Bathing … ok … this is me in a bath tub. And… bathing is one if my fave activities… and … because I’m sharing work photos I thought I’d balance it with some post-work photos too …

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WHALE WEDDING. A short film project we made in 2004/5 with Guy Myhill steffimdj and Jill Norman. Up on the Norfolk Coast. A whale had beached and we wanted to honour the whale and so we walked out to see it in a wedding procession of sorts…

I’m sharing photos from work made over the last 30 years to celebrate making new work and the collaborations and collaborators …

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Guy Myhill… that’s me with him…in SNOWDONIA…I thought I’d share this today because it’s his birthday this weekend…Guy is a brilliant independent filmmaker… he made the cult classic THE GOOB… seen it ? It’s on MUBI at the moment …

We were making SNOWDONIA IS NOT LIKE NEW YORK … which is an on-going project where I compare and contrast the two places …

Celebrating collaborations with many folk as part of celebrating 30 years of making new work

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Find out more at sdjproductions.co.uk

Well…OK…some pictures tell a … this is the photo behind a photo shoot with the brilliant Jaimie Gramston when we were looking for an image to promote an UNDEFINED HUGH HUGHES PROJECT…
To be honest … it was often the case that promotion of shows happened ahead of having much clarity about what the show might be …

I love making theatre … I love making theatre as an ‘independent’ artist … I love looking for ways around the system … hoping I can find my own sense of freedom … hoping I can genuinely make the work I want to make … Promoting the work feels like a tricky one … promoting anything maybe ends up reducing the complex thing to a supremely simple one thing…

Over this year I’m sharing stuff from the last 30 years of making new work

It’s brilliant to remember how many many brilliant people I’ve had the biggest fortune to work with … Jaimie Gramston … absolutely brilliant

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This is the wonderful John Biddle biddleyjohn … I’ve worked with John on several projects … collaborating with him as a composer … he is really brilliant because he “not just a composer” … he’s an all-round theatre-maker and storyteller and a very brilliant person to have in the room.

My latest play, CRACKING, has been shortlisted for a Tinniswood Award for best original audio play - an award presented at BBC Audio Drama Awards on Sunday 24th March and I wanted to acknowledge here in the metaverse of instagram the very big huge brilliant contribution that John made to that piece…

Thanks John

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Steffi steffimdj playing Sue the Stage Manager in 1999s LIVING LIKE VICTOR. This was a nudge nudge wink wink post modern meta theatrical comedy romp…the Edinburgh get in and get-out with this show was a real work out - the set weighed a ton, made of wood and sand bags…

I’m sharing tales from thirty years of making work here this year… more can be found in my website sdjproductions.co.uk

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HOLDING HANDS. In 2006 I took Floating to Edinburgh with Jill Norman aka Sioned Rowlands. In between shows we did our HOLDING HANDS project asking people to hold hands across the city to remind themselves that we are all connected.

Over this year I’m dropping photos to celebrate 30 years of making work and celebrating things like … Jill Norman. I had the best best time working with her and laughed every day so hard so hard …

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HOLDING HANDS. In 2006 I ran a project called HOLDING HANDS during the Edinburgh Festival edfringe … encouraging people to hold hands across the city as a way of connecting and feeling connected… it was part of my HUGH HUGHES PROJECT.

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In 1999 we made a show called LIVING LIKE VICTOR … I made it with steffimdj and the_moog We toured it all over the place … including a run in Paris at Theatre Paris-Villette parisvillette
When we took it to The Philippines we encountered an earthquake that smashed through the karaoke bar we were in … luckily there were no fatalities that night … I learnt that standing in a doorway is the safest place to stand in a building in an earthquake

This photo was taken by richardheeps … he took almost all out promotion shots in the 90s

Over the next year I’m dropping bits’n’pieces here, celebrating 30 years of making new work
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This is Steffi. The photo is from a project we made together called WHALE WEDDING. Following the sighting of a beached whale on the Norfolk coast we rushed up there. To mark the occasion we walked to see it in a wedding procession style stroll… there was a gang of us … as well as steffimdj there was the 8 year old josiedalejones and a toddler getoffmyhill and the brilliant Jill Norman… we made a film shot by Guy Myhill …

Steffi has helped with pretty much every project I’ve ever initiated. This photo is dedicated to all her brilliance

Over the next year I’m sharing photos from the last 30 years of making new work … thanks thanks thanks

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In 1997 we made DEAD ON THE GROUND. It was the first show we took to the Edinburgh Festival. It was a total fantasy about a novice angel taking a live person from earth too soon…the extraordinary Jonathan Stone helped us put the show together … I made this show with jonathanjoturner and steffimdj …

Thanks to richardheeps for another great promotional photo …

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In 1996 we made a show called HONESTLY. It was the first show I toured … we toured all over the UK… from Ullapool to Cornwall … and over to Germany and Sweden and the USA… I made this show as a piece of devised theatre with Gaetan Schmid, Jason Turner and steffimdj with help from Mick Barnfather and Juliet O’Brien … this photo was one of a series of promo shots taken by richardheeps

Over the next year I’m posting stuff from 30 years of making new work … thanks everyone for the ride

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In 2013 we worked on a short film called CAN I HELP? which started with an attempt to find grit for the icy conditions on the roads and escalated to an attempt to solve the climate emergency … all from one person’s bedroom …

You can watch the film on my website sdjproductions.co.uk

The film was shot by the fantastic Jaimie Gramston
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Today I kick off touring for 2024 … CRACKING is on cambridgejunction tonight at 7.30pm

In 2004 we made a show out in a field in Cambridgeshire called ABLAZE! The show centred around burning a set from a show that was a flop, a stinker, a disaster, a disgrace, an embarrassment… what we learn from our failures eh! Burn them to the ground 🤷🏼‍♂️…
Thanks to everyone who has been such a brilliant support over the last thirty years … making theatre is not a straightforward business…

Over the next year I will be sharing bits n bobs from the last 30 years of theatre-making and making new work
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In 2007 a gang of us went to London to mess about with some film-making and theatre-making, supported by Soho Theatre. I was at the beginning of developing Hugh Hughes, the emerging Welsh artist. Guy Myhill was behind the camera using Super 8 film. He was playing with his in-camera film making and guerrilla tactics. It was fun fun fun. We really enjoyed playing with the simple idea of someone from rural Wales visiting London for the first time. Simple but plentiful.

Over the next year I’m going to be sharing stuff from over the last thirty years of making work. It’s been such a big pleasure to work with so many great people. Guy Myhill is the man behind indie cult classic THE GOOB. He made pretty much all the films for the HUGH HUGHES shows.

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