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Last night was the premier of the play “Celebrity” it was performed by the Black Company at the beautiful Nostell Priory country park to an audience of about 70. It was in fact a very lovely evening…I got to talk to people I haven’t seen in a while… then I got to listen to them laugh at jokes I’d written or comedy dreamed up by the youth theatre, shaped into a script by me and then brought to life by the performers. I also got to watch some of my favourite actors perform something that they had found both challenging and enjoyable and something they had invested a considerable amount of creative effort in…

All this after a week of being part of a company that worked, rested and played together with such equality, such support and such respect that they were an absolute pleasure to be with. This week demonstrated exactly what Yew Tree is about, that with serious intentions to create something of value, a disciplined approach and a good deal of creativity there is no need whatsoever to suffer for art…it can and should be an enjoyable, playful and nurturing process…

There are times when my job is challenging and there are times when it is a delight and despite the fact that I started the week as tired as I think I have ever been… this week certainly qualified as a delight…

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