Saturday 25 October 2014

Dylan, my Dylan...

It's been an exciting time - the centenary of the Welsh Wizzard Dylan Thomas. I've been slightly involved with The Dylan Thomas In Fitzrovia Festival. It launched this week.














- Posted from my Phone

Thursday 2 October 2014

National Poetry Day - have a go!

I've been spending a lot of time recently with the poetry of Dylan Thomas and numerous writers for the London Literary Pub Crawl and the forthcoming Dylan Thomas in Fitzrovia Weekend in London. More about that later.  But in spite of the genius of Thomas, Heany and dozens of others, I've found I quite like writing poetry.  I've no idea of technical form or how to do it or even why I like writing it, but it's an interesting way of encapsulating an emotion or feeling.  And without realising it, I've been scribbling bits of verse for years.

I found this in an old notebook, written in a curry house on the eve of leaving Birmingham to come to London full time to work at Shakespeare's Globe and attend Uni for the first time in 2007.  It's my little offering for National Poetry Day!  It's a bit of fun.  Have a go yourself!





Breaking up, Birmingham.



No more beloved Brummie Heaths,
no more, my shell-suit sweeties.

No more green corporation pride,
for I, alas, must leave thee.

Leave Shylet Spice, eleven rides
and don't forget the Billesley.

But I’ll be back, you know I will,
unless I shag new city.

An experiment in Podcasting

I'm having a right old game trying to get my Resonance 104.4FM podcasts on itunes.  Mainly because I can't seem to create an RSS feed that works.

So... can I actually Podcast from this Blog? And get it on itunes, etc?


Let's see shall we.  Here's Eric from New York...



Monday 25 August 2014

Mav Summer Newsletter

Maverick's Summer Newsletter - Our First E-Book!
August 22, 2014

(I know... Maddie says a newsletter a month and the last one was June. But I've been busy. And now we have Katie. More about her next time!)

Norman The Brummie, Fox Hunting in Kingstanding and Lest We Forget.




What a great summer it's been so far! Although Hyde Park was starting to resemble Australia. The grass had turned yellow and parched. But we're loving the hot weather. And we know it ain't gonna last.

100 years ago it was also an unusual summer. We declared war on Germany and everyone thought it would all be over by Christmas. Tragically, it wasn't.

Maverick has always been about 'real' people so I'm delighted to introduce a Brummy lad who remembers World War One Zeppelin raids! Norman Raybone, born in Aston, Birmingham, was also washing his shirts on board his warship when the Yalta Conference happened a World War later, but between these momentous events, he experienced the death of a baby sister, a gambling habit, poverty, violence and romance.

I love his story. He's not a writer, but a Brummie lad who decided to record his memoirs at the behest of his eldest son. He found writing VERY difficult, but I think it's a Birmingham Angela's Ashes! I've turned it into an e-book called 'Confessions of a Butcher Boy' and we've released it as a preview copy for you to check out for just £1.81! If you know Birmingham you MUST read it. And feel free to leave a review on Amazon - or email me if you find any problems or (too many!) typo errors.

A bit like PALS, I love the notion of sharing our real world stories around... well, the world!

Norman has sadly passed on now, but if Part One goes well, I'll edit and publish Part Two. I think he'd have loved this!

Find Norman on Amazon.


Talking of World War One, I also did a show on Resonance FM about the art, music and poetry of the time. It's here.

The radio show is on holiday, but we're back mid September with an ex-Eastender and an ex-Dr. Who-er!




We've gone Box Office!





Maverick's West End Run (!) The London Literary Pub Crawl is getting ever more popular. We've a new booking system.
See here - 'Tickets'


Thanks so much for your feedback on this newsletter last time. Keep it coming. I love to hear from you. And don’t forget if you are involved in anyway with the literary scene in London, please let me know. Bookclub, festival, events, favourite music to write by, new book... anything.

And news next time about Maverick Theatre performing at the BRITISH MUSEUM!



