11.06.20
As lockdown begins to ease, in the second of our blogs reflecting on recent experiences among artists, venue teams and others we work with, we’re looking to the future and asked if there is anything they’ve learned in this time that they’re going to take forward into life afterwards. Here’s what they said:
Apart from improved video conferencing skills, I think the main thing is just how much better London is when there are fewer cars on the road. Richard Muncaster, Interim Executive Director Stratford Circus Arts Centre
I have loved not having a plan for every weekend - to wake up and have lots of pottering and walking/running outdoors to look forward to is a dream and so I have resolved to make some better choices of how I spend my time in the future. Claire Smith, Rural Touring Dance Initiative
Although I might come over as a grumpy old timer, I really miss people. All this free time in some respects might be a time for reflection, but to feel whole I need to be collaborating, feeding off other people. I’ve also become more convinced than ever that our social and political lives are in our hands as communities, (we can’t rely on ‘the power’) and that the way people have self organised and been ready to help others during this period is a reminder of this. Chris O’Connell, Artistic Director, Theatre Absolute
Running can be quite nice! The last time I ran was in year 10 for PE, so this was a struggle for me, but actually I’ve started to look forward them. They break my days up nicely, and I use this time to catch up on podcasts. Eda Nacar, Marketing Manager, Stratford Circus Arts Centre
A big thing I’ve learned is that we as a society need to do much more for each other. We need good central systems in place for supporting vulnerable people - the rush to put everything online still leaves many people without any engagement at all. Not being able to afford data in order to connect to others is something that needs to be urgently rectified and a plan put in place so isolation and loneliness is reduced further, crisis or no crisis (though not everything should go online either!). Julia Negus, Producer, Theatre Absolute
I think it's given me an opportunity to re-evaluate what's important, and gain a bit of perspective. I'm going to try not to take my friends and family so much for granted. And I'm going to try not to let the fear of failure stop me from taking risks. Colette Auer, Creative Learning and Programme Manager Stratford Circus Arts Centre
Thanks to our home-broadcasting Radio Local project, we've uber-upskilled our sound desk game, and we're well on our way to being the superstar DJs we always knew we could be. Hunt and Darton (Hunt and Darton are currently performing their show Radio Local in a new digital format. Find out more here
The day is best divided into themes.
Kris Nelson, Artistic Director, LIFT
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