Really excited to tell you about what will be my FINAL play at The Guildhall School of Music and Drama.
We will be performing the Greek play Lysistrata and I’m very excited to be cast as her! Lysistrata is the strongest woman in Athens with an even stronger sense of individual responsibility; by taking matters into her own hands and convincing every woman in Greece to withhold sex from their husbands she attempts to end the interminable Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta…
It’s a classic war of the sexes, filled with testosterone, oestrogen, great debate, beautiful women and 10.5 inch ceramic erections.
Yep… seriously
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It’ll be on at The Albany and YOU as the audience will be in for many surprises! The seats are seriously LIMITED! There are only 106 seats and they are selling FAST- I’m not playing- I warned you with Chewing Gum Dreams and I’m hoping those of you who were too late and missed that play have learned your lesson in time for this next one. Do NOT miss one of these performances:
Lysistrata
Directed by Owen Horsley (Associate Director of Cheek By Jowl)
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Showing at 7.30pm on the following dates
Monday 14th of May – Thursday 17th of May
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also showing at 2pm on the following dates Tuesday 15th May & Thursday 17th May
I’m soooo happy to be able to say IT IS THE END OF EASTER TERM!!! We only have a 6 days off but given the fact that I’ve been in rehearsals every bloomin’ day, 6 days feels like 6 weeks!
This term I wrote, directed and acted in a one woman show, played 6 different characters in Charles Dicken’s Nicholas Nickleby, formed a proposal to a theatre company to have my solo piece on their stage, worked out every bloody day and continued to obey my teachers and stay away from the clippers (my hair almost propa normal now!!)…
Where’s it gotten me? Nowhere yet… but hey…I’m thinking maybe..it might get me somewhere, so I’m just going to keep trying and working my newly tight butt off!
Whatever it is you do, whether you’re an actor trying to break through the glass ceiling, a city worker trying to get to the next level, a teacher trying to get better results…whatever…we all have moments when it just seems like you chose the worst path in life possible because NOTHING IS WORKING OUT.
I’d love to say I have great words of comfort and encouragement but I don’t.. I really don’t. Life is unfair, it is full of injustices, contra-bloody-dictions and lies… but there are other things life is full of too; it’s full of opportunities to become wiser… chances to grow, it’s fullness lies in that one person that adores you (Mum, partner, whoever).
This is the thing about life… it’s not the same for everyone. For others, they don’t have to climb a massive hill just to get through the door, the road to the door is flatland, it’s a doddle, maybe those people live next door to you, are related to you, are employed in your workplace or go to your school. It’s tempting to want to just pop over and walk that road but you have to understand that that road is inaccessible to you. Because it’s not your life.
Your path is hilly…maybe there is one particular hill, that hill is high, it’s steep- and your legs are weak. I really want you to understand that you have to go through walking that horrible hill! And what is the point in wasting time sulking and crying whilst you do it?! When you reach the top you get to lie down and rollllll down it like a little child before the next one comes! People on flatland don’t get to do THAT ;-D
I’m a cyclist, (as you probably know), and on the A12 route to Stratford there is a roundabout, I can either go round with the cars (flatland) or I can go straight above it on this ridiculously high hill. Guess what option I take? I take the HILL!! Sooo many benefits:
I get to just roll down the hill without peddling, I lift up one arm to feel the breeze in my sweaty armpits and it is pure BLISS..Also…I get a massive workout on my legs (which means my legs will look BETTER
Now I’m sure I don’t have to break down that metaphor for you. In the meantime, here is a song!! Enjoy!!
Oh, and the hook to a song I wrote YEARS ago (Coffee In The Morning) goes like this:
A confidence destroyed twice is a confidence rebuilt three times
Get back up.. you’ll be like you… but the new version! “You” version 2.3 … or whatever number you’d like to have…erm yeah… BYE. Oh- and this:
Whitney Houston was one of the best female singers to be born on this planet and dominate the commercial music scene. Her talent was phenomenal, her voice leaves me in awe. My prayers and thoughts go out to her daughter, and the rest of her family. Another one of the greatest musical talents to step foot on the earth and dominate the commercial industry, gone.
