The Basics

We have a new improved system for booking venues at work on-line. So it's now a lot more difficult than it used to be. Case in point: I spent several hours sorting out classrooms for a course yesterday and today when previously it took me five minutes to sort out the rooms by sending a single email.

I've also been struggling to secure a venue for something dramatic we're planning for next year - in July actually. Given the fact that we have venues specifically designed for the performing arts this might seem odd, especially when I tell you that the problems have been caused by a key venue already having been booked for an 'event' that has nothing artistic about it whatsoever. Ironically it is booked during a period of time that has traditionally been set aside for drama, that being the case for the last twelve years at least, and possibly beyond that.

Anyway, there's no point in complaining, though it's fun to do so. The actual point of all this is to convey a simple truth about the kind of stuff you see on stage at all levels below that of the well-funded professional variety: it gets up there through sheer stubborn-headedness, not head-in-the-clouds-ness. The struggle comes with the territory; it's inherent in the experience; it's the very nature of the beast. The art lies in making it look easy.