Brighter Futures Radiotherapy Appeal
FINDING THE WILL is delighted to be performing ‘Bard Heads’ on behalf of the Brighter Futures Radiotherapy Appeal later this month. I won’t lie to you, this is an unashamed plug but please bear with me and read on whilst I tell you about our involvement.
Flyer for Bard Heads and Brighter Futures
The first half of 2017 was a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me (thank goodness for the wonderful primary schools across the country who unknowingly provided some semblance of normality!). On Boxing Day 2016 my Dad collapsed and tests revealed he was suffering from colon cancer. Actually, if you’re going to fall victim to this wretched disease, colon cancer is not such a bad one to get, and certainly the bit of the large colon where Dad’s tumour was located, was very easily accessible. So, thankfully, he quickly found himself on the ‘cancer train’ to surgery at Great Western Hospital, Swindon. Less than two months after his diagnosis, he had surgery and all was going well until complications set in with aspiration pneumonia (trust me, no one would aspire to have this sort of pneumonia!). Anyway after several scares, a month in hospital and some wonderful care from dedicated staff, I’m thrilled to say that Dad is now cancer-free. Phew! To say thank you for his treatment, not to mention his life, my Dad and my Mum (a veteran breast cancer survivor herself) decided to ‘give something back’ and came up with the idea of staging a professional theatre show for the hospital charity: The Brighter Futures Radiotherapy Appeal. Cue FINDING THE WILL and ‘Bard Heads’.
“Astrology – you can just skim the surface and read into whatever you want to hear”
‘The Third Witch From The Left’ follows the time travelling journey of one of the lesser known Weird Sisters who met Macbeth. Born in Avebury, Meg the witch is haunted by a night she can never forget. Now a successful cookery writer and astrologer, she undertakes a time-travelling journey to find answers for what happened on that blasted Scottish heath.
“You were responsible for the murder of the whole Royal Danish b***dy Family!”
‘Call Me Oz’ sees constipated Osric speaking out about Hamlet and the Elsinore massacre. He has not spoken about it for over 45 years, but after a devastating session with his therapist, he is compelled to reveal all in a series of exclusive media interviews. All is revealed in a way you may not expect……
BARD HEADS is an electrifying piece of theatre creating a direct connection between the actor and the audience. As well as giving Shakespeare’s characters a new lease of life, it will make you laugh, cry and wonder…..
“Brilliantly written and beautifully acted”
“Very clever and I really enjoyed it – a hit, a very palpable hit.”
★★★★☆ Stage Talk Magazine Michael Hasted
“You don’t need to be up to speed with your Shakespeare to thoroughly enjoy a couple of bravura performances.” Rural Arts Touring
“If these pieces don’t become BBC Radio 4 afternoon plays there is something wrong with the world.” The Gloucester Citizen
So now it’s the hard sell – well you knew it was coming didn’t you?! Actually no, this is not about tugging at your heart strings and begging you to reach into your pockets, it’s merely about telling you what we are up to. In the past we’ve raised money for Macmillan Cancer Support and so it seems fitting to be fundraising for the Brighter Futures Radiotherapy Appeal, a charity even closer to home in all senses. FINDING THE WILL is proud to be associated with Brighter Futures and we hope that the evening will be a wild success. Our target is to raise a minimum of £1000 – I’ll keep you posted!
The day after the Charity Performance we are back on the road to Yorkshire for our fifth annual visit to Montagu Academy, Mexborough. Year 6 will be performing ‘The Tempest’ this year and we can’t wait to see all our old friends up there again – more on this in the next blog. Meanwhile, if you are within striking distance of Ramsbury, Wiltshire (where I was born) and at a loose end on the night of 23 September – here’s all you need to know.
FINDING THE WILL presents BARD HEADS at The Memorial Hall, High Street, Ramsbury, Wiltshire SN8 2PB on 23 September at 7.30pm.
Tickets: £15 available from The Post Office, Ramsbury or online at www.billetto.co.uk Bard Heads
You can find out more about the Brighter Futures Radiotherapy Appeal and donate at:
The Good Exchange Dave and Sheila Hobbs where your kind donation will be matched.
Thank you for reading from Mum and Dad!
