The Guthrie Revisited
Friday 4th April
Minneapolis is a city I first visited 10 years ago, when I was Executive Director of the Chichester Festival Theatre(CFT)in West Sussex, England. Built in the early 60s, for Olivier, while he waited for his new home on the South Bank in London to be ready, CFT is the twin of the magnificent Tyrone Guthrie Theater in the Twin Cities. At the end of the 90s, things were tough in British provincial theatres, and I came over to Minneapolis to see what we, in the UK, might learn from our theatrical brothers and sisters Stateside. I fell in love with the place, with the amazing Christmas lights all around the houses, with the iconic production of A Christmas Carol, and went back to England with thoughts of how we in Sussex might transform the fortunes of the Guthrie's twin sister.
Today, in between visiting branches of Borders and Barnes & Noble to sign stock, thanks to my fabulous book escort Tim, I was finally able to see in person the new Guthrie building, beautifully blue and sleak, with a magnificent and monumental black and white image of Tyrone Guthrie himself outside. Years of waiting, fundraising, dreaming finally come to fruition.
It made me think, again, of how so much of working in the arts - in any discipline, writing, painting, theatre, sculpture, dance - is about patience. About believing in something enough to wait, to work, to get it right. Too often new writers are encouraged to look to the market, to think (guess) about what readers might want, rather than focus on the heart of the book itself. Fashions change, publishing is fickle, so the best an author can do is to write what they want to write, with passion and with integrity, and to the best of their ability. Then, when the time comes to put the novel out there, cross your fingers and hope for the best. All creative work is about taking risks. If a writer has not enjoyed writing a book, then as sure as eggs are eggs, a reader won't enjoying reading it!
Perhaps thanks to this older connection I feel with the city, the evening reading and signing event in Edina was especially enjoyable. In the audience, students of creative writing, people with a connection with the southwest of France of Sepulchre, a woman who had first heard of my previous novel, Labyrinth, thanks to a recommendation from a tour guide in France. A string of coincidences, connections and chances. Even a mother and son from another region of France, just passing by. An evening of new friends and old acquaintances. And the sun was shining!
Tomorrow, a new time zone - appropriate for an author of time slip novels - and plenty of time to read when travelling from state to state.
A bientot.
Kate
Minneapolis is a city I first visited 10 years ago, when I was Executive Director of the Chichester Festival Theatre(CFT)in West Sussex, England. Built in the early 60s, for Olivier, while he waited for his new home on the South Bank in London to be ready, CFT is the twin of the magnificent Tyrone Guthrie Theater in the Twin Cities. At the end of the 90s, things were tough in British provincial theatres, and I came over to Minneapolis to see what we, in the UK, might learn from our theatrical brothers and sisters Stateside. I fell in love with the place, with the amazing Christmas lights all around the houses, with the iconic production of A Christmas Carol, and went back to England with thoughts of how we in Sussex might transform the fortunes of the Guthrie's twin sister.
Today, in between visiting branches of Borders and Barnes & Noble to sign stock, thanks to my fabulous book escort Tim, I was finally able to see in person the new Guthrie building, beautifully blue and sleak, with a magnificent and monumental black and white image of Tyrone Guthrie himself outside. Years of waiting, fundraising, dreaming finally come to fruition.
It made me think, again, of how so much of working in the arts - in any discipline, writing, painting, theatre, sculpture, dance - is about patience. About believing in something enough to wait, to work, to get it right. Too often new writers are encouraged to look to the market, to think (guess) about what readers might want, rather than focus on the heart of the book itself. Fashions change, publishing is fickle, so the best an author can do is to write what they want to write, with passion and with integrity, and to the best of their ability. Then, when the time comes to put the novel out there, cross your fingers and hope for the best. All creative work is about taking risks. If a writer has not enjoyed writing a book, then as sure as eggs are eggs, a reader won't enjoying reading it!
Perhaps thanks to this older connection I feel with the city, the evening reading and signing event in Edina was especially enjoyable. In the audience, students of creative writing, people with a connection with the southwest of France of Sepulchre, a woman who had first heard of my previous novel, Labyrinth, thanks to a recommendation from a tour guide in France. A string of coincidences, connections and chances. Even a mother and son from another region of France, just passing by. An evening of new friends and old acquaintances. And the sun was shining!
Tomorrow, a new time zone - appropriate for an author of time slip novels - and plenty of time to read when travelling from state to state.
A bientot.
Kate
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