Heart-Shaped Glasses

Love really is what this is all about.

Love a bunch of mates I'll never forget. Each in different corners of the country, and eventually the globe. Love us in hysterics and even love us in tears. 'Cos that's what we're all there for.

Love this industry. And each niggle or annoyance or slightly-something gone wrong is worth the look on children's faces in an Oily Cart show and hearing that someone you've worked with has been inspired to pick up her flute after many years. Love the adventure of seeing a show from inception to fruition.

Love being able to ring someone at the end of the day if I'm p*ssed off, upset or feeling ill. Love that train journey every couple of weeks to have magical adventures of our own. Love the texts in the middle of the night and the whispers in my ear any time it's possible. Love private jokes and shared stories. Love him.

Love life. Love the things that we live for. Everything else in between is simply a means to an end.

Just had to get that one out.

A blog (and vlog) will come soon with all I've been up to in the past few months. Promise.

Much Love.
CC.

#ManchesterRiots

At 5:30pm 300 people in hoodies and balaclavas ran up towards the arndale in Manchester. Shops immediately closed and locked their shutters (some trapping people in) and everyone on Market Street turned on their heels and fled in the opposite direction.

I ran back to my office and hid out there. Suddenly they were all over the roadthere and I watched 7 tactical units chase them. Two police helicopters are currently in the sky over Manchester and I'm glad to say that one appears to be looking over my flat. Two police cars went past my flat in the space of 15 mins. Everyone on the streets is looking suspiciously at each other. No one trusts anyone.

Kudos go out to the Greater Manchester Police who were on the scene just seconds after I started running and are now all over the city. I have never felt so scared in my own city before. I wish the press would stop calling these people "protesters". My guess is that the people who launched themselves through the city centre earlier do not know the reasons for these riots and neither do they care.

What on earth is this world coming to?

CC.

Back again...

Hi Everyone,

Once again apologies for being away for so long, but I'll be back with some epic blogs soon - I have so much to share about Manchester International Festival, 24:7 Theatre Festival, Broken Rose and our first ever event at Contact Theatre, Manchester. Things are going really well.

I've also got a Ukulele, so that's fun! It's a Soprano, aiming to work my way up to a Concert Ukulele and eventually teach myself to play the guitar as well. Busy, busy, busy!

Anyways, I'll be back in a few days with some brightly coloured blogs with pics and vids for you. Until then, keep your eyes on the Broken Rose Website - www.brokenrose.eu, which we'll be launching again very soon.

Much love.
CC.

Flow!

"Flow!" The FIRST EVER Broken Rose Performing Arts event, with Manchester's Contact Theatre and Manchester Literature Festival - http://www.contactmcr.com/whats-on/987-mlf11-flow/ - it's just a teaser... more coming soon

All the world's a stage for Broken Rose...

As some of you may know, amongst many other things, I am the Artistic Director of performing arts company Broken Rose (www.brokenrose.eu). Lately, Broken Rose performance dates have been coming in thick and fast.

I will be performing a solo at the Open Mind: Face the Music event at Sandbar, Manchester on the 26th May. I should be onstage at around 10:30pm. I’m developing the concept now - in true Broken Rose style, it’s going to be something a little bit different, but more experimental than I’ve tried under the name of Broken Rose before. More information on this coming soon, so stay tuned. To see my Open Mind debut, check out the video below:





The first official Broken Rose event will take place sometime in October. Details of this event are currently embargoed, so I can’t tell you exactly what it will entail, but I will say that I’m working with some very exciting and innovative people on this project. You Rockstars will be in for one hell of a night, hopefully one that will continue regularly after this premiere event. Please keep checking the website and the twitter (www.twitter.com/brokenrosearts) and the facebook (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=223601003&ref=ts#!/pages/Broken-Rose-Performing-Arts/120642791282372?sk=wall&filter=2) pages for updates on all Broken Rose projects and events. I truly believe that 2011 is Broken Rose’s year!

In addition to the above, an extract of my play, “Bitten” will be performed at Open Mind’s Halloween Special, again at Sandbar in Manchester on the 28th October. We will be auditioning for an actress for this show in the coming months, so stay tuned if you’d like to work with Broken Rose.

Much Love.
CC.

"Globally Busy"

Hey guys!

I know I promised that it wouldn't be so long this time... ooops! I hope this blog goes some way to explaining myself...

I've been a little on the busy side, choreographing a youth production of Romeo and Julliet for a lovely new Community Theatre company in Glossop called Theatre Peaks, as well as working towards the fabulous Music Boxes project with my beloved MIF (that's the Manchester International Festival for those new to the page!) who's banners slowly appear to be taking over the city... and it's only April... Well, I'm not complaining!

One of the most exciting things I've been to lately is the Globally Digital Launch at Contact Theatre, Manchester. Contact are renowned for doing exciting new things with performance, but the dance telepresence on this night really blew me away. Contact linked up with another theatre in New York to create a duet between two dancers who were thousands of miles away from each other. With Contact leading the way, the possibilities really are endless.

Much Love.
CC.

Miles to go - Little Miss Muffet counting down from Seven - Three - Oh...

I've had some very strange feelings about my career lately. Well, I'm not sure if strange is the right word, but they were certainly unexpected. Not so drastic, but so easy to pick up on when you've been so focused on wanting one thing and wanting it now for so long. It;s kinda hard to orientate yourself when you're being rewwarded with new opportunities left, right and centre, but are still getting things wrong at the same time.

Watching my old dance team, Street Vibe, perform in Warwick's yearly dance show, Pizzaz, last week was an interesting experience - feeling so proud of them on stage and beforehand being praised by them for being the only one to have alunched themselves into a career in the industry, straight out of university. And to watch Broken Rose beginning to chug along slowly, it should be suprising that California is at times seeming further and further away from me... But that feeling is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it's spuring me on, making me work even harder.

At MIF, it's obvious that although I'm doing extremely well, I still have a lot to learn, so I've been thinking lately that a course of some kind is perhaps in order.

On top of this, I have so many new ideas that I want to try out in the UK first. Here I'll make some ripples, then bring to California a tidal wave.

Come and see some evidence of the ripples I'm already making in Manchester - I'll be performing at the Greenroom at around 9pm on Saturday 5th March 2011, as part of Contact Theatre's Mixed Movement.

On top of that, check out my solo freestyle performance at the Open Mind Valentine's Special - now available as a playlist, below.



Much love.
CC.