Love/theatrical hugs,

Nick.
x


Nick Hennegan.
Artistic Director, Producer, Tea-boy and Maddy (and Katie’s) Chum.



maverick is a Registered Charity No. 1143050. Limited by Guarantee. Registered in England and Wales. Company No 6367900.


- Posted from my Phone

Thursday 5 June 2014

Anniversaries

On this day in 1910, O. Henry died an alcoholic in New York City, aged 47. His last months reflected his fiction as a down-on-his-luck hero.


- Posted from my Phone

Location:British Grove,London,United Kingdom

Friday 4 April 2014

Maverick Theatre's latest Newsletter. With Maddy...!


So.

It was a stark, dark night in Soho.
 I sat in the mugg of the French House nursing a small beer.  Maddy flicked her long blonde hair and fixed me with her baby-blues.
“It’s theatre, you shmuck.” She almost snarled.  “I know publishing. And I know you’ve godda do a regular newsletter. Every month, whatever happens.  It’s the only way. You godda build your brand and you godda do it NOW.  Kapish?”
“What do you know, huh?” I muttered, taking a slug of now warm beer. “Brands? You’re a young broad.  What do you really know?  I’ve been writing and dragging shows into life since the dark days of the 90’s.”
Maddy leaned forward.  Her face almost touched mine.
“What do I know?  I know you have to keep it interesting.  I also know that almost by accident you have created a great brand with huge interest from all around the world.”
She grabbed my tie and pulled me even closer.
“And you know what else?”
“No. What else?”
Her voice was low and husky. “I spent three years…” she looked furtively around the bar, “...working for the Arts Council of England!”
“What!” I exclaimed.  “The Arts Council of…”
But I was talking to thin air.  Maddy had slipped her hourglass figure off the stool, thrown her fur around her shoulders and stalked off into the purple-black night.
I sat there for a while and thought about Maddie.  I knew I’d godda do me a newsletter.  And fast.


I think that’s how it happened anyway. Or maybe I’d been reading too many American crime novels.   I’ll ask Maddy when I next see her. Probably in Soho.  Anyway, it was definitely Maddy who said we need a monthly newsletter so because of Maddy, this is Regular Newsletter One! Every month, I’ll carry on with the story. I’m not a great fan of newsletters, but Maddy might be right.  We’ve got a lot of news to share.  And I DO like keeping in touch with you.

Soooo what’s been happening?  Quite a lot, actually.  I’m in the newspapers! The photo was taken a few years ago in the studios of Heart-FM.  I’m a bit older and a bit thinner now. And how great would it be to open in the West End!


This is a short trailer we knocked up for PALS a while ago.  Whaddyathink?


We’re now booking the next 6 months for the London Literary Pub Crawl. Thanks to Charles Dickens and Virginia Woolf (Deceased!) and YOU if you came to our show. Thank you so much. Because we are all artists it’s such a buzz to share the love with the Lit Pub Crawl!


I’m really excited and privileged to have been awarded a Society of London Theatre, Stage One Bursary.  It is a theatrical fact that if you want to be an actor, director, technician, administrator - in fact anything in theatre, there is training available.  But only in the last few years has there been training for producers. These are the people that make it all happen. Check out Stage One here - 



So is Maddie correct? Newsletter good or bad? Please let me know. You can unsubscribe at any time. 

I’ll leave you with this - our first introduction to our first publication.  Me first e-book! ‘Confessions of a Butcher Boy’.  Norman Raybone’s story. Was he the first ever citizen journalist?  I can’t help but be moved by real stories of real people. Especially when you find out how I met Norman..!

www.mavericktheatre.co.uk Click on E-Books in the menu on the left
 

Please feel free to get back to me about anything. And comments, good or bad, are gratefully accepted.

Keep Maddy happy!

Snogs/manly hugs,

Nick.

Nick Hennegan.
Artistic Director, Producer, Tea-boy and Maddy’s Chum.