Live Theatre Writers Group

As the Live Writers Group session was to include an informal workshop by the Associate Director of New Writing, Jeremy Herrin on the play we had been asked to read, being 'The Vertical Hour' by David Hare, the Live Theatre won. (I had read the book by the way).

If I was lucky, after Live Writers Group I might manage to make it for the last half an hour of the Book Club Meeting being held in another part of Newcastle...

Jeremy had directed the play which received its UK premiere at the Royal Court Theatre in London in January 2008. The play addresses the relationship of characters with opposing views on the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and also explores psychological tension between public and private lives.

The workshop was brilliant, well worth the decision I decided as I hurried out of the theatre...

It's hard trying to be in two places at the same time. I practically ran back up Grey Street to catch the last half hour of the Book Group when I was met with a surprise.

I must have let slip to someone in the Group that I have a certain birthday which should remain nameless coming up later this summer and they greeted me with a huge painted balloon and a birthday cake...How bad did I feel! Not as bad as I felt walking through Newcastle later on with a coloured balloon dangling on a string...

Then when I got home I felt even worse because Son No Two was playing around with the balloon when it accidentally became detached from the string and careered off up towards the clouds, getting smaller and smaller, never to be seen again...

Apologies Book Group if you're reading this!