Danny Horrigan

Highlights

• Currently redrafting a play with songs for the Liverpool Royal Court Stage Write Playwrights Development Program. It has been such a ride.
• This year I gained a Merit in my Post Graduate Certificate in Research Practice from Birmingham City University, which was focused on the philosophy of Deleuze, Woyzeck by Georg Buchner, and the directing craft of Mike Alfreds.
• My short films Seine and Read to Me are very close to being ready for release - watch this space for updates.
• As we approach the start of 2023 I've begun the process of looking at all the ideas that have been parked over 2022 to see which are going to be given attention over the next 12 months. There's several to consider: Psyche 0110 - an AI led story about a detective agency (short SciFi) - Harry Comes Home: a drama about the reinternment of a soldiers remains and the woman who never gave up on his return (short Drama) - The Balance: a comedy about a group of men recovering their wits in a secure psychiatric unit (Digital Theatre) - The Hunter: a solo piece about gentrification and reclaiming what's yours (Digital Theatre) - A Correspondence: a post dramatic journey that places us on the fault line of the personal and the professional lives of a photographer as her world disintegrates (stageplay) - and The Unconditional: a play with songs about a musician looking to reconnect with a family he desperately needs and how its never too late to repair (stageplay).
• My introduction to the thinker Theodor Adorno began when I worked in a bookshop in the late 90s. An Italian student of philosophy ordered his book Minima Moralia - I mentioned it looked interesting. Two weeks later he came back and said I could have it on condition that when I was done with it I placed it on an empty seat on a tube for somebody else to find. That was over twenty years ago and it still sits on my shelf with my annotations - made over the years. I keep coming back to it. I simply can't let it go. I think 2023 should be the year.
• Back in the theatre in February where I'll be sharing work at The Liverpool Royal Court - SWPDP - a group of writers mentored by Karen Brown the LRC and the beautiful city of Liverpool. Can't wait.
• Turned in Draft 3 of my WiP for The Liverpool Royal Court SWPDP.
• Read to Me is now going out to festivals for selection. What a great time we all had on that.
• The private screening for Read to Me was beautiful with a steadfast collection to smash the night with and music from Franc Cinelli. Triangle Garages Fulham - what a night. Thanks.
• Work on my dramatic monologue The Hunter is progressing well - currently at Draft 3. A story about gentrification and finding your tribe in a world that can't stop even when it has enough.
• Post-production audio on Seine has gone up a level thanks to the subtle and incisive work of EV - all the feels.
• What a fantastic evening at Liverpool's Royal Court for the SWPD evening with astute direction, nuanced performances, a cracking selection of scripts and a great big warm audience. I love Liverpool and catching up with my excellent writing, filmmaking, and cinema arts centre running pals and besties.
• Tomorrow there's news on funding for a play in development I'm writing. I've used the weekend as a delirium of hope and got a lot done.
• I now teach acting to undergraduate BA Hons. Acting students at Hereford College of Arts - 4 weeks with them now and its a journey.
• So we didn't get the funding as they felt the idea we were working on was already too finely developed and the funding is for work at an earlier stage of development.
• Read to Me has been selected by Apex Film Awards and LiftOffGlobal Network - and we'll also be screening with the Ukraine Fringe this August. Read to Me is on its journey - I'm so proud of this film.
• Turned in Draft 5 of Waste (working title) for Foliage Films - an empty street poem about a man in the dark - part surreal part existential part realism its got all the cut-ups.
• Nominated for Best Director for Read to Me at the Screen Power Film Festival - a real honour given the quality of film in their orchard.
• Have begun the process of creating etudes for Woyzeck - casting is going well with a real concentration of talent to choose from. Surprisingly it is useful to be able to self tape - given my location - although I wonder f actors should be paid to self tape ... and dare I say it audition?
• The shoot for the Woyzeck Etude has been completed. A really wonderful session with lots of interesting work coming out of it all. The first assemblies are coming in - there's a lot to process and I'm really looking forward to it.
• Last week I was awarded Best Writing at The Curzon Soho with the Big Fridge International Film Festival for Read to Me. It was a fun festival with a lot of quality films. A really great chance to see the film up there on the bg screen with a full compliment of a highly-resourced cinema. The other film makers were lovely as were the staff at the Cinema. It was a great night.