Because I’m still sort of in this ‘Chewing Gum Dreams’ mode, I started thinking about Whitney’s childhood, I obviously don’t know her personally, but she clearly had dreams and aspirations…a quote from an interview with Oprah only three weeks ago reads “It was [drugs] everyday. I didn’t think about the singing part“
Sometimes when you aim for the sky, you end up in a cloud so blindingly white you can’t see very sky your in anymore. I wondered who the first person was that offered her drugs and inwardly cursed them.
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I guess I see this as a wake up call, and maybe we all should; to stick to the goal- write your vision, make it clear and try not to let anything take you off course from it. Easier said then done, half the goals we’ve made in life we’ve probably already abandoned.
Chewing Gum Dreams is about a community of people that abandon their dreams (those REAL dreams, that require dedication and persistence and lead to long term rewards) for temporary highs; for living in a council flat to get away from their parents, for quick money, clothes, fame (the dreams that lead to instant gratification and nothing else).
This is a wake up call to GRAB HOLD OF YOUR DREAM, whatever you call it; your ‘vision’ maybe, and WORK your arse off toward it. My friend said something at rehearsals that stuck in my head last night; she said ‘some people just sit back and everything comes to them’ and it’s true; some people were born into the right families, into a relatively good financial situation, sent to the right schools..but the rest of us weren’t. I am living toward my vision because I have to, if I don’t I’m basically..don’t even have time to think about that- but you know what?
I’m so frickin glaaaaad that my arse is this way, because this struggle shapes a person; it builds character; it gives strength; in the most incredible way, it’s shows what love, grace and favour is; to the students of the crappiest schools in the UK it grants intelligence..it is the beautiful struggle.
That is however, if you choose to struggle; if you sit back and just settle because maybe it’s too hard to do a 180 on your circumstances or there’s too much temporary ‘fun’ to be had, then you’ll stay where you are, and that’s cool, if that’s what you WANT.
Is it what you want?
If the answer is yes, then you can press the ‘x’ button that will close this page, don’t bother reading any further. If the answer is ‘no’, let today be the day you get the heck up and start scratching away at that door that locks you out of a state of BEING you a trying to BE – IN. It’s a big door, I know, and it’s been bolted, double locked and alarm fitted since the day you were born, but if you just start scratching at it, and find a method and don’t stop, eventually the wood/stone will wear out… if it’s metal, use your insides, your fire and your spark! Melt it down! If it’s glass, dare to frickin use your mind and head butt the thing so it smashes like one of those martial artists on wood…! Be careful though :-S
My point is…it’s already in you, been there since you were born, it’s been there as long as the door has been there it’s just easier to stare at such a massive obstacle and be negative about it rather than make it disappear. MAKE IT DISAPPEAR.
For an article on Chewing Gum Dreams by “London Lit In A Hurry”
Click here
The 67 bus, friendship, violence, Lindon Estate, sex, friendship, UK garage, school, music, teachers, friendship, periods, emergency contraceptive, arse and tits, friendship, raves, tampons, white boys, mum and dad, God, money. Friendship.
Tracey Gordon is the school girl shouting at the back of the bus, who insults a teacher so acutely they cry in their office during lunch break, who bullies those as unfortunate as herself, who raves in house parties from Hackney to Tottenham, who once wanted more from life than looking after her mother, who had dreams once, but killed them in exchange for a 1st Generation iPod. And found love, and resolution in unexpected places.
Boisterous, sharp, and moving. Chewing Gum Dreams is a coming of age one-girl play that recalls four consecutive days in Tracey Gordon’s life that lead to the onset of her adulthood.
*posh grown up voice* I hereby invite you to CHEWING GUM DREAMS, my FIRST EVER PLAY!! I’m so happy and so proud to be able to post this because I’ve been working bloomin’ hard the last few months, so hard that I’ve neglected you! I’m so sorry! I think the details of this post will make up for it!
