FoolishPeople

Untitled page from 'Foundling' - Lili Spain

© Lili Spain 2007

Dark Nights Of The Soul: Cycle IV- Congealed

Dearest Brethren, sorry for lack of correspondence of late- we have been diligently preparing the service for Cycle IV at the Church Of Jofiert. If you want to witness the collating of the Magick and disillusion of the spirit parliament, then visit the Horse Hospital this Saturday Night at 7.30pm. Be prepared to experience the unnameable horrors lurking in our Lord Jesus' heart....

Sane or Inane?

“Most so-called ‘mad’ people suffer from the inability to see that the majority of lunatics are dangerous, and that everyday life is a game whose rules we must know, understand and play as if we believed in them.”

Encyclopaedia Psychedelica

Life really is like a game…Cheated by some, played cunningly by others, and misunderstood in its complications that can cheat you.

It seems to be a natural instinct for some players to battle with their realities, and some are perpetually trying to reach a higher level in life and defeat further bosses. They never seem to be content with their achievements because they can see other players ahead of them, conquering higher lands, and they get hungry for the same fruits. Perhaps the most insane thing is the other half of the population, who do have the gnawing in their stomachs, but haven’t the drive and determination to go out and harvest their food: they just want it handed to them on the plate, already cut up into easily digestible pieces. It is this laziness which sucks them into a life within which they drift along aimlessly, with opportunities and ambitions floating alongside them, teasing them with their presence, yet tantalisingly always out of reach. And there are of course those walking dead, the robots who concentrate on the sole notions of carrying out mundane tasks in monotonous routines so much that they miss life happening. Is this ignorance bliss, or just boring?

A lot of players in this game of life might consider all of us at FP to be crazy; but the simple fact is that we’re not content with ‘playing pretending’ in a deceiving world. We are the sane ones, as foolish as that sounds! The difference is we play by distorted rules that make sense; we question, challenge and defy the set parameters of society, and we think…something which seems to be becoming an endangered species in this declining world. We purely want to paint the truth with our art, help players open their eyes so they can see the Achilles Heel of the level bosses, decipher the real rules for themselves, and just simply think. We want you to see the mystical beauties of our world, see into the heart of darkness and experience the exquisite pains and wounded magnificence that makes life live and breathe.

So, the next time some-one calls you a lunatic, (or is it just me they call that?!)

think about whose really sane, and who’s just inane in these magickal games that we play.

Retro-active manifestation

“I’m asked but once to do my show And once I’ve finished, I must go.”

Due to increased levels of acervulus cerebrin sand in the pituitary glands of the hardware, The Spirit Parliament of The Dark Nights Of The Soul Carnival, will be manifesting for a retro-active performance/haunting on the 14th April at 7.30pm at the horse hospital, as well as the 15th. To celebrate an alternative Easter with the Spirit Parliament and obtain tickets for these evenings of illumination and soul scarring, contact the Horse Hospital on: 020 7833 3644 or www.thehorsehospital.com. Be swift, so you can gain a means of self defence against the virulent corporate plastic flu. Because once we’ve worked our magick, the Spirit Parliament must go to...

Profound Prose and Poetry

“Writing and reading decrease our sense of isolation. They deepen and widen and expand our sense of life; they feed the soul. When writers make us shake our heads with the exactness of their prose and their truths, and even make us laugh about ourselves or life, our buoyancy is restored. We are given a shot at dancing with, or at least clapping along with, the absurdity of life, instead of being squashed by it over and over again. It’s like singing on a boat during a terrible storm at sea. You can’t stop the raging storm, but singing can change the hearts and spirits of the people who are together on that ship.” Anne Lamott

On behalf of Foolish People, I would like to welcome the terrifically talented Rob Kay into our undeniably unique FP family! I really enjoyed his ‘haunting’ writing, and I truly look forward to following his work over the coming weeks, as no doubt he is another asset to our already diverse artistic group. He has ventured into the realms of FP to bestow his profound prose writing onto us, though wants to make a ‘foray into theatre’ in the future, which pursuit I am sure will be successful, in collaboration with FP!

I would also like to take this opportunity to express how enjoyable I found Zachary Cox’s talk and performance at Treadwells last night; I felt truly privileged to be one of the few people to witness one of his rare public appearances, and was filled with so much knowledge and inspiration from him, that I can’t wait to explore it in my own and others’ poetry! He was such a touching talker that there are already plans for a Part II, as the audience’s greedy minds weren’t satisfied with the mere hour and a half and are still hungry for more! I know that I’m already signed up as I would love to embark on the adventure further into his incredible mind and insights.

Anyway, I hope that your soul is hungry, as we have plenty of up-coming articles, writings and ventures to feed your insatiable appetite with- good eating indeed...

True Will

"The Inner mystery of being creative is that of life itself. If we understand and apply true principles to our work, then we, like our forebears, can be in harmony with the world and its underlying essence at all levels of our being. It is up to us to know what we have to do, and to do it."
'Muses and Fates' by Nigel Pennick & Helen Field

Firstly, let me introduce myself! My name is Lucy Allin and I am a new member of FP, though I use the term 'new' loosely, as although I've only been cast for Cycle III: Emergence, if feels like I've been a member for aeons, as FP is an integral part of my life at the moment. In fact...I'm pretty sure my old friends are going to send out a search party for me anytime now!

Jests aside, our rehearsals for Cycle III are well underway, and I have to say I have never worked with more talented, creative and amazing people than I have with our 'FP Family'! Like any family, we have our domestics, but there is unspoken support and love in abundance, which is well needed when these last few weeks I've had to confront a lot my demons (and I don't just mean the ones from my past!)

Not only have we been venturing into all of our pasts, but we have been communicating with our future selves, which manifest into the most intriguing and intense rehearsals I have ever encountered. It has been a truly magnificent experience for me as an artist, and personally, as I really feel like I've had an immense rebirth in my life: experienced an 'Emergence' in myself. John's beautifully scarred writing has really inspired me to channel all my experiences and pains into my own writing for the first time; and its like a window has been opened into my heart, and is so empowering to know that such pain and negativity can be turned into such exquisite beauty. It is like I've stumbled across my true will and I now know what I have to do in life, and I am going to do it.

I truly hope Cycle III provokes similar magick for you!

Exeter Bound

We are now Exeter bound. Expect Blogging and pictures from the floor of the Weird Weekend, where DR BLEACH is appearing this evening.

I shall be conducting a Q&A after Bleach has done his thing, whatever that thing may be.

And if your at the Weird Weekend this weekend please stop by our table and say hi.

Auditions 23/1/05 Cockpit Theatre

FoolishPeople are holding Auditions Sunday the 23/1/05 at the Cockpit Theatre London for our 2005 Theatre/RealityHack projects.

These projects are THE DARK NIGHTS OF THE SOUL, a six part horror anthology developed in association with Richard Freeman of the Centre of Fortean Zoology. WAR GHOST a three part Ghost anthology and finally FPlab, FoolishPeople's new training and education section.

These auditions are held in association with Monkeys With Shotguns, who will also be at the Cockpit Theatre on Sunday casting for projects they are developing for 05.

Please email casting@foolishpeople.org if you would like to be considered for an audition this Sunday.