We have a window of time with which to tap into the creative juices of the nation and hear what they have to say about the opportunities we have when these shows take place. These sessions aren’t about what should actually go into the shows, but about the debates we need to have before getting anywhere near what goes into the shows. These are questions of identity, the importance of our history, the differences between the shows and the very nature of the ceremonies themselves – do they have to be restricted to the Olympic Stadium?
We have many thought-provoking questions to ask and are listening all the way to help us create a brief which will then form the backbone of the creative process for the shows we’ll all be part of in 2012.
As we travel up and down the country for the next few weeks we’ll keep you updated on what the people we meet are thinking and saying and we’ll add some of their own words to our reports.
There are some amazing opportunities ahead.
Our first forum took place at The Ikon Gallery in Birmingham. One of our guests was Orla O’Loughlin, who is Artistic Director of Pentabus Theatre. After the session she wrote to me to say: 'What struck me was how strongly we all began to feel about what the ceremony has been and could be in the future. There are some big themes here about national and global identity, unity and responsibility.
'What I found really powerful was the opportunity to think 'what if..?' and being given the space to think outside the conventional Olympic Ceremony box. The ultimate question seems to be what are the core values of this event in London 2012?
'What are the colours the UK wants to nail to the mast in front of the world?
'Big, important, inspiring stuff.'
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