It’s part of a show called ‘One.‘ alongside three one-man plays (written by Jherad Alleyne, Kevin Phelan, and SImon Blackhall).9th FEBRUARY 6PM
10th FEBRUARY 2PM and 6PM
♥ Admission is FREE but spaces are very LIMITED (seriously)
♥ To reserve your place email one.guestlist@live.com with your
Full Name
Date / Time
YOU MUST AWAIT A CONFIRMATION. If you don’t get a confirmation email your name is NOT DOWN !
It’s now been 2 years since Fixing Barbie and boy oh boy have things changed; Mainly due to school I talk and even walk differently, I look different, my voice has changed, my writing style has changed, my music family has changed, I even have some different friends. (more…)
I’ve been at Guildhall for 2 years now…I didn’t realise how intense the course would be or how much I would have to put aside my entire life to get the most out of it and truly learn from my training (hence why I haven’t blogged a DSD since NOVEMBER!) but I’m making it, and I’m doing it, and it’s looking like I’m finishing. That’s right. I’m not dropping out.
If you know a decent bit about me, you’ll know that I dropped out of college, dropped out of university, then went back and dropped out of the same university again. Me and the educational system haven’t exactly been in constant perfect harmony, and I’m not the kind of person who ‘sticks things out’ in order to finish at a dead end with wasted years, a certificate and a silly looking hat; I’d rather preoccupy myself with figuring out what I’m SUPPOSED to be doing. (more…)
Yesterday we had the third school play…today is notes day…one side of my doesn’t really care about the notes…I couldn’t give a monkeys…the technique I’m trying to adopt is don’t protest to anything; sit there, take it, agree with it and leave. Because either way; their opinion albeit good or bad doesn’t really mean much; it’s just one persons opinion, if there’s something I can learn nestled in there, fine; but if there’s nothing, I’ll dust the sand off my feet and keep walking. (more…)
Hope everyone’s doing well, and that you’re week has been even better than the week you had before you read my last Diary.
Mine has been. Resolution. I decided last week to actively make my thoughts about school positive (which is HARD) but I did, and things have been so much better, I’ve enjoyed classes more, and I’m just over the shock of being..BACK.
You know the teacher I mentioned (more like wrote an 8000 word essay on) in my last few diaries? Well, another teacher and I ended up chatting for an hour and it got deep so I brought it up…she warned me that when talking to men and addressing a ‘problem’ you have with them, you must be DIRECT and to the point, no fluffy round the round about over the hill stuff (and I’m a poet, so you know that’s hard). She said I should say that “A occurred, which left me feeling B, and I’d like to express that to you so you are aware”. She told me not to try and get him to see where he did wrong or apologise, she told me not to even get him to remotely ‘understand’ because it’s not likely he will. (more…)
Didn’t it go by quickly..I can’t believe it…there was May 22nd 2009 and when I found out I got in..September 12th when I first went there as a student…and now…officially finished my first year.
I was trying to recap in my head the process and I kind of can for once.
Never in my life have I learnt so much about the world in such a short space of time. I’ve met people and been to places that had it not been for Guildhall I would have NEVER met or been to. It’s had difficult periods..it’s had amazing times, but on the whole, I have loved every single minute, and those little nooks and crannies I detested seem to be the ones that have been the most fruitful in terms of my growth as an individual. (more…)
Okay, so i’ve just had my notes with (let’s call him..) DC; the 6th teacher to give me feedback on my part in the showings last week (Chekhov The Sea-Gull). My notes have been good, encouraging, and beneficial my technical problem was that at times I pushed my voice and at other times I wasn’t ‘on voice’ enough, also sometimes my body tightened up a bit. The rest of my feedback has been great to be honest, so in I go with DC to have another ‘notes’ session. You’ll have read in my previous blogs about my journey with criticism (criticism is good!). However..
Something I wrote a couple of years ago; it’s meaning is returning to me…here it is.
