Dear Reader,

Last summer I saw ‘The Happy Tragedy of Being Woke’ at the Edinburgh International Festival. In the Q&A, I asked ‘Why is it a happy tragedy?’. The writer asked me, well what did I think? I didn’t know then, but the answer unfolded over time.

It’s a tragedy because the more I learn, the more I see tragedy, everywhere.
It’s happy because now the more I understand, the more I can see what needs to change.

A play’s effect on my life is not always immediate. Sometimes it’s a nudge, and a year later, I’m like oh hello, look where I am now!

I’ve been in fringe mode, ‘listening’ – an insufficient term to describe the embodiment of stories, moving forward with their messages forever. The change starts now; articulation takes a while — that’s my style.

For now, a gem from my 2019 fringe journal, jotted down at ‘The Happy Tragedy of Being Woke’: ‘micro-progressions ♡’.

Until the Next Chapter,

🎼 ‘Caroline II’ / Lou Reed

P.S. The Protagonist Project was on pause to make space online and and in my offline life for the voices of Black creators. The project remains, the daily format is shifting into publishing when it feels right.

P.P.S. Zoom into the photo of my fringe notes for more gems from a couple favourite shows from 2019: ‘Alaska’ by Cheryl Martin, and ‘All of Me’ by Caroline Horton. On ‘All of Me’, I noted a conversation I heard between two women who were clearly uncomfortable and unfamiliar with the subject matter (in this case, depression), but stayed through the show, and, I believe, were nudged towards understanding.

P.P.P.S. I bought these books on anti-racism, and Grace and I released a mini episode on Anti-Racism in Your Art Life.