The slow return to 'normal'

We had a packed 18 month planned which we was really excited to move forward with. This consisted of plays, books, events and even plans to move forward with our very own podcast (more information soon). We where a month away on putting on our first Theatre Addict event, which was going to be an exciting night showcasing the very best of local talent, presented by Adam Leyland and Cal Forbes. This night also included guest speakers Mike Dickinson: artistic director of Naughty Corner, Ian Salmon and Andrew Sherlock.

Unfortunately due to Covid 19, we - like many other creatives, have had to cancel our event, plus any plans for the future. Fast forward four months and life is slowly returning to ‘normal’. We at Likeminded are slowly getting back into the swing of things. The four month break did us good, and we have used this time efficiently and effectively (apart form Andrew who went on a bender… for 11 weeks… no seriously). It has forced us to stop, look and re-evaluate our journey. I have to admit, as a company we have a long way to go and we are far from perfect, but what we are passionate and will always strive to be better.

Passion for me goes a long way, this belief gave the birth of our likeminded motto; “Passion Overcomes Everything”. The most important is having a go and getting your work out there.  It’s worked for us. We’ve learnt from the mistakes to what worked and didn’t work. We’ve had great constructive feedback a long the way which has improved our future work. If we gave into our fear or insecurities, we wouldn’t have this platform to speak to you all on. The first play I ever penned; The man with no identity, would be still in my draw collecting dust and Likeminded wouldn’t exist.

 We feel at likeminded, it’s a brand new start to a brand new journey. We feel energised, a new found love for the art along with a fresh new perspective and direction. We want to bring stories to life like never before. A body of work that actually means something which you can take a way and learn from, a play that will last for years to come. We want to create plays/projects that will encourage debates at the bar and with friends afterwards. That’s theatre for me, that’s art at its finest, bringing people together and sharing their opinions and experience. It’s a big task and a lot of pressure to put on ourselves but I’m confident, if we keep our passion alive we won’t have any problems in making this a reality.

As you will note, last week we released our planned next production, Kristallnacht. We now can confirm that we are working with Liz Redwood, an upcoming writer with a hard hitting drama called; Bloods Thicker - coming in 2021. This is the type of works we want to create-and be part of, which is in essence, bringing real life to stage. This is a new Likeminded and we are excited for you all to be part of our journey and watch us grow. Without the support from our followers and fellow creatives all this wouldn’t be possible. We cant wait to see you all very soon.

Words by Christopher Woodward
Edited by Andrew Smith