#102 Dyed-in-the-wool
Festivity. Brevity. Butchery. Profundity. Vinny.
Issue #102 Dyed-in-the-wool
21st February 2024
Greetings from the Netherlands!
I’m having a wonderful time at IMPRO Amsterdam. So good, in fact, that I forgot to budget any time to create this very newsletter that you’re holding in your hands/ looking at with your eyes.
So buckle up for a lightning round of Chris Mead news.
Rule of three
[Book] 4,000 Weeks
I am a dyed-in-the-wool, hopeless productivity geek and this book on the beautiful brevity of living is absolutely life-changing. It’s central message - that we simply don’t have time to do everything and once you let go of that self-defeating illusion you can actually start making choices that will shape the time you do have - has caused a seismic shift in my thinking. Whole-heartedly recommended.
[Internet] Longreads
Now I’ve left much of social media behind, I don’t have the option to doomscroll on public transport or in coffee shops. The thoughtfully curated articles on the Longreads website have begun to fill that gap. This week alone we’ve had articles on the rise of women butchers and the geopolitics of ants. Thanks, as ever, to Roz Gregoire for recommending the site in the first place.
[Improv] DAUS
I have seen many glorious shows at the festival this year but Forgotten Trades by DAUS is something truly unique, precious and profound. Three practitioners at the absolute top of their respective disciplines (music, dance, art) live-create an interconnected work, sparking off each other to drive their individual contributions to even greater heights. I have rarely seen an hour of improv that gave me so much hope for the future of our art form. AND I was pleased to see their Instagram account gives a good flavour of their performances, showcasing each of the artists in turn. Check them out and RUN to see them if you get a chance.
Spotlight
More Vinny!
So Vinny’s Scenework Intensive sold out in under a day (although one ticket has become available again - please click on the link above if you’d like to snag it and join us on 16th/ 17th March).
To celebrate Vinny has put out a number of extra workshops on 23rd/24th March. In a typically François-esque stroke of genius - they’re four discreet classes that also function as a second intensive if you take all four of ‘em. These are open to improvisers of all ability levels and are available from Vinny’s Improv College storefront by clicking this link.
Radio contact
Drivetime Radio.