though I think we're in a failing state rather than a failed one (an amazing number of things still work....)
In particular the structures we use to fund theatre and make theatre don't work any more; and the failure of the major Scotish theatre companies to acknowledge and act on this means their days are numbered.
I actually saw this coming way back in 1989 when the Berlin wall came down.
Which is why I wrote at the head of my website:
Teatro do Mundo
Theatre of the world because:
theatre needs to be written for the world and about the world.
The problems that confront us are global: an artistic response based on the dilemmas of a single individual, or a single individual within a single nation, is no longer adequate.
all traditional values are no longer adequate to handle the dilemmas that confront us.
our political ideas and institutions are no longer adequate.
our economic values and institutions are no longer adequate.
our scientific values and institutions are no longer adequate.
our ideas of gender, of what it means to be male or female, are no longer adequate.
our artistic ideas are no longer adequate.
We have to create new values, new institutions, new economic and political structures. Or we will destroy ourselves.
It is the responsability of the artist to help dream, envision, create these new values and these new structures.
This is the focus of my life and work.
https://teatrodomundo.com/about-teatro.shtml
"Light In The Village" was intended to be the first in a sequence of 5 plays looking at this to be ready to be performed at the beginning of the new millenium....
Scottish thheatre did not see this at all; and soon afterwards I was dropped by the Traverse and unable to write new work for theatre in Scotland until "EveryOne" in 2010. I kept going with translations and adaptations of all kinds ("Life Is A Dream" etc) and self funded my own work ("God's New Frock" and "The Gospel According to Jesus Queen Of Heaven".)
This is largely where I am again now - there's not much use in trying to create work for the traverse or the Lyceum until they start functioning properly, if they ever do; and the NTS have made it very clear they are just not interested in me.
I'm looking for ways to tour "The Covid Requiem" and my as yet unperformed piece "Sister Death" will find itself a home in the next year or to.
Meantime I found a new way to perform "The Gospel..." in Iona Abbey last year and will be performing in churches in 5 cities in 2 states of the US this coming June. And again in N Ireland in the autumn.
None of this can be announced yet, but it is all happening.
So fret not, dear Joe. I am having to work in non-theatrical spaces, but I ammaking theatre in them.
Thanks again for your concern. Lots of love, Jo xxx
Dear Jo, thank you for sharing these words. From where you are today. So very human and humanizing. Shame, sadness, death, futility...oh it visits us all. It visits me regualrly. It visits throughout a life that is also filled with joy and blessings. To hear you share yours today makes mine feel less overwhelming.
Thank you dear Rebecca. I'm so glad my words helped a little. All my love xxx
Lovely poem, but please Jo, learn to love yourself and to believe in yourself. You are a highly talented person, and I look forward to you surprising us all with a spurt of late production. We can talk abut late Ibsen, late Chekhov, late Aeschylus, and these are works noted for a new depth and a new vision of life. That should be your aim. Don't forget the past and the people in it, but live and write NOW. You owe it to all your friends and admirers, who are legion.
Thank you dear Joe. You're right: there is a lot more work inside me; the trouble is that withou a functioning theatre industry it has to find other forms... let's hope things change for the bettr xxxx
"As ginger as a gingernut biscuit" will live with me long. As will "She met Jsnis Jolin in the queue for the loo." x
Janis Joplin. x
We both loved Janis. It was a real bond between us...xxx