Time for a little retrospection . . .

You must be freezing . . . Put your clothes back on!

Oh, leave them off and we’ll warm wash each other in rhetoric . . .

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I’ve decided to stop apologising for the, sometimes lengthy, delay in posts. This time it’s for good reason . . . I have a new job. Hoorah! Started a about three weeks ago, but can’t really talk about it as I was made to sign a form saying I wouldn’t. A little unlike me to conform quite so tightly but I also don’t want to run the risk of associating anything I say here with my employer. Intrigued? Well you’ll just have to live with it.

Christmas and the New Year are hurtling their way towards us like a sherry tanked uncle, and consequently writing becomes a little less frantic. (Thank god I’ve never been asked to do a panto!) With this new found wealth of time I’d like to take the opertunity to look back a little over this year and discuss some of the work I’ve created or been involved with that might have passed this blog by. Over the next couple of weeks I’ll be putting up little posts looking at projects and posting some long over due material I thought you might like.

Me being introspective

Before we embark upon this odyssey of self indulgence I though I’d let you know about a few things that have been tickling my ‘yay meter’ . . .

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I’ve made a couple of short plays available online. Head over to the rather splendid Bushgreen and you can check out either of the pieces I produced for Latitude Festival in the last two years. There’s a small fee involved of £1.38 each, but hardly breaks the bank does it? If you are a fellow playwright, or someone interested in new writing at all I can’t recommend the site highly enough as it lets you to interact, collaborate and read selected work of some of the most interesting up and coming international playwrights. (Still in beta and I hope has a very bright future)

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I want to drop a little nod towards Brand Magazine . . . I was given a copy of this recently after a poetry reading I took part in (more on that soon) and cannot begin to say how much I’ve enjoyed reading it. It’s rare that I’ll pick up a magazine like this, and even rarer that I’ll re-read it. The but the caliber of work in it is very impressive. It’s published bi-annually and therefore worth the £15 fee. Head over to their site and have a look at some of the lengthy extracts if you want to try before you buy . . .

Brand Mag Autumn / Summer

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One last little link to fill your Christmas culture stomachs . . .

Introducing the astonishing . . .

Fascinating . . .

Cornucopia that is . . .

Ubu Web

Many of you may already know about it, but for those that don’t I can promise you hours of fascinated clicking.

It’s best described in their own words . . .

“UbuWeb is a completely independent resource dedicated to all strains of the avant-garde, ethnopoetics, and outsider arts.”

There’s an old Guardian blog linking to some works worth look, but my recommendation is to check out the rather brilliant podcasts they sporadically release.

I’ll put up a list of my personal recommendations sometime soon.

That’s all for now. Talk to you again v soon!

Big love,

Jon

Bold as Brass . . .

Hey,

Went a little off the radar there didn’t I? Been a while since my last post but thought I would share a couple of bits with you all. First I’ve been busy putting a very different and unique type of show together. It’s probably best explained in the review my lovely friend and blogger (Honour Bayes) wrote . . .

At St George’s Circus there is a performance going on in the midst of an atmospheric building with a fading grandeur and massive holes in the floor.  Lit only by lights wired to a generator, candles and torches, the members of the South London Free Arts Collective (SLFAC) are performing the quirky and uplifting story of Brass Crosby.  We are in the middle of what is ungraciously called a condemned building, but what could easily be one of the most interesting site specific venues in London; The Duke of Clarence.

Elected the Mayor of London in 1770 Brass Crosby’s is a plucky story of one man fighting the establishment.  Where our modern Mayors may be more worried about updating the tube map and having their photos taken with rehabilitated youths, Crosby spent his time standing up for freedom of speech.  His most famous fight was a long and vital battle with the House of Commons over the publishing of Parliamentary debates, eerily foreshadowing the shocking revelations made by The Telegraph over our own MPs expenses.  For his efforts he was sent to the Tower, only to be saved by the people of London whose protests ensured his release.  Somewhat of a hero then, his actions are said to be the inspiration of the term ‘Bold As Brass’.

The SLFAC certainly seem to be as gutsy as Brass, flying in the face of a court injunction from London South Bank University prohibiting people within the building and working alongside the squatters who are living there to stage not only this show but also an intricate art exhibition within the building.  Beautiful pieces pepper the corridors, rooms and crevices.  It is an incredible space, haunted by the ghosts of a hundred different usages; the echoes of past roles hang over each room like luminous sheets of memory.  Stunning, hand painted wall paper, old metal pub pipes and tiny winding staircases all lend The Duke of Clarence a Dickensian charm that is quite intoxicating.

