Celebrating Companionship with Shakespeare’s Sonnets - Part 2

Valerie is delighted to release the fourth episode of The Live Literature Company’s latest podcast series ‘Celebrating Companionship’.

This is the second episode, featuring a choice of Shakespeare's Sonnets as a companion, leading up to and celebrating Shakespeare's birthday near the end of April.

 

Valerie is delighted to be joined by 5 actors, Margo Cargill, Nicholas Farrell, Geraldine James, Freddie Meredith, and Wendy Morgan, who will speak personally about why they have made their sonnet companion choice, before sharing a reading of it with you.

 

Podcast editor: Wendy Morgan.

 

The piece of music used in the intro/outro for this podcast is BACH CELLO SUITE No.1 G Major, Prelude played by Cooper Cannell.

 

Please have a listen or click here for the transcription. If you like our podcast, we'd love for you to subscribe and follow us!

Celebrating Companionship with Shakespeare’s Sonnets

Valerie is delighted to release the third episode of The Live Literature Company’s latest podcast series ‘Celebrating Companionship’. 

 

The next 2 episodes will be feature a choice of Shakespeare's Sonnets as a companion, leading up to and celebrating Shakespeare's birthday near the end of April. 

 

Valerie is delighted to be joined by 3 actors, Rosie Sheehy, Joshua Finan, and Jonathan Cullen, who will speak personally about why they have made their sonnet companion choice before sharing their speaking of it with you. 

The piece of music used in the outtro for this podcast is called Allegro by Emmit Fenn. 

 

Please have a listen or click here for the transcription. If you like our podcast, we'd love for you to subscribe and follow us!

 

Celebrating Companionship with LLC - Episode 2

Valerie is delighted to release the second episode of The Live Literature Company’s latest podcast series ‘Celebrating Companionship’.

 

In this episode Valerie talks about her experience as a twin and and directs a voice recording of her prose poem, 'Song of Innocence'. This is an imaginative prose poem about her time in the womb with her twin brother. This is performed by young actors, recent graduates of RADA, Rosie Sheehy and Freddie Meredith.

 

Bach’s Double Violin Concerto will also be played as part of this podcast.

 

Please have a listen or click here for the transcription. If you like our podcast, we'd love for you to subscribe and follow us!

Celebrating Companionship with LLC - Episode 1

 Valerie is delighted to launch the first episode of Live Literature Company’s latest podcast series ‘Celebrating Companionship’.

In this episode you can hear Wendy Morgan talking about her personal companionships. She also talks about her experience of life during the lock downs and how important her companions have been in these difficult times.

At the end of this podcast Wendy performs her beautiful musical setting of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18. 

Please have a listen or click here for the transcription. If you like our podcast, we'd love for you to subscribe and follow us!

LLC discusses Beethoven in celebration of his 250th Birth Anniversary

 We are excited to launch the last episode of our Autumn podcast series focusing on Deafness with a transcription. 

This episode focuses on Beethoven for his 250th Birth Anniversary and his own deafness. Valerie is also going to talk about her own personal journey with some of Beethoven’s music.
At the end of this podcast there is a beautiful piano performance by Sam Haywood of the slow movement of Beethoven’s Pathétique Sonata.

As a companion piece to this podcast, The Live Literature Company is also releasing on YouTube our latest Shakespeare film, ‘Shakespeare’s Kings and Queens’.

Please have a listen or click here for the transcription. If you like our podcast, we'd love for you to subscribe and follow us!

Celebrating The 17th Anniversary Year of The Live Literature Company - March 2019

Party invite for The Seven Dials Club company party.

It was great to welcome so many supporters of LLC to The Seven Dials Club for this party. It was a wonderful celebration evening and everyone had a lot of fun.

Harmage Singh Kalirai from LLC's 'Post Office'
production telling a good joke at the party.

Photographer Simon Annand chatting to Val
at the party.

Colin Challenger, Val's old neighbour from Islington,
chatting to LLC's Executive Director Rachel Hunter.

Guests found the canapes and drinks delicious!

Fiona Evans from LLC's 'David Jones War Poet's Recital' with Hattie
Hayridge of 'Red Dwarf' fame. 

Ed Halsted, most recently in LLC's 'Joe Orton
celebration for the 50 year anniversary of the end of
stage censorship' with Fiona Evans.

Kathleen Donald, one of LLC's loyal audience
members from Scotland.

A clip from Red Dwarf was played at the party and everyone had a great time watching this. An ex-student of Val's, Hattie Hayridge who featured in Red Dwarf as the character Holly, watched the clip alongside everyone at the party.

You can watch the clip below:

The Unveiling of a Gravestone for William Blake - 12 August 2018

The unveiling of a 
gravestone for 
William Blake

The Live Literature Company's tribute to
William Blake

Val placed this sunflower on the gravestone with The Live Literature Company card inscribed with love from her and the company. Over many years LLC has staged important and memorable combined arts performances of William Blake's work often with celebrated performers.

