2013 was going to be the ‘Year of
Connections’ for 7-ON, following on from our rather successful tilt at a ‘Year
of Publication’ in 2012 (No Nudity,
Weapons or Naked Flames, published by the wonderful Federation Press, will
soon also be available in electronic form for all those digital readers out
there).
I think we envisaged ourselves
making ties with other playwriting groups internationally, or setting up
national links with groups outside the Sydney/Melbourne axis, an especially
sensible aim as we are now so spread around the country ourselves.
Some of that has happened/is
happening. And we have continued to maintain connections with our various
theatre peers and friends.
But there are other ways of
looking at this intention. Speaking for myself (it's Verity here), I don’t think I have ever had
such a huge year for making and re-making personal connections, ever. It’s been
partly personal and partly professional. At moments I feel so 'connected' it's
overwhelming. There's also the impact of technological connection, too - I'm
gradually overhauling my own technological incompetence - that's important,
maybe crucial, in today's world. I've noticed others have been doing this, too.
Only some of it has ‘paid off’ in
narrow career terms…as in a series of fabulously lucrative gigs (!) but in
terms of give and take, stimulus and the thrill of shared passions and
discoveries well, yes it has, and continues to do so.
The Sevens have been travelling,
too. I think I have persuaded everyone else that they’ve got to go to Morocco
(and I have the address book for them when they do! and a link http://www.writersjourney.com.au/journeys/moroccan-caravan/? for the rest of you...). Ned has foregrounded
Greece as a necessary destination. Noelle travels to the UK for family reasons
from time to time. The rest of us get these lovely snippets in her emails from
OS full of her characteristic wit and precise observation. Hilary has another
life from her days in New York and had the address list available for Vanessa
when she went to the US for the PWA Playwrights Exchange. And so on. The power
of the group is that as individuals we can facilitate each other’s connections
as well as our own.
So 'connecting' might be a
long-haul, multi-faceted process. Maybe the ‘Year of Connections’ might end up
simply being the bringing of all these established connections to
consciousness, and then acting on them. We'll see. It's only May, after all...
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