Function-hopping and proofreading

Working 16-hour days can take it out of you, so I’m pretty exhausted at the moment, and living the life of a zombie most days. However, I managed to get away from the madhouse a couple of times over the last week and soak up some Aussie culture. I’ve discovered a great local theatre – really cutting edge and great for new writers – very similar to the Donmar Warehouse in London – called the Belvoir Street Theatre. So I went with a crowd of theatre-loving girls to see Parramatta Girls – a new play about the experiences of women in a female detention centre in Western Sydney. The story is extremely harrowing, and the women’s performances were deeply moving. What a great play for female actresses in their 30s and 40s to really get their teeth into. I can’t believe these things happened to women so close to here and so recently. It was a great introduction to how fab theatre can be in Sydney.

Parramatta Girls

Last week I also attended the launch of the Sydney Writers’ Festival – close to my heart as it took me back to my roots – pre-BFI I ran the author events program at a large bookshop in Manchester – and I was there as a guest – essentially to schmooze and check out how they run their membership program (part of my remit in my new job). It’s a great program this year – I started getting excited about going to some of these readings and meeting the authors, and then I realised that the SWF is in May – immediately before my festival – so I doubt very much I’ll be able to attend more than a couple of events. :-(



I hot-footed my way from the launch to the home of our director, for a team-building barbecue on her roof. Despite the immense pressure and workload in the office, this was a great opportunity to hang out with the team, and chill out a little bit before it gets even more crazy. Much fun was had by all, and I discovered Nick cooks a mean steak!

Some of the team

Work duty on Monday took me to a Gala Dinner at AFTRS – the very prestigious Australian Film, Television and Radio School, where George Miller (of Mad Max, Babe and Happy Feet fame) received an honorary degree. Lots of Antipodean film and TV glitterati were there, including Sam Neill (Lord of the Rings), Susie Porter (Feeling Sexy), Dion Bebee (Memoirs of a Geisha) and lots of other lovely people. A slight seating faux pas led to myself and Clare being on the same table as my predecessor, but we escaped the awkwardness through plenty of charming mingling and delightful desserts.

I’m now feeling v sheepish for thinking this kind of social life is possible when we’re ‘on deadline’! This morning was our sponsors’ breakfast – lots of mingling with our lovely supporters in a Sydney hotel, introducing people to each other, making lots of grateful noises, and generally using my outer calm to hide a deep-rooted panic beginning to consume me as we approach our deadline. The program is looking great but there’s a long way to go yet.

When oh when will I get my life back?

cx