#aplayadayinmay ...

... and study as secular worship

Last week was rough.

Sometimes it doesn’t take much, getting on a bus in the wrong direction, a few nights of sleeping badly, a baffling breakout on your forehead. Sometimes that’s coupled with being turned down for some funding and spreading yourself too thin.

So, I fancied a bit of joy, and inspired by Somebody Jones and Eve Leigh’s enthusiasm, I will be reading #aplayadayinmay and posting it to my Instagram.

As it stands, this is a slightly masochistic task to engage in as I’m already struggling to juggle various creative projects, but three days into the challenge, and already I’m delighted by the memories and stories the plays bring up (e.g. #day1 was Farah Najib’s recent play Maggots which I had a ticket for but then fell asleep at 5.30pm and missed), and also the low-key shame I have for having not seen/ read the plays to begin with (as was the case with #Day2 Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons, #Day3 This Beautiful Future and #Day4 Men Should Weep).

One of the finest plays I saw last year – which I really think was slept on – was Letters from Max by Sarah Ruhl, in which a line stuck with me was this idea of ‘study as secular worship.’

And I loved that as a way of describing what it is we do as artists, whether you’re a writer or maker of any kind. Our love of craft and artistry is an act of faith that may have no discernible outcome, it may just be study for study’s sake. And anything you can do to remind yourself that’s what it is, is is an act of love and worship, reminds you why you do what you do.

Which is why, despite being pulled in many directions, I will continue trying to read a play a day in May. As someone who has the privilege of having to read plays for work, this may prove more difficult, but I’m going to be kind to myself as I proceed

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