As we draw to the end of February, I have much to report regarding the film of NAMING THE VIEW. The good news is that we are on track for the scheduled screenings next month (hooray!) but it’s been a massive learning curve so far.
When I started this whole project back in the second lockdown (November 2020), it seemed like it would be a relatively simple thing to do. A play with a theme of coercive control would attract funding surely, especially if we could involve Television Production students and make it accessible to all communities into the bargain. Not so! Arts Council applications are renowned for being complicated and now I know why! The first attempt failed but I was so sure that this was a project with legs, that I was determined not to give up. I sought more guidance, did more research, drummed up more support and in July 2021 I succeeded! I managed to obtain a full Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant on the second attempt and was over the moon! Surely now it would all be plain sailing!
So far, at least 25 people have been involved in the production in a hands on manner, one way or another. Considering that when we perform the show live, it is normally just Richard and myself, you can see why this whole experience has been so challenging! Within the 25+ personnel there are camera operators, boom operators, sound engineers, a vision mixer, a dubbing mixer, a floor manager, a script editor, a data wrangler (a what?), an editor, Signers, interpreters, an audio-describer, a caterer, a director and, last but not least, a couple of actors. Being able to give people paid work, invaluable hands-on experience and another credit on the CV does give me a fuzzy feeling inside though, especially after the last couple of Covid years.
When the 5 event screenings are over, we will make the film available to all domestic abuse charities and services free of charge upon request. The play itself reflects on the subtleties of coercive control, and its long-term effects plus offering some hope that things can change.
“Naming the View is a simple two-hander with a rather multifaceted premise. This keenly observed piece offers emotive and affecting insight into how people can become trapped in abusive relationships. It’s about surviving and moving beyond that abuse. Naming the View is riven with humour and hope.”
Stage Talk Magazine ★★★★
Event Screenings
There are 5 opportunities over the next 6 weeks to watch this Studio Drama. The World Premiere screening of NAMING THE VIEW is at The Pound Arts Centre, Corsham at 7.30pm on Thursday 10 March. At 7.30pm on the following 4 Thursday evenings you can catch the film (which lasts just over an hour) online from the comfort of your own sofa! The hosts for these screenings are as follows:
RNID (signed) – 17 March; Tortive Theatre – 24 March; intoBodmin – 31 March; Tortive Theatre – 7 April. Please contact jules@findingthewill.com to find out more details.
In other news….
So, as the editing and captioning process in Falmouth continued, February saw me back in school. Specifically Whitehall Primary School in Bristol. I spent the day with Year 3 working on The Tempest. In the morning we were sailing from Africa back to Italy aboard The Good Ship Dawn Treader. In the afternoon we were all aboard The Good Ship Rose. Inevitably both ships were wrecked in the tempest (or were they? No spoiler alerts here!) and we all finished up on a desert island awash with magic and mayhem! This February visit to the island was the first of many to come. In March, we will be returning to Prospero’s island via London, Chelmsford and Peterborough. We’ll be stopping off in the magical wood outside Athens via North Tyneside and Bicester on the way.
As we say goodbye to February then, there is a lot riding on March! Please do join us for one of the screenings of NAMING THE VIEW if you possibly can and, in the meantime, stay safe. As we say in a play I know very well….
“The flag still flies and the city has not fallen.”
We stand in support of the people of Ukraine.
