General Guidance
Featured Poem
At first sight this month’s poem, General Guidance, may look strange; this is not surprising; it is verse theatre performance. When I took my first step on the journey to owning and learning to work with a guide dog a friend suggested I keep a record of the process. I did this as a set of poems; some of the poems are more traditional in form, some are in a more ‘manic’ form, as represented here.
Later it was suggested the set of poems would make a theatre performance piece.
This month’s poem is an extract from the verse theatre work I am developing in a research workshop in August. I shall be working with four actors (two vision impaired and two sighted) with a group of other theatre specialists.
The fact this is verse is interesting in drama terms. It enables me to explore the power of language in a more flexible way than drama might usually allow. I am freer to examine the power of dynamics, repetition, rhythm, and how these carry meaning. On the other hand, how do actors manage this in acting terms? How do we perform the Chimp, or Dixon? How do we make a ‘traditional’ poem theatrical? Will an audience know, or feel, the work is verse drama?
As I write this, I do not know the answers. But, in three days in August I trust we can begin to come up with them; that we will find a way forward towards the complete Dynamic theatre performance, General Guidance.?
Reading
I have almost completed reading Wild Rover by Mike parker. Parker describes his years of walking many of the public rights of ways in the UK. I am not a walker, yet Parker’s style is so engaging; his unfolding of history so informed; his wry wit, bursts of anger, bright memories so full of joy that the book is a total delight. Shall be reading On Red Hill next.,
Writing
Much of my time has been spent editing General Guidance and preparing material for the R&D workshop in August. I have also been working closely with composer colleague, Tom, putting the final touches to the songs of One for Sorrow, Two for Joy; we are presenting the songs in September. I am working towards completing a short set of poems, In Living memories; these centre around the sudden passing of my long-time partner in April. The poems may mean something to me and those who know me, but do they have meaning beyond? Time alone will tell.