Most of all, I regret not realizing I was worth more than this my darling Situation,
And that if I’m connecting with God…I’m not connecting with you.
I’ve become literate again and can read the sign on my forehead that reads ‘she’s full of desperation’ (more…)
Apologies for any randomness…I’m honestly NOT used to talking in front of camera’s dudes. And why on earth youtube wiped out the .com at the end of www.michaelathepoet is beyond my lifings. Nevertheless be indulged
Hope you’re well and dandy, I am now 4 weeks away from finishing my first year in Drama School!!!! I can’t believe, my friends and family can’t believe it! I finished a year! I never took a day off!! Is this really me? Yes it is. I now understand what it means to get an education. I hated University…it just didn’t work for me. Dropping out (twice) was the best thing I ever did. And for those who look down on us drop-outs they can throw pie in their face because everyone works differently! I didn’t realise education was something I could earnestly ADORE, something I couldn’t get enough of…something that was a good challenge!
Anywho…as I’ve mentioned in previous DSD’s, my group are working on a play called ‘The Sea-Gull’ by Chekhov. This weekend, our director, the fantastic Christian Burgess took us to…..
I have this bad habit, this habit is common to a certain type of person, but definitely not relative to all. I love going to the gym right (not during school time as we’re not allowed)? Now when I go, I can’t just go once a week: I’ll go everyday; I make sure I get in my car and drive half an hour to the gym every single day without fail. Even Sunday’s brethren; I wake up 4 hours earlier and work out, shower at the leisure centre and go straight to church. I make sure I do at least the same time on the cross trainer that I did the day before and aim for one more set of weight exercises.
It’s the exact same with my work ethic: I love over-aiming for productivity. I have this inherent desire to run myself down to the ground even when I don’t necessarily need to…you never need to do you? I cut out all the middle-man tat such as keeping a diary, or doing background research or exercises that I have concluded aren’t economic enough and just get straight to the meat…and keep stuffing it down my face…and stuffing and belching and choking and stuffing, until my stomach’s eyes crash from their sockets. And I throw everything up on top of a heap of Personality Type A vomit that I still haven’t cleaned up from the last time this self-inflicted ordeal occurred. (more…)
When you feel a little depressed (and I don’t just mean the type of depression diagnosed by doctors; not just the kind that science can treat, I mean spiritual emotion mental and physical depression) because you are tired of where you are at. You remember days when you actually ENJOYED being where you are, and you wonder what’s happened. Why all of a sudden all you feel is total frustration remember this… (more…)
Right…So I realise I’ve been prancing around drama school, doing gigs
(Most recent; The Writer’s Lounge, The Flyover Show, even gave a speech at my cousin Guvna B’s birthday). I’ve been going to eat in my local restaurants, buying food from my local M&S/Tesco…seeing old friends, networking with familiar associates…but something’s been pressing upon my mind like a stay at home wife’s fingers on dough…something I haven’t quite explained but keep meaning to; but don’t, because technically I have no reason to justify myself to any of you; but want to because I’m worried about all the thoughts going through your head when you look at me; but haven’t, because I gotta move on and deal with it….
It’s erm…it’s my hair.
For all those who haven’t seen me…my afro appears to have DISAPPEARED…let me explain…I’m gonna tell you what happened from the beginning. Before I start, just take a look at the picture above so you can see what my hair USED to look like…
Erm, once again, last weeks diary was kept private, sorry to withhold them from you, but I just can’t risk putting them online
And if you think the songs are about you; you’re probably wrong, get over it man.
This week has been pretty weird…recently a friend passed away after suffering from leukaemia (for God’s glory) and on Monday I helped out with her fundraiser ‘Tracey Says’ (that’s her name) to help raise money for ACLT and McMillan.
Parts 16, 17, and 18 HAVE BEEN LEFT PRIVATE INTENTIONALLY…don’t wanna cause controversy, and you guys know I have a tendency to do that without seeing it coming so here we go.
