I recently became Chair of Highbury Opera Theatre (HOT), an innovative and energetic opera company based in my local neighbourhood of Highbury, London. My association with HOT began when I was involved as a performer in their most recent production, ‘The Weekend’, so I was delighted to accept the post and develop this relationship further.

Our next project ‘Hear and Now’ is a true community effort, where the creative team of HOT will run a series of workshops in local schools to facilitate and shape the creation of a new work, using material devised by the students, to be performed in March 2023. I’m excited because I don’t know what direction this project will take, or what the outcome will be, but I know it needs some money to get it going. We are budgeting for £3,000 for phase 1, and have committed to raising all of that money ahead of the first workshops in November/December 2022. 

How? Well totally unrelated to that, I have been working in Oklahoma City for 10 years now, attempting to make a positive contribution to the built environment of the city. And totally unrelated to that, I became a runner during the COVID lockdown. 

I am going to run around Oklahoma City and attempt to visit 10 of my building projects there (one for each year I’ve been working in the city), or until I run out of puff. Your support for my run would be greatly appreciated by me personally, and by HOT, to enable us to get this exciting and worthwhile project off to a strong start!

***UPDATE***

I did it! On a cold and overcast morning, starting from OKC Ballet on 67th and Classen, winding my way south and looping through downtown to finish up in the Wheeler District. 26 projects and a shade over 13 miles. Check out the gallery for photographic proof! Thank you so much for your support already; there is still time to donate and hit that target!