London South Bank University currently own this building, along with the others in the terrace, and although they have fought tooth and nail to keep it unoccupied they seem to be doing nothing with it apart from waiting for it to fall down (a slightly problematic solution now that it’s a Grade 2 Listed Building).  The shocking waste of such a space is evident once you enter it, and it’s to SLFAC’s credit that they are raising the profile, even if only amongst other fellow artists, of the building and its sad unfulfilled potential.

But enough of the politics (I’m going to be doing an interview with them next week so you can get your ‘Lefty’ inspiration there – watch this space) and onto the show.  Bold As Brass is a delightfully wacky vignette which spans a myriad of theatrical styles with a charming panache.  It’s rough around the edges, but hey, that matches its ramshackle surroundings and gives the whole thing an organic feeling.  We have a strong central performance from James Groom as Brass whose quiet intensity lends integrity to the proceedings and a wonderfully comedic Greek chorus in the shape of Bobby Brook and Jon Macabe.   Using sock puppets, shadow play, direct audience address, grotesque physical characterisation and a series of fabulously decrepit areas in the building we are taken along the story of Brass in the style of Tristram Shandy.  And all this in a whip crack-away 30 minutes.

This show’s run has been as temporary as the squatter’s occupation will be, but with promises of more to come, the South London Free Arts Collective is definitely a group to watch out for.  As for The Duke of Clarence, the art exhibition is still standing, as is the building itself and for the time being at least, the people who have taken up arms to use this space for something more than just dead air.  I think Brass Crosby would be proud.

The exhibition will be open from 6pm on Monday 9th of November. Then open daily from 12-6. Entry is free. You will find them at St Georges Circus, SE1, on the corner of London road and Borough Road.

We’re doing two more performances of this tonight and Sunday (29th) at 7:30. Just mail me if you want to come along and see – jon”at”jon-cooper.co.uk

Here’s a pic of James Groom in the show, isn’t it ace?

I also took part in 503’s Rapid Response and the Company Projects latest performance ‘Playground’ at Theatre 503. They were great experiences and I’ll try to go a little more in depth when I actually have the time to. I’m supposed to be finishing the first act of Dirty Feed at the moment for Company to perform on the 7th Dec, along with sending it to the Royal Court to get on their writers group. I’ll be working with theatrical marvels that are Sam Miller and Gethin Anthony who I started workshopping the piece with in Tristan Bates Theatre’s Ignition.

Really looking forward to it . . .

See you all soon.

Big love,

Jon

Just a random quick one . . .

I don’t know why I’m putting this up. I have a blog about Ignition being drafted, but I said I’d show you some things that might end up in the idea grave yard. So here you are, make of this what you will  . . .

In the Girl

There’s a girl in the village,

But no village in the girl.

She’s lookin out the window,

As her mind beings to swirl.

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She’s thinkin of the parties,

And the men she’d like to meet.

Dancing bare foot, careless,

Down rain infested streets.

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Cause there’s girl in the village,

But no village in the girl.

She’s looking out the window,

As her mind begins to swirl.

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She’s thinking of the Misters,

With their long and flowing hair,

Filled with fire brimstone,

Suave and a simple debonair.

Cause there’s girl in the village,

But no village in the girl.

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She’s looking out the window,

As her mind begins to swirl.

Cause the girl she is just sixteen,

And her path is not yet set.

And she’s looking out the window,

For what’s years from her to get . . .

Overdose . . . Go on, you know you want to . . .

Hey hey,

The lovely guys over at Movie Overdose have asked me on to shoot the breeze about movies and the industry at the moment. They are a wonderful podcast and Itunes fav so head on over and give them a look . . .

Movie Overdose Ep #34

The return of the Cooper! Jon Cooper comes back to the podcast to have a chat about Adventureland. Tom and Sam have a think about (500) Days of Summer and the gents all think about the YouTube rental model. They go on to reminisce about Hackers, praise Fish Tank to the hills and have a good ol’ natter about Supernatural. The conclusion sees Tom depart and Producer John step in to talk about music in movies.

