Blog number 1 / 1 September 2011
Here's to being 68, disabled, newly trained as a choreographer and about to go freelance. I had been a full time academic, teaching drama as well as running my own theatre company but I have now been compulsorily retired. I had already been told that I was a liability due to my disability and my several serious conditions.
I was just past retirement age and had worked full time, with their approval, for three years past the statutory retirement age. Done a very good job to according to all eternal assessors of these things, external examiners and my students and such like. But everyone knows that what really counts in these things is the number. 68 is clearly the mark of the beast. Having trained a huge number of highly successful theatre, television and radio scriptwriters, artistic directors, scenographers and choreographers counts for little compared to the number... and my number was clearly up.
However I am very excited about starting as a freelancer again. It is going to be so easy getting lots of producers and directors to agree to see a recently trained 68 year old disabled guy and the jobs will surely come rolling in-yes? PS I am also Gay, Jewish & Radical by nature. It is going to be an absolute shoe-in. So watch this space. I will keep you posted.
Meanwhile the word is that my university is employing someone a third of my age to do my job - and for a third of my salary of course. And they will naturally have at least a third less experience than I have, probably even less than that. And you can be sure they will have at least triple my mobility. Probably even three legs. I do see their point. Writers must have legs, as many as possible. I mean without them how could they possibly write?
Next time I want to share with you what super fun there is to be had by paying huge amounts of money to an internationally recognised dance academy, for them to train you to Masters Level as a choreographer. All this In a stunning new building, internationally acclaimed and copied for it's disability access. As long as you aren't disabled and/ or in a manual wheelchair that is.
Keywords: ,
Comments
Pete
/It's not extra legs that your replacements will need. Thank you for everything you ever did for me! You taught me more about writing than I even actually know AND gave me confidence in my writing. I am sure that you did the same for countless others.
Donna Griffiths
/What a loss!
You could NEVER be desribed as liability - many other things... cantankerous,
unstoppable, forthright, funny, lovable, generous and genius. But Never liability.
There's a huge Sam-shaped hole in that university now that no amount of legs will ever fill.
xxx
Add a comment
Please leave your comments. They will display when submitted. DAO encourages critical feedback, but please be considerate. DAO reserves the right to edit or remove comments that don't comply with our editorial policy, which you can find on DAOs 'About' pages.