I remember when Rebekah was younger, people would stop, stare, point and even make comments about her behaviour. This would sometimes make me very angry and I couldn’t understand why people would treat her differently. However, if we teach people about autism and the challenges and joys it brings, then people will have a better understanding and hopefully the staring, pointing and negative comments will stop.
Sometimes autism can seem hard to talk about because it affects so many people in so many different ways, but the work that the National Autistic Society does to raise autism awareness really helps to get the message out there and start those discussions.
The Lockdown Sonnets are incredible! Can you tell us how the project came about, and how you raised the money?
The March 2020 lockdown put all of our projects on hold and theatres looked like they were going to be closed for some time. Rather than become disheartened by our situation, we decided to put all of our efforts into an exciting online fundraising project. We wanted to create a video collection of all of 154 Shakespearean sonnets. We reached out to a wide range of international theatre makers and rallied the troops!
As we wanted the project to be launched across our social media platforms, each sonnet had to be under one minute in length. We gave each performer total creative control over their sonnet, so they were able to perform it in whatever way they wanted. The response and support we received was incredible and totally overwhelming. Everyone involved in the project gave their time and creativity for free to raise money for such a wonderful charity. The result is an exciting, eclectic and diverse collection of sonnets, each unique to the performer in question.
We released the sonnets daily throughout August on our website and social media channels and encouraged people who watched and enjoyed the sonnets to donate via a JustGiving page that we set up – the page is still open, and we have currently raised £1,856!
Do you have a favourite Shakespearean Sonnet?
I think my favourite of Shakespeare’s sonnets is probably his most famous, Sonnet 18, which begins “Shall I compare thee to a summers day”. We were incredibly lucky to work with so many talented performers for this project and I really loved William Grint’s interpretation of Sonnet 18, which he performed for us in British Sign Language (BSL). You can watch the video here.
We also have sonnets performed in Greek, French, German, Norwegian and Romanian as well as some that use live music, animation, dance and even rap to tell their stories. We are really proud of the project and the work that has gone into it.
Any tips for fellow fundraisers?
I am always trying to come up with new ideas to raise money for the National Autistic Society. A few years ago, I set myself the challenge of swimming a mile a day, every day for one month. I don’t think I quite realised how much of a challenge that would be until about day three of the challenge! But I persevered and pushed through to complete the challenge and raised over £2,000.
I usually hold an annual charity pub quiz evening which has become so popular with my friends that it is jam-packed full of people every time. I have to say… the quiz is a lot less tiring that swimming a mile a day for a month, but I am always amazed at the support I receive and how much people are willing to help and donate.
My advice to fellow fundraisers would be: never underestimate the power of social media! When I did the mile-a-day challenge, I would share daily updates on my progress on my Facebook page with a link to make donations.
I got donations from people who I hadn’t spoken to in years who said they were enjoying reading my updates and it really spurred me on to keep swimming! Don’t be afraid to shout about your achievements because you never know who is reading and who might be able to support you.
How has the lockdown and ongoing restrictions due to Covid impacted you and your company?
We had a really successful sell out show, Shorts Festival at the beginning of the year, so we were really lucky to be able to get that finished before things started to close.
We have a number of projects that we have had to place on hold for the time-being. However, we are looking for ways to adapt our work to take it online, much like Lockdown Sonnets, in order to survive as a company.
As an industry, the Arts is really suffering. Everyone has relied on the Arts industry to keep us entertained and uplifted during such a difficult time so it is really hard to see it struggling to stay afloat. However, the show must go on! And we look forward to getting back into the rehearsal room again next year.
