An Idiot's Diary

Camp Caligula has been alive with the sound of sweet summer bird song. Encase you’ve been living under a rock , our very own Jonnie Bayfield has gone as become the Youngest recipient of the prestigious South bank Sky Arts Scholarship. His Writing (both in fiction and theatre) were rewarded with a large bursary which allows him to complete work on his debut Novel and to create an all new Caligula Show for 2016. He even met Melvyn Bragg, who was part of the judging process!

To make matters better, IDIOTS had a sell out debut run at Vault 2015 and even won an award - The Pick of the week. We were also nominated for the Vault Origins award for outstanding theatrical practice alongside some proper, full on companies. With that in mind we are heading to the Plesance Courtyard for the duration of the Fringe, playing at 2.15 daily (bumping with Stewart Lee sadly) so pop in and see a great show that has already won acclaim from industry and civilian alike!

Thanks for reading

The drastic (and oddly prophetic) acts of the week have stunned us into submission; the blazing BAC and the closure of Ideas-tap. The bandwagon is seemingly already full, as every theater, artist and company tweet their guts out in an attempt to alter the bureaucratic process.We have not enough money, or influence therefore all we can give is our signature or a scrap of writing like this one. Beautiful though the show of support is, the lack of power is sad and angry. It is yet another example designed to reveal the truly useless people beneath the passion.

We say this because it can be foolish to naively make a stand without fully understanding the power of our own uselessness, not because we don't think people should help in anyway they can. They should, of course,  because it's all we can do and it’s the right thing to do. Power is given by understanding both sides of the coin and unfortunately, due to lack of funding from the public sector, austerity has crept into the Ideas tap bed, leaving behind a dripping horses head of corporate indignation.

But we must tweet and sign and speak to as many people as we can- Ideas-tap helped Caligula out more than we probably know and- as with all bedrock institutions- the moment it goes will be the moment we truly appreciate their work. Ideas-tap is Good in the old fashioned sense of the word; run by Good People, with Good Intention and Good outcomes. This speaks volumes when you consider the true state of our industry; one of ego, greed and sycophancy.

For three days we have been sat around a table discussing the novel from which our show is based. Having learnt many things, the two that tower high among the other's is thus..

1)The Idiot is one of most intellectually complex pieces of fiction writing ever; it's psychology and symbolism dance about the page, sometimes in plain sight, often hidden behind words detailing mustaches or dinner etiquette.

2) It is messy, convoluted, poorly structured, inaccessible and quite obviously written for the word count by a man in great financial hardship, pining for his advance.

This said I, I believe my comrades also, have fallen in love with this swirling work of pseudo- fiction, which is both fantasy and memoir. It is funny, political, savage and above all, About life!

Firstly we deal with both the author and protagonists condition, Epilepsy.

Two main core types but with 40 varying levels and degrees of seizure, each associated with differing lobes of the old brainbox. Epilepsy is defined as being 'An Abnormal amount of Electrical activity in the brain'. With this in mind it is understandable that Dostoevsky-and many other artists and thinkers- live with it. Does the condition- which is technically a SYMPTOM of a further underlying brain issue- aide the artist in their attempt to create original work? Does Epilepsy, perhaps, unlock some deep vault in the mind which may give it's host a passageway to a state of consciousness not experienced by those who do not suffer? All valid questions and one's that we have been exploring in our research.Naturally we have not reached a conclusion on any, however It is an interesting thought that brain conditions- be they from birth or experience- may open the mind in ways that the average person may never experience. Autism quite obviously alters the mind in drastic ways, allowing those with it to perceive emotion,situation and communication in violently different ways from the norm and of course this is the issue with such things;that we (the unaffected) perceive these conditions to be derogatory and thus classify them as illness's. Jealously might be why; like watching school friends whisper to each other whilst looking you dead in the eye- we want in, we want to know what they are whispering. Perhaps this the average Joe's response to people who have the altered mind, altered reality that we are not privy to. Of course these conditions are not to be glorified or under thought; after-all they cause pain and hardship for sufferers and their families. But they need not be patronized or pitied either, perhaps this simple click of the perception switch is key when attempting to understand Illness's that are still alien to even the most qualified medical professionals.

So much food for thought I may well need a gastric bypass which could result in my intestines having to re configure so as to be satisfied with less sustenance entering my body, which in turn means my brain would need to fire off less impulses to the lobe that controls appetite and consumption... which might mean I eventually loose weight..or have a stroke.

The process continues

Caligula

15/10/2014

In 1868 a bloke with a beard wrote a novel which , over two years, was serialized in a russian literary magazine. At the time the novel was widely regarded to be a mediocre mess-pot of poor structure, scrambled character and volatile tone. Today, some 150 years later, and the book is considered to be one of the most incredible literary achievements of the age. One of those transendent books that can touch the core, Alan Bennett said a cool thing once about how when reading brilliant work it's as if a hand has reached through the pages and touched your own.

Caligula's Alibi, for those who do not know, is the collective/creative name of myself and Will Cowell, along with our trusty band of friends, rogues and certain enemies. We looked at the book-a hefty tome- and saw deep psychological complexity, socio -political satire and timely tragi-comedy. We then asked the government for money to make it happen. They obliged and tommorow we start work on three weeks of research and development for the project, which will result in a work in progress showing and eventually a run at the wonderful Vault Festival in waterloo. 

This is the diary of an Idiot. A place for the cast and creatives to share the experience of bringing this monstrous book to life, and possibly slaughtering it in the process. 

The Novel follows one Prince Mhsykin as he attempts to traverse Moscow in search of a long awaited fortune, stumbling eventually upon his own existential demise. Mhyskin is one of the great characters of 20th century literature, up there with Dicken's Sydney Carton, and Orwell's Winston Smith. He is pure goodness,untouched humanity, naive innocence and Christ like forgiveness. An Epileptic in a bygone world is nothing but an Idiot, even more so In a capitalist world where women are commodities and social status is king. Mhyskin and his 'Illness' face a world he has never before encountered and thus begins a search for  love, meaning and existential peace.

Many said it could never be staged, some said it could. Other's said we were not clever enough to do it, a few  believe we were. The majority didn't care.

So begins some art, or a show....more like a show, a big ,fucking noisy, wild slice of a bearded Russian man's over active frontal lobes- which just so happen to be full of vigor and blasting out truth at the top of their voice.

In the word's of the great man. Beauty can save the world.

12/10/2014

Caligula