March finds us deep into the activities surrounding our next production, The Next Curve: Two One-Act Plays. We held our kick-off event in London on March 4 where many of our closest supporters and artists came together to reminisce about past glories and prepare for our next adventure. Our new playwrights, the American J.D. Smith and Michael Hart from Scotland, sent their regards via letters which were read out to the crowd by our own Leo Richardson, writer and star of our West End World Premiere production of Sh*t M*x. We thought you would want to see what our playwrights had to say:
Hello everybody,
I have to start by saying that I’m genuinely sorry I can’t be with you tonight. Isn’t that the usual excuse American actors give when they don’t turn up for the Baftas?
I’m also sorry to Leo. He has to read out my jokes and take the flak when they die horribly, and the tumbleweed rolls over the canapés. Adlib, Leo, I would.
This has been quite a surreal experience for me so far. Even my words being read aloud while I try and wrap a nappy round my son’s three-year-old backside 400 miles away is the odd side of odd. But, by Christ, it’s exciting. To think that I wrote a play last year and now it’s about to be staged in London. That’s bloody amazing! (I wanted to use a naughtier word than ‘bloody’ but chickened out at the last minute.) It’s also given me the confidence and the self-belief to keep writing and keep that momentum going.
A big thank you to Sue and Sonja at CurvingRoad for having the good sense to pick my script. To Ellie for taking the baton from here on in. And to all of you for supporting this production. I hope it lives up to everyone’s expectations.
Many, many thanks and have a great evening. And I will see you soon.
Michael Hart, author of “No More, Salvator”
And from J.D. Smith, author of “Dig”:
I want to begin by saying that I truly and deeply regret not being able to join you this evening. My reasons are in part purely selfish. As this event is taking place, I am at my day job in Washington, DC, editing texts of uncertain quality and interest. I also trust that your food, drink and entertainment will be far superior to anything that I experience in the course of a day’s work.
More importantly, I regret not being able to thank you in person for your support. Altruism, especially in the form of generosity to a stranger, represents one of the happier mysteries of existence, and those who are beneficiaries of such generosity can virtually never expect or demand it, let alone feel entitled to it. This is particularly true in the arts, where so many individuals, projects and programs ask for support. I am therefore amazed as well as grateful that you are willing to offer your support and join us in this adventure, with all its risks as well as its rewards.
Working with the directors and affiliates of CurvingRoad, I hope to honor your gifts of time and resources by doing everything in my power to ensure that the development of my play “Dig” culminates in a high-quality production that will contribute to a memorable evening of theater. I should also note that my experience with CurvingRoad has given me the confidence to revisit other projects that I have left aside for far too long.
At this point I do not wish to take much more of your time. You have already been generous in a variety of ways. I hope you are having a lovely time, and with luck I will meet some of you in June at the Old Red Lion.
Again, thank you.
We were also able to break the news that Leo has now written and filmed a pilot for a 6-part version of Sh*t M*x called Stanley Park which will soon be aired on BBC 3. Needless to say, we are incredibly proud of Leo and terribly pleased that CurvingRoad was able to give him his start.
But now we are focused on The Next Curve. The contract with the theatre is signed. Our director, Ellie Joseph, is already working closely with the playwrights. Meetings are being arranged with our set designer and lighting designer and auditions will soon be held. Please put the performance dates into your diaries now.
The Next Curve: Two One-Act Plays
The Old Red Lion Theatre
418 St. John Street
London EC1
8 June – 27 June 2010
We do hope you can join us.
As always this will cost money, and if you think you can give us a hand financially we would very much appreciate it. Any amount is dearly needed. We’ve just added a Pay Pal button on our website to make it even easier. Or if you would like to send a cheque then please contact us via email.