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Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Unusual encounters: 5 of 227
COINCIDENCEAn elderly couple caught his eye. They were about a hundred yards away and walking towards him. Why he should suddenly notice them, he couldn't say. Lots of other people were walking towards him along the Promenade as well. After all, Eastbourne in summer is just the place to go if you feel like strolling along a P... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Technology: 1 of 8
PRESENCE The first miniscule bubbles started to break on the tremulous white surface of the milk. With a deftness matured through long years of practice, Elsie swept the non-stick pan from the ceramic hob and switched it off. She stirred the contents into the two cocoa mugs and then doused the pan under the cold water tap to ... More..
Creative Writing > Short Stories Short stories: Falling in love: 25 of 144
THE CLUB It was daunting even for a self-confident young man, entering the hallowed portals of the Conservative Club. This was not simply because he was not a member, but rather more importantly because he was well aware that his own politics were of a significantly different hue.He was directed to the Smoking Room and as he ... More..
Arts & Humanities > Playwrights & Plays Playwrights: Harold Pinter: 2 of 6
HAROLD PINTER: AN INTRODUCTIONPinter is without doubt the most exciting and arresting talent to emerge in the British theatre in the mid 20th century. His dialogue is perhaps the most striking element in his drama. It is so precise that not a word can be cut, nor a syllable added."Most real conversation, after all, is incoher... More..
Arts & Humanities > Theater & Drama Understanding drama documentary in the history of theatre: 1 of 1
DRAMA DOCUMENTARYA perspective from the mid 70s. One of the most lively events at an Edinburgh Television Festival I attended some years ago was a session on Drama Documentary, where the level of conflict amongst the panellists demanded, as one delegate pointed out, a drama documentary production of its own.It was obvious how... More..
Business > Small & Home Business The viability of running a vineyard in the UK: 1 of 1
(NB Quoted figures are from late 90s and will probably be somewhat greater now across the board).There was a time when it was being said that a vineyard was the most profitable use of agricultural land in Britain. However a few recessions, combined with a UK government relentlessly increasing domestic duty on wine, and EU reg... More..
Entertainment > Movie Genres An introdction to the ideas behind avant-garde films: 1 of 1
AVANT-GARDE FILM has always existed. Even, if not especially, within the first embryonic stage of film's development, when all manner of experimentation was carried out in the name of the new, exciting medium. However, it is possible to define avant-garde as film which is contrary to the norm, in other words, contrary to the ... More..
Entertainment > Film Making & Production Film theory: Generating audience expectation: 1 of 1
DEVICES USED TO GENERATE EXPECTATION IN "JURASSIC PARK"Audience expectation is the name of the game for mainstream movie-makers. The more a film-maker can involve an audience and have it waiting expectantly for the outcome, not just of the story itself but of a myriad of smaller points en route through the story, then the gre... More..
Arts & Humanities > William Shakespeare The Elizabethan theatre: The Globe rebuilt: 1 of 1
WITHIN THIS WOODEN OWhat were my impressions of visiting the Globe Theatre once it had been rebuilt in Britain after some 360 years? In a nutshell mind-blowing!The Globe has been a particular passion of mine for many years. Its attraction for a director, apart from giving maximum opportunity to exercise a basic love of Shakes... More..
Arts & Humanities > Art Appreciation The role of criticism in the art world: 1 of 1
The role of criticism but is it fulfilled?Critics have approached the arts in a variety of ways, some more useful than others.At the simplest level, we often get a description of the work itself for those who have not experienced it, combined with the critic's personal, subjective response to it and maybe to various elements ... More..