Big love,

Jon

p.s. – A piece about Ignition will follow shortly, I’ve been so obsessed with writing it that I haven’t had a chance to blog about it. That will follow soon.

The Dirty Feed

Sorry I was gone so long honey . . .

I left a little plate for you by the fridge.

Did you see it?

I didn’t intend to leave it so long to blog, but I’ve needed some head space to sort myself out a little.  I’ve been mid-way between a slump and a ball of unproductivity rolling down a hill of self reflexivity. A state that doesn’t really lend me to blogging. Lots of other people, but not me. I don’t want to go boring you with wittering platitudes after all.

These things said, it has been a really interesting time of late. I’ve had alot of navel gazing days wondering why I can’t write followed by ceiling staring nights wondering ditto on repeat. I’ve watched and enjoyed alot of entertainment, spent time with friends and gone to events to talk the ‘writers’ talk. (I’m finding myself surprisingly adept at talking the talk. I can sound like a writer even though I’m not writing.  A fishmonger wouldn’t get away with not mongering, and neither should I . . . Writing that is, not mongering.)

The turning point has come though . . .

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This plain old blew my mind!

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Kevin Kelly is a very inspiring speaker, has a quite brilliant mind and a fascinating life story. I’m currently reading his book ‘Out of Control‘ and can’t recommend it highly enough. If your interested in computers, machines or the Internet in any way then it’s firing forty rivets per page.

I know I’ve spoken previously on here about my next play ‘Dirty Feed’ which is tackling elements of freedom of speech inspired by the Internet and making them dramatically stage-able. Well, when all these elements combined a shower of pennies dropped and I realised what it is I should really be doing creatively at the moment . . .

In today’s world the nature of human communication is changing, evolving and re-drawing societal etiquette. We are all in touch more than ever, and yet physically further apart than at any other time in history. We have anonymity for expression, digital representation of meat world aspiration and a peer circle circumference thicker than some interstellar gas giants.

Our artistic expression and exploration of it though is limited. Theater is suffering most. When did you last see the second act climax delivered by txt? See a relationship shattered by a clumsy bit of social network stalking? Watch a character change themselves for someone they never met?

Some examples do come to mind. The Bird and The Bee, God in Ruins, A Sudden Loss of Dignity and numerous clumsy attempts to work a txt into character conflict. Some are working, some are not. But more and more these things integrate themselves into our forms of communication. Theater is struggling to keep up. Theater is built on the pillar of human interaction and staged on the dynamic physical relations we hold to one another.  A man sat at a computer using Skype to air his feelings isn’t dramatic or interesting? I’m saying it’s going to have to be . . .

For the next year (plus) I will be working on exploring, refining, experimenting, performing and work shopping ways in which we can take technology and dynamically integrate it into performance. I will still be doing other different, and some would say more normal, works but this is over arching focus.

Accordingly this blog will be following it right the way through. A name change is about to be affected to ‘Dirty Feed’ and you will also now be able to reach it through www.dirtyfeed.co.uk and the normal www.jon-cooper.co.uk. Those of you with RSS readers may have to re-subscribe and I apologise for the inconvenience.

‘Dirty Feed – The Blog’ will now be taking the same form of this blog, with a more technology <-> performance driven bent.

I’m also pleased to announce that the first performance of this exploration will be taking place before the end of the month. The Tristan Bates Theatre has kindly asked me to participate in their Ignition event along side a quite wonderful line up.

Ignition

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Confirmed contributors include
Jack Thorne and Hamish Pirie,
Che Walker working with Omar Lyefook;
Tim Price and Polly Findlay;
Lydia Adetunji and Laura Farnworth;
Jon Cooper;
Kenny Emson and Laura Kriefman;
Gbolahan Obisesan
Tim Cowbury and Alice Lacey.
Gareth Farr.

More details can be found at The Tristan Bates Website

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I’ll be blogging every element of the process and hope you’ll follow along / come see the finish product.

Thanks for now, and big love,

Jon

The Dog Days Are Over . . .

Ello, you cheeky little gogo dancing beauty . . .

Been a few days, did you miss me?

I missed you.

Kiss my eyes and mouth.

Been a real interesting few days, riding the black dog of depression up and down the corridors of my flat. I’m an eternal optimist in bone, but my flash can be weak and I wouldn’t want you getting the wrong impression, it’s just a tricky time at the moment. Enough of that though cause tonight I’ve been indulging in things which make me smile.

