BACK FROM CHILE - THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!
15 November 2018
Dear family and friends,
I'm back to beautiful Welly after a wonderful time at the Women International Playwrights Conference in Santiago de Chile! A huge THANK YOU, again and again, to all of you who supported me in various ways and helped me get there! It has been such an enriching experience… Meeting over 130 inspiring Women-in-Theatre from all over the world, spending each day from morning to late night surrounded by creative minds, taking part in workshops, attending readings and full productions, sharing deeply moving personal-yet-universal stories, not only in regards to writing and bringing scripts to life, but looking at how our writing can address these joys, sorrows and worries regarding the many issues men, women and children are facing today, world-wide.
Attending the reading of my Spanish translation of my play Nuclear Family, done with much love and dedication by a lovely director and a multi-cast of talented young Chilean actors was an unforgettable experience, as was sharing with other playwrights and practitioners our perceptions and feelings about the various aspects of the readings and the conference – so much passion and long hours of volunteer work go into organizing an event like this! It was a treat to meet the ever-smiling organisers, and to be able to thank them in person.
The fact that this conference was in Santiago was particularly delightful for me, having lived the first 24 years of my life in beautiful Venezuela (now going through such tragic times!) and almost 34 years gratefully living in NZ-paradise, getting this chance to spend a little time ‘living in Spanish’ again, I absolutely loved it. From walking around the lively streets of the bohemian neighbourhood of Lastarria (I stayed in a great little Airbnb), stopping here and there to speak with local artists, to dancing in the streets at midnight with a group of fellow playwrights, actors and total strangers… even the concierge of the building where I stayed thanked me for thanking him by coming out from behind his desk to give me a kiss… For all this and so much more, for the inspiration this experience has given me, and for whatever or wherever it may lead to in the future, thank you all for helping me make it happen!
Much love,
Desiree