Starving: an Artist in Limbo - a piece of filmed theatre for 2021 in aid of The Theatre Artists Fund
AP Stephen: artist in Limbo.
My Story
STARVING: an artist in limbo - by AP Stephen, is a filmed version of a brand new theatre adaptation of Franz Kafka's A Hunger Artist, the story of a dedicated performer whose life is devastated when the world suddenly and unexpectedly changes and his audience abandons him. I initially embarked on this entirely solo project as a way of reconnecting with the passions and influences that first drew me to the performing arts some thirty years ago but I quickly realised the enormous resonances that Kafka's story carries for our world today where it seems that nothing can be taken for granted with things either changing all too quickly for us to properly adjust or simply grinding to a shuddering halt. The Theatre Artists Fund has been set up to provide emergency support for theatre workers and freelancers across the UK who are in need of urgent and critical financial support due to the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the theatre sector. Like many, my small family and I are mostly having to sit out the Covid period, do what we can and just wait for better times to arrive. We have each other, a home and just about enough to get by, but many are not so fortunate and Kafka's tale seems to me an extraordinarily prescient parable of the precarious predicament of the performer. I initially envisaged STARVING as a theatre piece, devised and rehearsed it as such and I am very much hoping to perform it live in the not too distant future. This simple one-take film, recorded on my wife's tablet and performed in our tiny dusty loft, one wet Wednesday, is a very much pared-down version, playing on the restrictions and stasis of lockdown. I tweaked the film on a basic app but I have resisted the temptation to jazz it up with any digital trickery in an attempt to highlight its intimacy and preserve its theatrical simplicity. I would like to extend a warm invitation to everyone to watch my take on Kafka's chilling tale and I very much hope all of you will find in it something to appreciate and even enjoy. It is my wish that many will feel compelled to donate whatever they are able to The Theatre Artists' Fund, a sadly necessary but wonderful and worthy cause in these unprecedented and scary times. APS.
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Target
£100
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Raised so far
£215
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Number of donors
7
My Story
STARVING: an artist in limbo - by AP Stephen, is a filmed version of a brand new theatre adaptation of Franz Kafka's A Hunger Artist, the story of a dedicated performer whose life is devastated when the world suddenly and unexpectedly changes and his audience abandons him. I initially embarked on this entirely solo project as a way of reconnecting with the passions and influences that first drew me to the performing arts some thirty years ago but I quickly realised the enormous resonances that Kafka's story carries for our world today where it seems that nothing can be taken for granted with things either changing all too quickly for us to properly adjust or simply grinding to a shuddering halt. The Theatre Artists Fund has been set up to provide emergency support for theatre workers and freelancers across the UK who are in need of urgent and critical financial support due to the devastating impact of Covid-19 on the theatre sector. Like many, my small family and I are mostly having to sit out the Covid period, do what we can and just wait for better times to arrive. We have each other, a home and just about enough to get by, but many are not so fortunate and Kafka's tale seems to me an extraordinarily prescient parable of the precarious predicament of the performer. I initially envisaged STARVING as a theatre piece, devised and rehearsed it as such and I am very much hoping to perform it live in the not too distant future. This simple one-take film, recorded on my wife's tablet and performed in our tiny dusty loft, one wet Wednesday, is a very much pared-down version, playing on the restrictions and stasis of lockdown. I tweaked the film on a basic app but I have resisted the temptation to jazz it up with any digital trickery in an attempt to highlight its intimacy and preserve its theatrical simplicity. I would like to extend a warm invitation to everyone to watch my take on Kafka's chilling tale and I very much hope all of you will find in it something to appreciate and even enjoy. It is my wish that many will feel compelled to donate whatever they are able to The Theatre Artists' Fund, a sadly necessary but wonderful and worthy cause in these unprecedented and scary times. APS.
AP Stephen: artist in Limbo. is fundraising towards