Full throttle kind of day. First day of the Toy Theatre festival – the funders were there, which added a pleasant layer of pressure; hope my fancy shirt made an impression. Through some act of god we ran ahead of schedule despite the schools being almost half an hour late; and I’m not certain this was a good thing – running ahead of schedule that is. Performances went well, both from the students & the professionals, so I’m pleased with that. Almost had a mother rip me a new one because I didn’t have water available for the kids after the performance. In fairness I had no idea it would be so hot in that theatre today. Regardless, water breaks are now on the agenda for the rest of the performances this week. Rest of the festival should be much easier in general – I hope. Not as many plays or classes per day.

Went to the opening of Seen and Not Heard in the evening at the B’ham Museum & Art Gallery. A ‘community’ art piece around perceptions on Islam from Muslim people. Highlight of the event for me was one of the speakers though – his name escapes me at the moment, which is unfortunate. Regardless, he spoke about art as a radical force & the importance of art and artists in the shaping of a world that’s becoming increasingly skewed.

All in all an interesting evening & I hope the exhibit all the best. For now it’s off to plan my weekend with a visiting friend from Canada.