Monologues for Angry Women
Confronting, witty and contemporary - these monologues are one fragment of the growing mosaic which is the Me Too Movement. All of them are truthful. Most are dark. Some are playful. They are born of the shared experiences of women everywhere. You might recognise yourself.
Readings are not performances as we imagine them. They are designed to work the script in front of a listening audience. Props and staging are minimal. Readings are for the writer to test the effectiveness of each piece. They are part of the process before a script is finalised. I am lucky to be given this opportunity to workshop these pieces.
I am lucky to be working with Robert Colman, a director I trust and have worked with previously.
It is through Robert that I am able to work with these two incredible actors: Claudette Clarke and Odile le Clezio. Both have brought new vision to the work.
If you can manage to come along on
SATURDAY 22nd FEB 2020 at 2pm at Blacktown Arts Centre then it would be wonderful!
Readings are not performances as we imagine them. They are designed to work the script in front of a listening audience. Props and staging are minimal. Readings are for the writer to test the effectiveness of each piece. They are part of the process before a script is finalised. I am lucky to be given this opportunity to workshop these pieces.
I am lucky to be working with Robert Colman, a director I trust and have worked with previously.
It is through Robert that I am able to work with these two incredible actors: Claudette Clarke and Odile le Clezio. Both have brought new vision to the work.
If you can manage to come along on
SATURDAY 22nd FEB 2020 at 2pm at Blacktown Arts Centre then it would be wonderful!
Pink
my first novel to be published by Normoyle and Cogan Bespoke Publishers is now available in paperback and ebook. It's been a long time coming but the people at Normoye and Cogan are committed to giving new writers a voice. There will be more novels to follow this first one.
For an idea of what the book's about just hop on my Novels page.
There will be a book launch/celebration in the next few weeks and it would be great to see you there!
I'll keep you posted as to when and where.
Studio Stories presents ‘Stories From the Queer Side of Suburbia’ |
Studio Stories presents ‘Stories From the Queer Side of Suburbia.’ A night of readings from the queer side of the western suburbs at Parramatta Artist Studios in celebration of Mardi Gras. Featuring Siobhan Colman and writers from the anthology Ornaments from Two Countries, edited by Peter Polites. Come for a drink and a chat and a listen and byo your own material for the open mike. Free Entry, free food and drink, free stories. What more could you want?
Thursday March 5th 2015 at 6:30 |
A Letter to my Students 1985-2011
Some Thoughts on Leaving
I began teaching at CCC in 1985 when it was known by a slightly different title, located on a road of a different name, surrounded by farmland. The girls had big hair and short dresses and they, many of them, inscribed their pencil cases and books with names like Spandeau Ballet and Dragon, Cyndy Lauper and Madonna (when they were young). There were less than 500 students. We had no Ag, no Art rooms, no computers, no security fencing, no mobile phones. We went to Year 10 like most girls schools then. After their School Certificate, our girls had to find other schools to continue their education.
Some of those girls were your mothers.
Things have changed a lot since then. The school has a different name and uniform. The farmland is gone. The road outside has been renamed. You don’t have to complete a School Certificate. You are able to stay on to do your HSC. The internet means you no longer have to rely on your parents, or teachers, for information. You can be masters of your own destiny like never before.
But there are a few things I want you to carry with you as you fulfil that destiny and I hope you don’t mind if I share these thoughts with you now. I may never have a better opportunity.
I used to tell my students that they are my future. And I still adhere to that knowledge. You will be the ones to rise to the challenges ahead: inequality, global warming, ethical ways of building and sharing wealth and resources. These are big! Much bigger than your mother’s hair when she was fifteen!
As young women, you will learn first-hand what it is to live in an unequal world. You will need to fight for fair treatment and representation (in Parliament, on TV, in sport, in film), for fair promotion and pay, for the right to live in a world that is safe for you and any children you might have. You will need to stand up for what you believe in and keep telling the world what needs to change. If not for yourself then for women, young and old, around the world who have no voice and few rights. Be their voice.