SHARE TIME!

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Here’s Amanda Palmer being beautiful . . .

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Here’s Florance being just as stunning . . .

Florance – Dog Days are over

(Sorry, embedding won’t work for some strange reason)

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These things have made me shiny new. Along with this which is just plain inspiring . . .

Kate Tempest – Poet & Spoken word Queen

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I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Kate perform live twice now (Royal Festival Hall & Latitude), and on both occasions she’s taken my face off. A girl of flow,vibrancy, relevance, philosophy, insight and (though she doesn’t think it) beauty. She gigs festivals alot it would seem and of course in her home town of London. If she isn’t poet laureate within ten years I’ll eat any of my three hats.

Since seeing her, and a number of other Spoken Word performers recently I’ve been struck with the bug and am preparing to write my first piece. I’ll post it up here once it’s done, but don’t judge me too harsh cause it’ll take some time to get good I have no doubt. (Not that I have to worry about that, cause no one is reading this. Yay!)I’ve been trying to find something that lets me stay writer, but keeps me performer sharp, and I can’t imagine anything more perfect. I know I perform in Silence in C Minor, but that was almost a year ago now and I’m feeling the lack, also with the two poetic plays on the slate too it’s a perfect way to practice.

So I thought I would share with you a little proprosal I was asked to put together for work shopping my latest play, ‘Dirty Feed’, with The Company Project. I’ve removed alot of the plot detail because I want to keep that vague until it’s pressed to paper.

Here you go . . .

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Company Project Proposals :-

Dirty Feed

Synopsis – Seb, a newspaper journalist, has given himself up to the police.  He now recounts the story of how he came to be involved . . .

Proposed Resource Use :- Essentially I want to draft the first act and get a workshop / reading of it to make sure the mechanics of the piece are functioning. It will also allow me the testing ground of discussing the political ideology with a larger group of people. It would be good to give this perhaps an hours discussion time which allows anyone from the company that finds the debate interesting to get involved, not just those work shopping. I doubt many will take the time to come along but it’s nice to make these things open isn’t it? Once this workshop is complete then I’ll re-draft the first act and complete the second. This should take about two months, then we workshop again and iron out the kinks. From there its open to discussion what is done with the text. My hope for this one is that I can get it into one of the larger London fringe theatres. The topic is gaining momentum in the press so I have hope.

Time Breakdown :-

1) TCP sets deadline for first Act. Within the month or two after Ed Fest?
(I might finish it earlier as I’m working on it at the moment, but having a deadline can only add to momentum)

2) First Workshop / Debate – Preferably evening based (if I have a job) for up to four consecutive evenings.
(Very open to suggestion on this)

3) I re-draft / write act 2 (1 to 2 months)

4) Second workshop using same or different participants (Length to be decided after first workshop)

5) Fin

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Thought those of you wondering what goes into writing and work shopping a play might find that interesting. It’s also going to be interesting to see how far we sashay away from it.

I’ve been trying to work on the Greenman play for 503 as well today but I’m still totally stumped. Usually with a brief I’ll have a concept of approach within a day or two but with this one days are becoming weeks and I’m starting to worry. Hopefully the muse will drop by for drinks soon.

Tomorrow I’m off to D&D at Shunt Vaults for the first time so looking forward to chatting with other creatives. For those that don’t know D&D (Devoted and Disgruntled) is an event for artists and performers to meet up and discuss the topics they feel impassioned about at the moment. It’s supposed to be wonderful if your interested in attending or just finding out more then catch the links below. I’ll try to blog and take pics of what happens.

Talk soon and big love,

Jon

p.s. – Devoted and Disgruntled Main Site / Record of previous events -0- Blog / Social Ring

Testing

Just a little test of blogging from my phone!

I asked you . . .

I asked you not to come here,

I told you not to touch it, me, here, there.

I asked you twice so you’d listen once!

I asked you not to come here, and you came.

I love you a little for that.

 

 

Hello world

Hello,

If you’ve stumbled across this then you may be wondering what it’s for . . .

Well I’m a writer called Jon Cooper and this will be my blog about all things life and writing. The first post should be up within the next few days.

In the meantime head along to my other website and check out some fine fine web comedy :-

www.silenceincminor.co.uk 

Thanks,

Jon