The Blog
Edinburgh author discovers Hamlet’s Book
What is the book Hamlet reads? You know the one? In Act II, Sc 2, he comes onstage quietly reading. Is it a bible, a book of poetry, an instruction manual for his iPhone? What is it? It’s a...
Thou Art Alive: What’s My Through Line?
It was my first experience of playing Shakespeare using parts and cues. As I got up to read I asked ‘what’s my character’s through line?’ It was a gift to the workshop leader. ‘Aha! ‘ said he....
Thou Art Alive: Not Liking Shakespeare
Andrew didn’t like Shakespeare. “Well,” he said, “when I say I don’t like Shakespeare, I don’t mean I don’t like Shakespeare, I mean I wish I did like Shakespeare. I just can’t get on with him....
Drowning in Metaphor
The river water was clear, clean and deep, the weather hot. Aberdeenshire was a gentle place that summer, the countryside of Monymusk, lush and green. I was staying with friends, of friends. They...
You are a Force of Nature!
You wouldn’t argue with a force of nature, would you? You couldn’t argue an avalanche into a change of course or cajole a bolt of lightning not to strike. You couldn’t, by argument, stop the...
Just Home from Singing a Sad Song and Getting a Laugh
The red nose helped. The ancient and august cathedral helped. Acoustics sublime. The Steinway helped. The genius playing the Steinway helped — that’s you, Will. (Pickvance to any as yet...
I Screech to a Halt at Lairg
I screech to a halt at Lairg because I’ve been starting to think about lunch or at the very least a tea break on my journey from Lochinver to Thurso and this new-build, glass and wood, loch-side...
Intentional Success
Kate – not her real name – was a fully qualified Primary School teacher. She loved the work. She was confident in the classroom but now, after having taken a break to have children, the time had...
Thoughts in the Shower
I’m talking about when ‘it’ all seems so suddenly clear. Like in the shower. Why? Is it because when we turn on the water we’re earthed, zap, straight to the core, and with the flow of water...
Talking the Taboo
What we say. It goes well with those shoes. What we want to say but don’t. Are you going out in that? What we say. You’ll be fine. What we want to say but don’t. You know how you’re dying? What...
