Author Archives: admin

1. An interview with Rob Gillett

   26 April 2022 5:07 pm Leave a Comment

   HI ROB, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?

   I’m 33 years old. I’m a father and a husband and I have Multiple Sclerosis. But I describe myself as an ‘MS warrior’ and I’m a poet.

   HOW DID YOU START WRITING POETRY?

   Through depression – my doctor had advised me to write a thought diary, but it had no context and was very sad and abbreviated – every entry was just ‘I’m sad today’ or ‘I’m depressed’. I thought I wanted to do more, go further, and the country rap artist Jelly Roll inspired me. He writes about pain all the time, it made me think that it was possible.  My poetry is all to do with MS or being sad as it’s how I express and process my feelings. Through it I turn negativity into something brilliant, that I’m pleased with.

   AND WHAT MADE YOU START SHARING IT ONLINE?

   Donna, my wife! (Laughs) She suggested that it  might help others. I said no and resisted the idea for a long time – it’s my thought diary and my pain! – then after a while I came round to the idea. I released my book last week to a really good response, and over the past year I’ve had hundreds of people tell me how much my work has helped them. It’s surreal to me, because these words are my pain, but to share them and know I’ve helped other people feel not alone is amazing.

   WHAT FIRST BROUGHT YOU INTO THE OLD LIBRARY?

   A series of accidents. I was never one for reading or public speaking. I knew Jon at the Bodmin Light and Life Church, I met him at his Skillshare. He introduced me to Greg at Bodmaxx next door, and through him I met Tara at intoBodmin, who suggested I try performing at Open Stage. The night of Sprout Spoken (my second night on stage) – I decided that I could do this, I could organise a event and raise money for the Merlin MS Centre in St Austell.

   HOW IS PERFORMING YOUR WORK TO A LIVE AUDIENCE MAKING A DIFFERENCE TO YOU?

   When I read to a live audience, it helps my confidence. And I feel if I read to people who don’t know about MS, I could be educating them about it, if to someone struggling with depression, pain, or illness, I might be letting that person know that it’s okay to not be okay and that they are not alone.

   WHAT THINGS DO YOU MOST WANT TO COMMUNICATE ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE OF LIVING WITH MS?

   To help educate people about invisible illness; unless you live with it or have known someone who’s lived with it, it can be hard to understand.

   WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM YOUR FUNDRAISER EVENT ON THE 30TH APRIL?

   A variety of people, poetry and live music, and a fun and educational event. The show is on the final day of UK MS Awareness Week and that’s why I chose it. It’s all to raise money for the local MS centre, which is a charity, not government funded.

   IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SAY?

   Thank you for the opportunity to everyone at Open Stage and intoBodmin, and a massive thank you to you, Tara. People keep telling me this fundraiser is a great idea, and you are the driving force behind it!

   Follow Rob’s work at: https://www.facebook.com/Beneaththetracksuit

   Buy his book Beneath the Tracksuit: Thoughts of a Warrior from Amazon.co.uk

   Find out more about MS and the work of the Merlin MS Centre at https://www.merlinmscentre.org.uk/

2. A Random Act of Art UPG goes intoBodmin

   12 July 2021 8:34 am Leave a Comment

   “Well that made me smile, and there hasn’t been anything much to smile about these days” one of the many phrases to describe the random acts of art brought to the housing estates of Bodmin by IntoBodmin and delivered beautifully by the awesome Prodigal UPG on Sunday 18th April.

   Many people have lost so much during lockdown, but I think what many of us realised from the sheer joy this incredible project injected into us was one of our greatest losses has been one of joy, connection and creativity that was delivered to us in abundance by this beautiful display throughout the day.

   It is difficult to describe in words the powerful movement art brings into our everyday lives. Often overlooked and forgotten as an essential part of our being and yet the stark reminder of how joyless lives have been for many of us. After a long 12 months of being deprived of any live performance these acts will hopefully give us a far greater appreciation for all artists and the aliveness, they bring to our communities moving forward.

   The dancing itself, beautifully delivered and mesmerizing and the energy projected and shared drew people from their homes and saw neighbors reconnecting in a way that for many has been missing for a long 12 months. The general buzz and enthusiasm of the audience was both palpable and contagious creating memories and moments that will etched in all our souls to be replayed as a time of greatness forever.

   This piece, classic, elegant, and old school took the audience on a historical journey and demonstrated a time that my ‘working class brain’ imagines to be a time of how the more prosperous would dress and experience life. We know extraordinarily little of true working-class history as rather as now the working-class experience remains rather unrepresented from the perspective of those really living the experience largely in text and from history books, leaving us all with only rather judgmental assumptions of how the other lives. Do not worry, no one judges the working classes and the poor any harder than we frequently judge ourselves.

   For me, one of the biggest judgements I placed on myself for years was that art of this caliber is not for the enjoyment of people like us, almost a feeling of being unworthy of beautiful moments and once again I found myself making an unfounded judgement that these artists bringing this type of alien art to the land of the forgotten might risk them being jibbed or scorned. Of course, these artists knocked that theory right out of the window as they danced and gathered admirers across even those who have been labelled by society as ‘unreachable’.

   I think what they may or may never be aware of was the gratitude from all of us for sharing their talent with us, for bringing us joy, connection and transporting us to forgotten times allowing all our minds to create and interpret our individual versions of what they were portraying.

   A group of artists who performed with their souls for those of us feeling unworthy of seeing it, participating in it, and enjoying it is a far more powerful act than would ever be possible to recapitulate in words and yet that is the power of what they brought.

   Through these random acts we learned the power of the artists to reach the ‘unreachable’ to touch the souls, to inspire and bring joy and when that joy is shared with those whose eyes and ears are frequently deprived from such visions, it cannot be said that this was just a beautifully, classic performance and piece of art. It was a movement, demonstrating that the art does not belong to one social class above another. Art has no boundaries and is one of the most powerful tools we have remaining in society to bring about collectivity and challenge all the social boundaries we have created from years of social indoctrination that we as humans are in some way different from one another and that is one of the most beautiful and powerful lessons I will ever be fortunate enough to be present for in my lifetime.

    

    

   So once again thankyou IntoBodmin, thank you Prodigal UPG please do not ever underestimate the power, you have as artists to inject new life into communities, to bring people together in such an incredible way. I have a feeling your services will be instrumental in the coming months as we seek to rebuild, reconnect, and regroup from the many horrors and trauma we have encountered over the past 12 months.

    

    

   Prodigal UPG is multiple Award Winning physical theatre & performance-parkour company based in Par. prodigalupg.com