Martineau Society Conference - 26 July 2018

Harriet Martineau Society
Conferencein London 2018

Picture of Matilda Thorpe on left and Catherine Harvey on right in the Dr. Williams's Library, Bloomsbury. They were performing a sketch Val wrote, 'Harriet Martineau & Charlotte Bronte: A Sketch of their Relationship'.

This was an after dinner entertainment for The Martineau Society conference. This was the first time Val had worked with Matilda since directing her as a student in 'Rosmersholm' at the then Central School of Speech & Drama. Val's sketch will be published in May 2020 on Amazon, ISBN number 979-8644014408.

English PEN event for Centenary of Nelson Mandela's birth - 17 July 2018

English PEN event for Centenary of Nelson Mandela's birth

Val was one of the people at this PEN event at which the prison letters of Nelson Mandela were read aloud to the audience. It was a deeply moving and profound evening.

The event marked the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth and the publication of The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela, published by Liveright. It was directed, produced and hosted by the acclaimed performer and director Josette Bushell-Mingo OBE.

A selection of Nelson Mandela’s letters were passionately read by a group of wonderful writers from the UK and South Africa, including Jay Bernard, Jackie Kay, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Ben Okri, Sahm Venter (editor of the book), Zoe Wicomb and Gary Younge. Award-winning composer Errollyn Wallen MBE performed a new piece of music inspired by the letters, composed especially for the event.

You can listen to this below.

Niagara at The Globe - June 2018

Val with Jimmy Garnon and the Niagara University
drama students 2018 at Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Jimmy Garnon was one of the professors teaching the Niagara drama students this Summer and he was also performing at The Globe in As You Like It and Hamlet.

Chelsea Flower Show - 22 May 2018

The Yorkshire Garden at
Chelsea Flower Show

Val visits the Chelsea Flower Show every year and this Yorkshire garden reminded her of her visit to Yorkshire last Summer. With friends she visited The Hepworth Wakefield one of the great new arts centres there.

Kenwood Magnolia Tree - April 2018

Kenwood Magnolia Tree

Val goes every Spring to see this beautiful tree flower outside Kenwood House. One of the famous paintings in Kenwood House is on the front of the company card.

Shakespeare in the Abbey - 26 April 2018

Shakespeare in the Abbey

Val attended Shakespeare in the Abbey, run by Shakespeare's Globe Theatre at the end of April 2018. Mark Rylance spoke Sonnet 17 sotto voce about 2 inches away from Val's ear. This was a very enjoyable experience!

Mimi Doulton's Singing Recital - February 2018

Image above: Mimi Doulton 

Val attended her niece's contemporary music singing recital at the St George The Martyr Church in Borough. Her niece, Mimi Doulton graduates as an opera singer from the Guildhall School of Music this Summer 2018.

Val has been to this church before under very sad circumstances to attend the funeral of Sarah Wheeler, the founder of the Mental Fight Club which meets in the Crypt of this church. Sarah founded this wonderful group and had a great love of the work of William Blake. So many of us who have done work focused on Blake came to know her through this.

Val At Cairo Opera House - December 2017

Val at the Saqqara Pyramids at the beginning of her visit to Egypt.

Photo of Val at Cairo Opera House in December 2017.

The Live Literature Company has been invited to perform in Egypt. Val visited there to do further research about a possible visit, and also travelled visiting the beautiful and fascinating historic sites in Egypt.

Lucy Casson, Live Lit Co Performer Welcomes New Baby, Ferdinand

Live Lit Co performer, Lucy Casson with her baby Ferdinand. Val and Lucy met up at the Young Vic with beautiful Ferdinand soon after he was born. Congratulations Lucy!

Published article celebrates the Live Lit Co's 15th anniversary year - Sep 2017

Val has had her article published this month in the Highgate Literary and Scientific Institution Newsletter. The article celebrates the 15th Anniversary year of the Live Lit Co, honouring many of the LLC’s achievements over those years, and it also shows what we have been about and so much we can be proud of. 

Please do click on the following links to read page one and page two of the article. We hope you enjoy reading it!

The Westray Wife, Orkney Islands - August 2017

Westray Wife, Orkney

Details of the neolithic Westray Wife.

The Westray Wife, Scotland's earliest representation of a human form. After the Edinburgh Festival this August Val visited the beautiful and historic Orkney Islands.

Tracey Emin And William Blake, Liverpool - August 2017

Tracey Emin and William Blake exhibition at Tate Liverpool, which Val visited on the way to the Edinburgh Festival in August this year. It was great to meet up again with people Val met previously who work at Tate Liverpool. The Live Literature Company has staged much Blake work, so this exhibition was an important visit linked to our work. There was a fascinating voice tape with the exhibition which featured Liverpudlians talking about their response to, in particular, Tracey Emin's bed!

Edinburgh Festival Visiting Arts producer/director meeting - August 2017

Above is a picture of Fergus Linehan, Director of the Edinburgh International Festival talking to the people who attended the Visiting Arts producer/director breakfast meeting at the Edinburgh Festival on August 24th. In the background of the photo is Yvette Vaughan Jones, Executive Director, Visiting Arts.

For 5 years running Val has been invited to be part of this meeting at the Edinburgh Festival representing The Live Literature Company.