I know the future is in good hands. You are proof of that.
I want to thank you for all the years of kindness, for the mischief and the fun. For encouraging me to rethink and to ask questions, of myself and others. For being yourself in a world which so often wants to make us all the same. For allowing me to be myself. For respecting difference. For prioritising truth and integrity.
Teachers, as I’m sure you all know, are not perfect. You’d hate it if we were! But there are some things you should know about your teachers (my colleagues and friends):
We love you.
We take joy when you show an interest in your work, in life, in the world around you.
We never stop. We work through weekends, holidays, evenings… we rarely socialise with our friends because we can’t spare the time. School is our life. We work harder than we should and give our bodies less rest than we need.
We are on your side. We prepare you to face an adult world. And like your parents, we would protect you from harm if we could.
We don’t do the job for the pay. Or for the security. We teach because we love spending each day in a world full of you!
As many of you know, I have had to stop being the teacher I once was. Cancer is a tough battle but I am hoping that it is one I will overcome.
But I will miss you all.
And it is that I will miss more than anything. That daily joy of seeing your faces and listening to you and learning from you.
So I just want to say thank you. It’s been a wonderful adventure. Thank you for sharing these years with me. They have been the greatest of my life.
With love.
And hope.
Siobhan Colman B. Ed (1985-2013)
Some Thoughts on Leaving
I began teaching at CCC in 1985 when it was known by a slightly different title, located on a road of a different name, surrounded by farmland. The girls had big hair and short dresses and they, many of them, inscribed their pencil cases and books with names like Spandeau Ballet and Dragon, Cyndy Lauper and Madonna (when they were young). There were less than 500 students. We had no Ag, no Art rooms, no computers, no security fencing, no mobile phones. We went to Year 10 like most girls schools then. After their School Certificate, our girls had to find other schools to continue their education.
Some of those girls were your mothers.
Things have changed a lot since then. The school has a different name and uniform. The farmland is gone. The road outside has been renamed. You don’t have to complete a School Certificate. You are able to stay on to do your HSC. The internet means you no longer have to rely on your parents, or teachers, for information. You can be masters of your own destiny like never before.
But there are a few things I want you to carry with you as you fulfil that destiny and I hope you don’t mind if I share these thoughts with you now. I may never have a better opportunity.
I used to tell my students that they are my future. And I still adhere to that knowledge. You will be the ones to rise to the challenges ahead: inequality, global warming, ethical ways of building and sharing wealth and resources. These are big! Much bigger than your mother’s hair when she was fifteen!
As young women, you will learn first-hand what it is to live in an unequal world. You will need to fight for fair treatment and representation (in Parliament, on TV, in sport, in film), for fair promotion and pay, for the right to live in a world that is safe for you and any children you might have. You will need to stand up for what you believe in and keep telling the world what needs to change. If not for yourself then for women, young and old, around the world who have no voice and few rights. Be their voice.
I know the future is in good hands. You are proof of that.
I want to thank you for all the years of kindness, for the mischief and the fun. For encouraging me to rethink and to ask questions, of myself and others. For being yourself in a world which so often wants to make us all the same. For allowing me to be myself. For respecting difference. For prioritising truth and integrity.
Teachers, as I’m sure you all know, are not perfect. You’d hate it if we were! But there are some things you should know about your teachers (my colleagues and friends):
We love you.
We take joy when you show an interest in your work, in life, in the world around you.
We never stop. We work through weekends, holidays, evenings… we rarely socialise with our friends because we can’t spare the time. School is our life. We work harder than we should and give our bodies less rest than we need.
We are on your side. We prepare you to face an adult world. And like your parents, we would protect you from harm if we could.
We don’t do the job for the pay. Or for the security. We teach because we love spending each day in a world full of you!
As many of you know, I have had to stop being the teacher I once was. Cancer is a tough battle but I am hoping that it is one I will overcome.
But I will miss you all.
