Life Goes On

This past Saturday was a trip to Edinburgh for a day of theatre. I went with a few of the folks from the new class of MA CCTs. At the Lyceum we saw the matinee performance of ‘Confessions of a Justified Sinner’ based on the story by James Hogg, adapted and directed by Mark Thomson. My class met Mark Thomson during our slew of sessions with professionals back in July, so it was good to see his work. In the evening we went around the corner to the Traverse Theatre and saw ‘The Dark Things’ by Ursula Rani Sarma. All of us found ‘The Dark Things’ to be very effective. It was an emotionally charged piece about survivor guilt. Both shows were heavy dramas but the mood was balanced by the delightful company of the day. Thanks guys!

Tomorrow I head down to London for a long weekend with friends. I am so excited! I love, love, love London! My good friend Hayley Anne has invited me for a visit and a Halloween party. It is sure to be a good time! I’ll let you know how it goes next week.

I recently received photos from our productions this past year. These are all professional photographs most of them taken by the RSAMD’s resident photographer Ken Dundas. Enjoy! -m



The Globe (London)-The RSAMD MA CCT class of 2009 gathers on stage for discussion with director Trevor Rawlins.


The Globe- The Winter’s Tale- A very pregnant Hermione and friend, Polixenes engage in innocent conversation.


The Globe- The Winter’s Tale – Hermione and Polixenes continue their discussion whilst jealous King Leontes looks on.


King Lear- Kent and Oswald come to blows.

Julius Caesar- Caesar takes the hand of his wife, Calpurnia at the Feast of Lupercal.

Julius Caesar- Calpurnia warns her husband to stay away from the Capitol.

Julius Caesar- Caesar relents to Calpurnia’s pleas.

Julius Caesar- Caesar and Calpurnia are interrupted by news of the Senators.

Julius Caesar- Calpurnia needs a drink.

Julius Caesar- A Messenger delivers a message to the Senate from Mark Antony.

Julius Caesar- Cinna the Poet tries to explain to the angry mob that she is not Cinna the Conspirator who helped kill Caesar.

Julius Caesar- Cinna the Poet faces an inevitable demise.

Julius Caesar- Messala comforts a distraught Titinius over the dead body of Cassius.

Julius Caesar- Titinius, inconsolable, kills herself.

Julius Caesar- A Reporter takes note of Rome’s new ruler, Octavius.

David Harrower’s Ashes Blood- Mother eats her lunch and meddles in her Son’s affairs.

David Harrower’s Ashes Blood- Mother endures while Father talks at her.

Please Report to the Alpha Deck for Orientation on Your Future

Oh my, Wednesday and I’m just now getting to the blog! Well, trust me when I say you haven’t missed anything. It’s odd being in this situation with nothing really going on. After a year of non-stop activity and expectations it feels very strange to have nothing pending. Oh, we need to find a job and write plays and workout and all that good stuff but it is very different from adhering to a schedule and requirements created by others. I feel like I was on a fast moving cruise ship with tons of activities arranged by a cruise director and now I’m just kind of floating in a dinghy by myself watching the ocean roll by.

The last few weeks have been very self reflective. I have been contemplating my life choices and assessing the options for action. It has been a very introspective time with a mixture of emotions; some positive, some negative. I can’t say I’ve come to any firm conclusions about any of it. There is a fog surrounding my future at present. I’m not sure what’s ahead but the thing about fog is; you know eventually it will lift and there is something on the other side that will become clear.

So in the meantime I will continue to think up metaphors to express my condition and float through the fog on my dinghy.
Take care!
-m

All’s Well on the Northern Front

I have absolutely nothing to report. The peace between Scotland and England is holding strong. The days are getting shorter and the temperature is dropping. My cold seems to have dissipated. I am still looking for work and I plod on with my writing projects. All and all, very boring reading for you.

In lieu of having anything interesting to say, I’ll attempt some poetry for your amusement. Ahem:

Sunny the Scottish Sheep
By Melanie Ann Wiliford

There once was a sheep who was Scots.
He lived in a land that never got hot.
His silly old mum named him Sunny
And everyone thought it was funny.
He was always quite sad that all the herd laughed,
Any time that he ever walked past.
Until the day came he was grazing on grass
And caught him a glimpse of a bonny sheep lass.
Now she was just thrilled by the sound of his name
And duly declared he could chase off the rain.
And ever there after the sun always shined
And that is because Sunny’s heart is entwined.

Thank You, good night!
-m

The Afterlife

I am a tad delayed in getting up the blog post so I hope nobody was setting their watch by it. It seems it is time to welcome my first cold of the fall; or autumn as they say in this part of the world. The weather has turned from chilly to cold and I’m trying to assess what outerwear option best suits. I predicted I’d get sick after the course. It is to be expected with the pressure and drive dissipating and the body crashing. However, life goes on and I am hoping this indisposition will not detain me for long. I have stuff to do!

Last week I met the new class of MA CCTs. They are delightful and full of anticipation and excitement for the upcoming year. The faculty asked the class of ’09 to come in and talk to the class of ’10. We talked about our backgrounds, what we did for research projects, etcetera, etcetera. We had a session in a studio with all of us in a circle and the class of ’09 yapping away and then we had more casual conversation in the Academy’s café and at a pub later in the evening. I hope we were helpful. Their program will be amended to some extent because the faculty will implement some improvements after seeing the results of the inaugural year with our class. Indeed I’m sure the program will continue to evolve as they figure out the best way to arrange things so everyone gets the benefit. It will be a work in progress for the first few years of the course.

Many from my class are forging ahead with our lives. Most everyone is considering the various employment options we need to consider. A handful of us are working on writing projects and we are supporting each other by doing play reading sessions and meeting to bounce ideas around. We even had some from the new class come to a reading of a first draft by one of my classmates. It seems we are establishing our community to some extent. It is nice to enjoy this luxury now because it will inevitably be harder to maintain as people establish their lives and careers and are consumed by those responsibilities.

Graduation is a month plus away. The last of our America bound classmates departs for the colonies tomorrow. She’ll be back in November for the big day. It looks like we will only be missing one for the ceremony. Last year Richard Attenborough and James McAvoy were in attendance. I don’t think we’ll be so fortunate this year but who needs celebrities when you have trailblazers like us in the house. Woo who, MA CCT class of ’09!

Take care all!
See ya next week!
-m