Hello all, apologies for not posting a bit sooner, but I’ve been gallivanting around Leicestershire on a shoestring budget (and more bottles of red wine than is strictly sensible). Thanks again to all the friends who had me stay, fed me, and generally entertained me, was lovely to see Lucy and MorpheanRamble, Robin Johnson, and my friend Jon, who is unfortunately backward and does not blog so I cannot link him (thinking of it, he should totally do a book review blog. I will tell him this). So yes, a lovely weekend of catching up with all my friends, a nice meal out with Tapas, which I’ve never had before. People seem surprised at this, but Lincolnshire is a bit… behind in terms of culture, when I grew up there, there was only one curry and one Chinese place in the area. And you didn’t get the same kind of curry and Chinese they do elsewhere, added swede or something probably. But yes, Tapas rules! And then the next day was a lovely day of board games (scrabble mainly, a record game and a very worthy adversary) Rock Band, movies, and, as previously mentioned, more than a wise amount of red wine.
And then Monday, my PhD meeting. Not much to talk about that really, Dan Watt at Loughborough Uni is as brilliant as ever, was nice to catch up, and, believe it or not, really nice to be back in Loughborough. The world was conspiring towards it though with a gorgeously sunny day, and freshly cut grass smells wafting around me as I walked in to the university (from the outskirts to the centre of the town in about 20 minutes. I love that). I’ve decided that my proposed thesis will be titled Theatre and Technology. And I think will look at both the use of technology in improving/changing access to theatre and the theatrical experience itself, as well as the way theatre writing approaches how technology is changing our daily experiences/communication. I did mention before how I wanted to write something that pulled in Feminism too, and this definitely will as I intend the thesis to look at the potential for technology in democratising, and bringing in the experience of the Other (IE non white-middle-class-developed-country-male) and how that is written into, and used in the making of theatre. I’m also going to be combining practice (a body of creative writing/performance) in order to test my theories, and make sure I officially have dedicated writing time available to me, formally speaking. I’m thinking of doing a 60:40 theoretical:practical split, which I think will suit my intentions nicely. I’ll try and post my ideas (for the 500 word or so proposal itself) as they develop. I also have to come up with a suggested bibliography, all of which is a bit weird because it will all change a great deal as I actually start getting through it all. But there we go. Hoops must be jumped as I am applying for the single studentship that the department has to offer. The deadline is April, and I should find out in May. I’m basically screwed if I don’t get it, because all of the humanities’ block grants were allocated elsewhere. So yes, tough competition. Dan seemed to think I had a good chance, and I know that Loughborough know me still (there was a big furore about my dissertation A Feminist Theatre Manifesto for the Developing World, I was awarded 84 (I think) in the end, but that happened because the external moderators were demanding that the mark was raised, and some of the department thought that no undergrad work should ever be awarded that high a mark (So I’m told, and I’m making that way more dramatic than it probably was, but yes, smarm smarm)). So, hopefully my work throughout the BA will mean that I’m not a strange name. Fingers crossed eh? I know you’re always supposed to have a plan B, and there are probably several, but I want this studentship so very much, I really do. I kind of want to be happy again, and feel that a combination of financial security, nearby countryside, friends in close proximity, and time to think and do something I love will help me be that.
So yes. Must get on, work tomorrow, and I’m always a zombie on the first day of the three I work because of my appalling sleep patterns. Thanks for reading, and wish me luck!