And it is that I will miss more than anything. That daily joy of seeing your faces and listening to you and learning from you.
So I just want to say thank you. It’s been a wonderful adventure. Thank you for sharing these years with me. They have been the greatest of my life.
With love.
And hope.
Siobhan Colman B. Ed (1985-2013)
New Blog created for Human Rights and Environmental Concerns
Candles in the Darkness
As of January 2014 I've decided to create a Blog to highlight the need for human rights and care of the environment.
Candles in The Darkness
You might want to take a look and leave a comment.
Here's the link:
http://www.candlesinthedarkness.com/index.html
Candles in The Darkness
You might want to take a look and leave a comment.
Here's the link:
http://www.candlesinthedarkness.com/index.html
The Pyramid in Hobart September 2013
Thanks to an excellent cast and crew The Pyramid was a success.
My thanks to the audiences who were enthusiastic and engaging.
My thanks, also to the ABC who gave it an excellent review and helped with promotion.
Thanks to Tastheatre and The Theatre Royal, friends and family for your support. Nothing could be achieved without it!
Brilliant Cast:
Mark Cutler, Clare Gray and Campbell Mc Kenzie
My thanks to the audiences who were enthusiastic and engaging.
My thanks, also to the ABC who gave it an excellent review and helped with promotion.
Thanks to Tastheatre and The Theatre Royal, friends and family for your support. Nothing could be achieved without it!
Brilliant Cast:
Mark Cutler, Clare Gray and Campbell Mc Kenzie
The Pyramid at the Theatre Royal Hobart September 2013
I will be directing a new season of The Pyramid at the wonderful Theatre Royal Hobart Backspace. I am lucky enough to have on board the very talented Clare Gray, Mark Cutler and Campbell Mc Kenzie as cast members.
This production is part of the Cascade Indie Program of the Tasmanian Theatre Company. I am honoured and proud to be invited on board for 2013.
http://www.theatreroyal.com.au/shows/pyramid
This production is part of the Cascade Indie Program of the Tasmanian Theatre Company. I am honoured and proud to be invited on board for 2013.
http://www.theatreroyal.com.au/shows/pyramid
Sydney Writers Festival: Intersections with Simon Barker
I was invited to be part of a wonderful collaboration of music and sound with the spoken word. Six writers and a group of talented musicians under the direction of Simon Barker created a landscape on which six very different literary journeys began. Here's the link to it.
http://www.swf.org.au/component/option,com_events/Itemid,124/agid,3573/task,view_detail/
http://www.swf.org.au/component/option,com_events/Itemid,124/agid,3573/task,view_detail/
Best Lesbian Romance 2012
The Quickening was included in this volume published in the USA but available here and on line.
Atlas Award 2011
Til Human Voices Wake Us was awarded third place in the inaugural Atlas Award for unpublished manuscripts. You can find an exerpt on my novel page.
Click here to link to the Award and the winner
Click here to link to the Award and the winner
New Mardi Gras Short Story Competition 2010
The Emancipation of Elanora Pickle won frst prize.
There were many excellent stories from talented writers. The theme was Making History. All stories can be found here.
There were many excellent stories from talented writers. The theme was Making History. All stories can be found here.
The Pyramid Melbourne Season Jan-Feb 2010
Highly Acclaimed theatre company Three To A Room presented The Pyramid as part of the Melbourne Midsumma Festival.
Directed by Aimee Blesing with performances by Don Bridges, Felicity Steel and Mick Lo Monaco, the play recieved considerable attention and excellent reviews.
For me personally, the experience of working with these talented and committed professionals was life-changing. I am incredibly grateful to them for their commitment to the piece. And to me.
Directed by Aimee Blesing with performances by Don Bridges, Felicity Steel and Mick Lo Monaco, the play recieved considerable attention and excellent reviews.
For me personally, the experience of working with these talented and committed professionals was life-changing. I am incredibly grateful to them for their commitment to the piece. And to me.
