November newsletter

Boss New Plays, bronze make up and books marinating

Hi everyone

I hope you’re all safe and well.

You may have read in my newsletter, Sea Invisible recently, that I have had a bit of poor health, firstly spending some time in hospital after a sudden illness and shortly after dislocating my shoulder leaving me unable to write for weeks.

Luckily I’m recovering quite well now, with the help of lots of physio, and recently finished writing the first draft of my new book, which is now locked up in a cupboard before I re-read it with fresh eyes in December to fix everything that’s wrong with it…

I won’t say much more about it at the moment, as it needs some time to marinate before getting shown to the world, but it will particularly appeal to those of you who enjoyed People Will Talk in The Forgotten and the Fantastical 5.

I’ll also have some more good news to share with you in the near future (top secret at the moment!), and am currently planning the performances Pique Niche Productions will be staging next year, so watch this space!

Tonight, I won’t be watching fireworks, as it is the second night of Lantern Writers’ Boss New Plays, which I’ll be seeing instead. Last night’s fantastic performances opened the three days of new writing at Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre and I’m really proud to be involved in tomorrow’s showcase as Director of the Iron Men by Joe Lewis. It’s lovely to be working with Joe again and I’ll also be doing the make up for the piece which is so much fun. There are very few tickets left, so grab yours now if you’d like to come.

Stay safe, check your bonfires for hedgehogs and be kind.

Sea Invisible

As mentioned above Sea Invisible, my new fortnightly newsletter exploring life with invisible disability, is now in full swing.

Sea Invisible will looking at the ups and downs of life with invisible disability and the impact it has on mental health. I’ll also talk about self-care and managing bad health days.

I’ll include anything interesting I read, watch or listen to about life with invisible disability.

This is something I have been thinking about for a long time, and for ages was too scared to go ahead with it. So I would absolutely love it if you can support my new venture and subscribe to receive the newsletter directly in your inbox every fortnight.

What I’m reading

Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man by Emmanuel Acho

Things that have caught my eye

6 Ways to Enjoy the Process - making dandelion honey This is a lovely, calming video about living mindfully and making the best out of everything, even when things go wrong.

Dracula - The Untold Story I saw this at Liverpool Playhouse and thought it was a great twist on the Dracula story. As someone who works in theatre and a fan of graphic novels, I particularly enjoyed the technical aspects of the piece which were spot on. This is on tour now and is well worth seeing if you have the chance.

The Chair I reviewed this new play for North West End and it was a good dramatic piece, which brings awareness to a dreadful event in Liverpool’s history. Highlighting corruption within the police force and morality within criminal society, the play has a feeling of dread pulsating throughout which culminates in a tragic and emotional conclusion.

How to Kill a Rose Another review for North West End UK, this exploration of domestic violence in the transgender community is terrifyingly realistic and heartrendingly hopeful, while raising awareness of a vital issue affecting far too many people.

Obscured View Geraldine Moloney Judge’s monologue about her love affair with football was presented as part of the Liverpool Irish Festival. This great piece of art looked at racism and sexism within football, while highlighting some wonderful football memories and remembering some tragic incidents that hit the sport and its fans.

The Bunker (Halloween Edition) For Halloween I reviewed this great story telling evening for North West End. It was such a fun evening and I got to meet Gav Cross, whose storytelling I’ve been following for a little while, so I was quite starstruck really!

The History of Halloween with Professor Ronald Hutton This was a really interesting lecture going over the ever changing traditions of Halloween and Samhain and how some elements of ancient celebrations still survive in our traditions today. I’m also looking forward to the forthcoming lecture on Village Witchcraft & Magic in December.

Listening out of Earshot - Charity CD for Whitechapel Centre A CD based on the words and meaning of my good friend, Ian D Hall, featuring original songs based on the poetry or words of Ian, a monologue by Leah Wallace and some performance pieces by Ian accompanied by guitarist John Chatterton.