We’ve finished our second showing!!!! This was the ‘MODERN’ term; so our play was written in like 2005. The play was called ‘Breathing Corpses’ by Laura Wade (read it; it’s verrrry good writing) and the other group did a showing of Martin Crimps’ ‘The Country (fantaasssstic writing man!)
How thrilling!! I’m kinda glad it’s over. It was stressful…and I felt like it was a bit rushed; but I heard they do that on purpose. (more…)
This week I was at the BAFTA…(stands for British Academy of Film summink summink summink)
I bet you’re wondering why…lemme break it down like a producer flip-dip-dapping beat boxer–woah…that was pretty lame.
I played a lead role in a short film 2 years ago called ‘MALACHI’ and it was premiered there this week!
Now lots of people, I’m sure, will ask how in the world I ended up being in a film having NOT been an actor. (more…)
Don’t watch the fact that I ain’t posted up one of these in a while. It’s all fine. I’m not breaking down…I’m still here!
So, as you know I go to Guildhall School of MUSIC and Drama…so there are two departments, and a corridor that divides the Musicians and the Drama Students. One of the teachers (Dina) decided to do this thing called LIFESWAP; where a Drama Student and a Music Student swap places! Great….. (more…)
The whole week of it was extremely stressful, I was waking up at 2am every night, I hadn’t learnt all of my lines, but you know sometimes when you’re stressed and you have NO IDEA that you’re actually stressed until…..
The day before the event myself, and 4 others stay behind real late to rehearse together. We go through the play, and my line is coming up, I mean, we’ve done it like a hundred times so it’s no biggie. But what happens to Michaela? (more…)
I’m hoping this will be a short one, mainly because I’m so knackered I’m actually trying to sleep at the moment lol, but I can’t so i thought…Lemme catch up with you guys.
One thing I’m learning right now is that one of the first things you have to learn in order to be a good leader, is that there are people who are not leaders that could lead better than you. (more…)
Hope you’re happy and smiling that beautiful smile that you smile; The same one that sends your grandfathers tears swimming upstream, it’s so gorgeous is that smile, and it makes you open. Stay that way.
So…yeah, I would start this diary saying ‘oh why is everyone so bothered about Valentine’s Day this is just another day God has made get over it’
How your week been? Ay? Nice? Allow the snow innit? NOT THE ONE.
Mines been good…
I went to the Press Conference for an event I’ll be doing called Oraclez : I’ll be supporting Kiki Kierra Sheard (an IMMENSELY INSPIRING artist to me, especially when I first started writing). Canton Jones, Mary Mary, Kirk Franklin, and loads more at the Wembley Arena in May. Should be great, feels a little random as I’m very aware that I lack that ‘Gospel Industry Shine’ but you know what, I’ll just go in there and be me… (more…)
I’ve missed you guys…I’m thinking I may have fallen a week behind on this but I’m genuinely not sure :-S
On Thursday I opened up for the comedians at Kevin J’s ‘I <3 Comedy’ Night, was pretty good, Will-E-Robo was there…he’s one of P Diddy’s Bad Boy Comedians, was very funny, but just nuff grimey with his subjects (yes, he is on my Facebook, and it’s not like he thinks he’s talking about birds and bees so I’m sure he’s not surprised one person in the world thinks his some of his topics are a little cringe-inciting.) (more…)
First I wanna say thank you for reading these random notes I write. I got a couple things on my mind, but lets go from the top
So just this friday gone I finished my first week of my second term of drama school…it’s going well…I dunno I’m feeling all Porverbial today, let me get the following stuff off my chest or I ain’t gonna write properly LOL.
See every moment in your life as a bus stop. The reason why you may still be at the same place is NOT because you’re not going anywhere (‘coz you wouldn’t be at a bus stop if you weren’t would you?!). It is because the bus has just not come yet…some moments pass quickly…and for some of us unfortunately those have usually been the good times. Other moments seem like forever…which for others is sometimes the saddening times. (more…)
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