134 stories by "Chris Grady"
Inspired by the universe, the ether, the zeitgeist, or a re-awakening of the earlier me, my "outlook" is changing and I am exploring new locations and new neighbours. It's a queer world, and…
Today's blog is brought to you in association with my autumn diary " I suppose it should be subtitle Lett's Do It. (For those of a younger disposition, Letts make the old paper things I stil…
Today is my final day at the Festival this year and I have had the chance to see the sell-out Greater Belfast at the Traverse " a poetic storytelling music gig which reminded me of Stu and h…
The challenge for anyone writing a show for young children is to find a way to give some additional depth or delight for the accompanying adults " be they parents, teachers or grannies. Chri…
Matt, the Monkey Poet, is a massive energy across the international spoken word touring scene, and this year he has programmed 80 shows within the Free Fringe. He has decided to use his Tues…
I had a lovely morning exploring how The Space operates, and exploring the ways forward for an emerging music producer. I keep being delighted to understand the welcoming way in which the or…
Saturday was my first full day at the 2016 Edinburgh Festival Fringe " the largest networking, drinking and arts event in the world. I began with my first set of Surgeries " a chance to meet…
I have just spent three days in and around the Jungle in Calais, and there are two preceding blogs circulating which look at the work of the Refugee Community Kitchen and Jungle Books. These…
Many hundreds of volunteers go to work in Calais, filling the hostels and Airbnb, giving the bus drivers a good full load on historically very quiet routes, and finding their ways around the…
For the last few days I have been in France peeling and chopping, mixing and moving, driving and carrying vegetables. I have been one of the 150+ volunteers working in and around a warehouse…
Last weekend I had the honour to facilitate a conference which grew from the broad theme of Clothing Optional Theatre under a working question of "How do we choose to reveal our bodies throu…
This week my daughter and her partner started six months volunteering in Calais to offer their skills in the kitchen, the warehouse, and the community of refugees. This gives me hope of the …
This week I joined a discussion with Andy Barnes of Perfect Pitch exploring his 10-year journey in the development of new writing of Musical Theatre. He has been knee-deep in the opening of …
I've been reading a lot recently about the challenges young people face with the crazy education system we have developed in this, and most other Western countries. I am inspired by the writ…
I work in a business where I network a lot, end up standing on stage making announcements, and (as I type this) preparing to lead a workshop for two hours with a group of Newcastle-based cre…
When asked what is my favourite moment in the journey from page to stage, I usually say the moment when the house lights go down on the very first performance and there is a silent buzz of e…
I started out as a tea boy at London's Strand Theatre; Cameron Mackintosh began his career as an acting stage manager sweeping
But for me the play does that extra thing " it takes a very specific subject, and elevates it to have universal themes and journeys which will touch the minds and hearts of a very wide audie…
One thing which came through my discussion with the academic Tom Schuller, and various surgeries I was conducting yesterday, was the need for us all to find the best way to be taken seriousl…
I have had three reminders this week of the need for everyone on their journey in this business to remember the oft quoted phrase “be careful on the way up…” Just in case a…
I was doing a session with some Musical Theatre writers last week and they asked me, after a couple of pints, to come up with the perfect showcase for their talents. I've spent 30 years tryi…
Two days ago Charli Whatley and Jason Bradbury launched their opportunity for friends, and film lovers to join them to help make the pilot episode of the web film neo-noir series DIRTY LAUND…
What do the Addams Family, Toyland murders, verbatim theatre on child pornography, fast turnaround arts journalism, and a three-hour course of creative producing have in common? The answer i…
There can be few cultural places with more of a sense of anticipation than Hull, with 2017 just around the corner. The slogan "we know who we are" is on the station, the banners are flying a…
The two highlights of my week both involved architectural gems. One 4,000 years since construction and the other building just 11 years old " a few miles apart, an hour from Glasgow by air, …
