All you need is love

I am quite fascinated by Sarkozy and Carla Bruni. He seemed like such a hard nut and first we had him crying when his wife left him and trying to woo her back like a big girls blouse and now he is romancing the beautiful, talented, intelligent Bruni. They are engaged, no less.

What is his secret? Evidently not charm or looks. He certainly didn't deal with the riots in 2005 very charmingly. How attractive power obviously is. All I need to do is become Prime Minister and the world and Johnny Depp will be at my feet. Though look how badly that worked for Ségolène Royal. And I suspect Hilary Clinton won't fair much better. And then of course the car crash Thatcher.

Poor Ségolène was damned if she did and damned if she didn't. She couldn't not be pretty and feminine, (I would suggest) in France and be taken seriously, and she couldn't be pretty and feminine without the jibes about her policies lacking seriousness.

Most of the French people I've talked to even if it was a little shamefacedly didn't think she could match up to the job and had a lot of faith in what Sarkozy the sledgehammer would come up with. I wonder if that faith is now shaken in the light of all his loveidoveiness.

On the other hand, I can never see people in love without feeling a mixture of jealousy and gladness. Long live love, that's what I say, however it comes.

Devoted and Disgruntled 3: What are you doing about theatre?

I've just spent the most fantastic weekend I've had in ages. I feel more alive and invigorated and happy than I have done in some time.

This weekend has been the third annual Devoted and Disgruntled meeting. It's an open meeting for anyone who wants to come and talk about theatre, what they like, hate are frustrated by, what to change, what to keep the same.

It works on an open something or other plan. Anyone is able to propose a topic to discuss. Whoever wants to turns up to discuss it. The slots are set at an hour and a half but there is no compunction for them to last that long. They last as long as they last. They can finish early or continue on late. People can get up and leave at any point they want to, and did and without any feeling that it was somehow a bad thing to do.

It was completely democratic and egalitarian, largely because at no point did anyone have to stand up and say who they were, where they worked or what they'd done, though people could if they wanted too. It was strange to suddenly realise that you were sitting next to and discuss with a well known theatre critic, the head of theatre at the arts council or someone who ran a rep theatre. But that didn't matter, because everyone's opnion was equally valid.

I went in feeling a bit low. I want to make theatre, but I also want to be able to afford to live independently and go on holiday and at the moment I can't see how that is possible. I don't have any direct answers to how I'm going to do that, but somehow it matters less and I'm not quite sure why.

And what was so energising was all the passion in the room, people who love hugely varying theatre, except Lee who says he doesn't. I am going to start compiling a list of suggestions for him.

Taking stock

So, another new year and it's taking stock time. Looking back over the what was and towards the what will be, or the hopes of what will be.

For the first time ever I was brave enough to stay in and see the new year in alone and am delighted to say that it was just as peaceful and centre-ing as one could wish. (And lovely and cheap too.)

I'm trying to write a play, which is the thing I like best that I'm attempting to do at the moment, but I don't want to jinx it by saying too much about it. My biggest aim with it is to finish it. To write it all the way through without too much self-censorship.

I went and saw 'Chatroom/Citizenship' at the RNT this evening as inspiration, and was quite inspired. This (trying to write) makes me want to go and see and read as many plays as I can get my hands on.

The year had quite a nice finish to it. I was doing a project at the Globe with some very nice people. So good on two counts. The people and the place.

And the place is extraordinary. You may have heard people waffle about how inspiring it is. Everything you've heard is true. It is a real work of art, wooden ('this wooden O'), open to the elements, brightly painted. I was lucky enough to be in the group working the main stage and I LOVED it. Unfortunately it's made me want to work at the Globe. Unfortunate because I try not to desire things I don't think can happen. Ah Shakespeare, ah the globe, ah well.

Anyhow I had a good time and here are some photos.

Lots of plans and schemes for the new year - a scratch at BAC, a play at the CPT in April, bits and pieces of teaching etc etc. I want a bit more shape to it all, direction.