Coming In To Light - Making It All Real

What I write below, makes me happy, very proud and relieved - to actually be making good progress,s its all becoming very real the vision - despite a lot tense moments ... (no time for blogging just go go go !) over the last number of weeks . The whole 2012 branding logo matter is finally resolved, with a partner coming to our aid and our creative design branding person saving the day ! But it highlighted a number of key issues around legal status, for a solo entrepreneurial artist like my self . I cannot emphasize enough the importance of professional bodies e.g. Equity the Society of Authors etc to support artists in this project work . Providing umbrellas and good advice etc for a small fee in consideration of the actual benefits. Professionalism and membership is critical to ones standing in the field also.

We remain in a fundraising mode - for finance for the musical components of the project and in time for touring !! However we begin the planning and preparation for some big moments - the specialist equipment , purchasing. building the prop, lighting design, and then testing, further script development staging and devising and creative design images etc. leading up to a brief sharing work/ in progress early in the new year. I am working with a new staging/ deviser with a truly impressive track record and similar tastes and interest in theatre. GREAT I am very excited about all that. so we move closer to standing everything up on its feet, to see and learn what works and what may not ...2012 the new year is filled with anticipation, excitement and a feeing of getting to our destination !!

So I say to the world shine a light , Dare to Diva are in residence at Phoenix Arts Digital Media Centre Leicester, busy , developing their new innovative multi- disciplinary arts project 'The Loneliness of the Long Distance Diva - A Choreopoem' written and performed by Carol Leeming. The production is set to debut at Curve Theare June 2012 as part of the Cultural Olympiad.

This highly talented collaborative creative team includes , choreographer Louise Katerega filmaker Sally Hossack , digital Designer, Sean Clark staging/deviser Kim Jackson, lighitng designer Andy Elston, and Mina Gadhia Costume Maker. Earlier in the project Sarah Dickenson was Dramaturg as part of the Apples & Snakes Evolve program. Project partners include Apples & Snakes, Phoenix Digital Media Centre, Curve Theatre, Peepul Centre. With support from Igniting Ambition and Arts Council Engand.

Catch 22 Hobson's Choice -to Achieve Beauty Not What You Expect

Great so you have an important meeting about the project that is to create beauty , with a gate keeper and begin chatting like a mynah bird, not not realising that the person you are talking to - is not with you . Why because the document you thought you had sent to them - you actually did not - because you had spent so much time sending various documents (by email of course) to so many people - it was clearly an oversight . Hilarious really ! However further discussions took place that were constructive . An even more satisfactory meeting took place for the first time between the staging deviser ace and the digital designer ace on the team . A meeting of great minds - powerful , wonderful to see. To the point. (previous drawings of stage design were poured over ) whereby we all have seen the centre piece, in terms of our core creative digital stage prop. A thing so great and wonderous , as to inspire real awe as far as I am concerned. With its abilities to work real magic ! No the knot in the pit of my stomach, all revolves around key decisions (time is pressing now ), as to where to go for money and exactly how much - e.g. request less (to get a quick positive decison hopefully and get more needed later ?) or more (with a longer turn around- take the risk to ask for exactly what you need with maybe a negative decision ?) It is all rather like gambling (I do not gamble except in my arts of course ) really only much worse. All the funding options look feasible till on further examination,there is some big decisions (the criteria and the steer being given to by funders for you to follow) then makes it all look far less attractive, in terms of what the actually project needs- Catch 22, six of one half a dozen of the other . One good thing recently amongst all this funding angst, is I have come up with more important details about one of the characters for the piece. In addition I have written a type of treatment to progress matters technically. I am very happy (I so enjoy my writing ) about this, as there was some things missing... Also it looks we have have film video etc.production facilities/resources to use over the summer . As of today it looks like we have recruited a recommended film maker /photographer to work with us . A meeting with the local univerisity is planned to discuss more formalised partnership arrangements. With a view to knowledge transfer, innovative artists in the community and access to their resources. the Project Advisory board have their information, to set up more formally for a meeting . So we keep moving foward ....