It's been a fun first week, and I've been documenting it on Instagram stories. I don't know how long that will last.

This week, I finished a youth theatre script, planned the blocking for another group's play, learnt a dance, and developed a concept for the opera Carmen (which took two days' worth of 'always an artist' time). I'm currently dedicating about an hour per working day to these tasks, which seems manageable with my current workload.

I really enjoyed working on my concept. It's an activity that stretches me as a director and encourages me to think big. The Carmen concept revolves around cages and the idea of the title character as a "rebellious bird," which she how she describes love in her famous Habanera aria. Spoiler alert: Carmen doesn't get a happy ending, and I think it's because her lover Jose would dearly like to keep her in a cage (metaphorically). I don't think this concept is finished yet because I don't think it's refined enough right now, but the ideas are in a lovely buzzy place, and I don't want to cage them just yet.

While I was making my Carmen concept, I thought a lot about metallics and the role they would likely play in the set design. I then realised that this had come up before. For La Traviata (mood board to come this week or next), I've thought a lot about glass and mirrors. For Kingmaker (which had its R&D in 2024), I really wanted canvas and burlap and other sturdy fabrics. Textures and materials are something I care a lot about in visual concepts, so do say hello if you're a designer who loves texture.

Of the five tasks, the one I felt most vulnerable sharing was a video of me dancing. I don't know exactly why that felt more vulnerable than writing or directing, but it did. I'm glad I posted it though because it was extremely joyful, and lots of people were extremely kind. I want to progress as a choreographer this year, and that means getting back into dance classes to reconnect with my movement instincts.

Thanks for reading, and I'll let you know what happens in Week 2!