Project Fio / "Sin City 2"

I’ve just spent a week, as part of my training to become a community arts facilitator, working with some young people taking part in the Project Fio Summer School, run by Youth Of Creative Arts, and based at the Wales Millennium Centre. Aimed at 13-19 year-olds from backgrounds where taking part in theatre might not be traditionally seen as an option, the scheme has attracted a good mix of participants, exhibiting varying degrees of charm and hyperactivity. I didn’t contribute a great deal, mostly observing experienced facilitators Abdul and Laura, but found the whole experience rather enjoyable and vaguely reassuring. The ultimate aim is a public performance in November – precise theme and format to be decided over the next couple of months.

Part of the subsequent decompression process involved going to see “Sin City – A Dame To Kill For”, Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller’s sequel/prequel to their comic-book noir original. The film is ridiculously violent, and not entirely flawless, what with the sexism (all hail Eva Green) and the narrative incoherence, but it’s royally entertaining – full review here. 

Colony 14 / O4W / YOCA

I was delighted to learn that my short film, “The Want Of Intimacy” is being included in a proper, grown-up art exhibition, as part of Colony 14, in Cardigan, West Wales in late August.

Meanwhile, more details of Outcasting’s Fourth Wall (O4W) exhibition of artists’ films, which will include some of my Poetry Storehouse videos, have been announced: they will be showing at various venues in Cardiff starting late in September.

Added to this, I recently learned that a script of mine, entitled “Rump”, reached the final stage (the top 1%) in the most recent BBC Writersroom call-out, Script Room 5. Which means absolutely nothing in terms of it ever getting produced, but it a little validation is always welcome.

Meanwhile, I’ve just started training as a participatory arts facilitator, with Youth Of Creative Arts (last week I attended a sobering but entertaining workshop on child protection issues in TV, film and theatre), and will be helping with Project Fio, assisting a group of young people in creating a new piece of work for public performance. One hopes it will only be moderately traumatic for all concerned.

"Love In The Age Of The EU" by Björn Kuhligk

"Love In The Age Of The EU" by Björn Kuhligk from OTHNIEL SMITH on Vimeo.