I was excited to be part of the Sci-Fi London 48 Hour Challenge in September. Using the prompts given to us which included the film title “The Monitor” we created a film over the course of 48 hours with the Nightpiece Media team. It was an invigorating couple of days and a very creative process. I am glad to say I made new friends in the process and got inspired to create more sci-fi.
Here are some still from our short film “The Monitor”
Director - Al Caretta
Starring - Anya Zraykat, Delaney Conway, Alison Harris, Sonny Barr, Ezeikel Martin
It has been two months since we performed the Deceiver. Such fond memories of the rehearsal process and the three nights of performances. It was a real gift to be back on stage after the pandemic and even more so to be part of a cast of 16 (!!) exceptionally talented actors supported by an amazing crew to bring this new incredibly ambitious play to life.
The Deceiver by Tyler Jake Gray
A Tragedy in Three Acts
London. 1899. A frigid winter’s night. It is the night before a highly anticipated dinner party.
When Lord Theodore Evington II receives a life threatening letter from The Deceiver, he must discover their identity before his life and reputation are lost. With the looming arrival of his secretive family, we see how far he will go to prevent the revelation of his darkest secrets.
With so many possibilities, the question remains: Who is The Deceiver?
One devil of a dinner party in second act of the Deceiver
A few months ago I started working as a researcher, stage manager and understudy on putting on an educational play about the Holocaust based on the story of the survivor Susan Pollock MBE.
Susan has most kindly invited us to her home, generously shared her story and answered all our questions. I feel I have learned so much and feel like the words “kindness” and “resilience” have gained a whole different meaning. Her energy and will to live are truly inspiring!
Susan was born in Hungary from where she was transported to Auschwitz - Birkenau. She was separated from her family, subjected to work at an electrical factory and walk the death march to Bergen Belsen where she was later liberated. This is a difficult post for me to write as the harrowing details of her account are fresh in my mind. I cannot even begin to imagine what it must be like to live with this story having been through it.
“Kindness: the Legacy of the Holocaust” is a largely verbatim play documenting Susan’s story commissioned by the Voices of the Holocaust, an educational theatre company supported by the European Jewish Congress.
The play premiered this week at Harrow Arts Centre coinciding with the Holocaust Memorial Day taking place the following day. The premiere was well received and attended. It has been an incredible and overwhelming day. I’m delighted how many people came to see and hear the story of this remarkable woman. I am very grateful to be part of the company that made Susan’s story come alive through theatre and memorialised it for future generations.
After the show, I was honoured to host a discussion and Q&A about this very special project with Susan Pollock herself, Cate Hollis the founder & artistic director of Voices of the Holocaust and co-author of “Kindness” and Mark Wheeller co-author and one of Britain’s most performed playwrights.
“Kindness” will now tour around schools in the UK as part of an educational project educating young people about the Holocaust. It will be accompanied by the “Mitzvah / Acts of Kindness Project” to help young people reflect on the ideas contained in the play and as a way of creating a positive commitment to counter the troubling realities that we face in our contemporary society.
