Hey Hey Hey! Hope you had a great August, 4 months left of the year now and as scheduled, 1st Wednesday of each month, this is your monthly Inua Ellams Newsletter. Tough but exciting September ahead and I’ll keep you updated all the way. On Facebook, On Twitter & On my website. 4 News Items / Smthn frm UTube: UNTITLED // INUA at APPLE STORE // BRITISH MUSEUM // WILL YOU MANAGE // Smth frm UTube: SOUL BOY.
UNTITLED // New Play. Yesterday was Day 1 of rehearsals and in 22 days I should have memorised the script and the play should be completely off the page and turned 3D with lights, sound, props, effects and all that jazz. I spent a cold eve shooting the trailer a few weeks back and the great guys at http://www.stitchthat.tv/ are working on it as we speak. I’ll be sending you a link to the trailer so watch this space. A couple of you have emailed back saying you have bought tickets already and I am very chuffed to hear that so thank you! In case you hit delete when I last mailed out, here is all the info on the play: Dates, Venues, Contact details etc. The 'Untitled Special' http://bit.ly/cw5uX8 Facebook Page: http://bit.ly/ahFoCU
INUA at APPLE STORE // 7pm. 8th Sept. Free. As part of my Covent Garden Creative-In-Residence position, I was at the new Apple Store when it opened in Covent Garden. I queued with the 1st buyers, got one of the 4000 free t-shirts given out that day and wrote about the going ons (crazy I tell you). As an avid Apple fan, I’ve been invited to the store to talk about the people I’ve met so far during the residency and read some of the work created. I’ll also debut the trailer for ‘UNTITLED’ there and read a couple of poems from my forth coming collection ‘Candy Coated Unicorns and Converse All Stars’. And I’ll be trying desperately to blag an iPad. (Carpe diem and all that!) // The event is FREE, takes place in the centre of the beautifully designed store and best of all, as it starts at 7pm, if you live in London, you can go for a drink after work BEFORE coming down. I’m nice like that. Hope you can make it. Facebook event Page. http://bit.ly/b0Sz5D // Apple website: http://bit.ly/ct75vz
BRITISH MUSEUM // 6.30pm. 17 Sept. £5.00 One of my fave sections from ‘UNTITLED’ occurs in the first half where the twin who is left in the village becomes a trainee drummer. Everything goes horribly wrong and eventually he is thrown out, but the fight scene is just brilliant. (my director is a bit of a genius) // What’s this got to do with the British Museum? Well, a new item has just been added to their collection, the legendary Akan drum http://bit.ly/aFh528 and they have put together an event to celebrate this. There, I’ll be performing this excerpt of the play. More info: http://bit.ly/dkvjtu
WILL YOU MANAGE // Musa Okwonga. For those who taunted me during the world cup (Dzifa!), Musa Okwonga, my dear friend and Poejazzi co-conspirator could have taunted the best. He is over qualified to. He is a world renowned football writer who blogged specifically about Nigeria for bodies like: The New York Times and The Independent. His first book ‘A Cultured Left Foot’ dissected what qualities make a great footballer and his recent, which hit the ground running, ‘Will You Mange’ dissects what makes a great football manger. It is a sweeping stiflingly unputdownable good read, (voted Sports Book of the Week across broadsheets) and if you have ever even tried to bend like Beckham, you should enjoy. One word: Amazon.
Smthn from Utube: // Soul boy. The first time I read Ben Okri’s Famished Road I was speechless. I will not mince words, it definitely set the early seeds for ‘UNTITLED’. The Famished Road is about Azaro a spirit child who never severed ties with the spirit world. The story follows him as he tries to live his life, always aware of the spirits trying to bring him back. In ‘UNTITLED’ the twin who is left in the village goes up against the spirits of the land. Now, a film coming straight out of Africa is about a boy who goes hunting for his father’s soul. Awaiting the DVD (doubt it’ll make the big screen here) I will say no more. Peep the website: http://www.soulboy-film.org/ But sit back and watch the trailer:
That's all folks!