http://benjaminyeoh.com Thoughts about theatre, writing and life. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:23:36 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Excerpts II: "...[Imagination] is a power, like my brand of fictional magic, that is morally neutral. One might use such an ability to manipulate, or control, just as much as to understand or sympathise... ...Plutarch: What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality... ...But how much more are you, Harvard graduates of ... http://benjaminyeoh.com/archives/356 Worth reading her Harvard Commencement address on failure and imagination. Click here.  "... What I feared most for myself at your age was not poverty, but failure... However, the fact that you are graduating from Harvard suggests that you are not very well-acquainted with failure. You might be driven by a fear of ... http://benjaminyeoh.com/archives/355 One for Theatre Critic watchers: Michael Billington watching darts. The image is not appearing properly so click through here if you to see it... http://image.guim.co.uk/Guardian/culture/gallery/2008/jun/16/1/billnotes-4961.jpg And his review: Driving down the M4 on a bank holiday Monday in pelting rain to watch a darts tournament in Cardiff, I wonder if I am being punished ... http://benjaminyeoh.com/archives/354 1. What was I doing 10 years ago? I had directed the Crucible at Cambridge and now with summer I’d be heading towards exams in Natural Sciences and then my first May Ball. 2. What are 5 things on my to-do list for today? - Assess the benefits of GLP-1s in diabetes, ... http://benjaminyeoh.com/archives/353 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” So states the US Declaration of Independence written mainly by Thomas Jefferson, however it is believed ... http://benjaminyeoh.com/archives/352 It started with That I made with my own hands from a cedar of Lebanon that lived in the grounds of Salisbury Cathedral until it was blown down in a storm, and a shell we collected from the beaches of east Sri Lanka. I received in return Time for a small spot of this On ... http://benjaminyeoh.com/archives/351 “Are artists/practitioners with East Asian roots sidelined in favour of South Asian and Black British work?” lc, as an actress writes in the comments: "Definitely! As a performer, so many times I’ve wondered how a friend has got that dream job/audition while I didn’t even get a look in… only to realize ... http://benjaminyeoh.com/archives/348 These made an interesting pairing for me in the last few weeks. Both feature a strong female character trying to do her best in a world full of characters, which may not always really want the best for her. In the Good Soul of Szechuan, Brecht is articulating a dilemma of the ... http://benjaminyeoh.com/archives/347 I’ve been working hard. I’ve been shovelling stones in the garden. I’ve been struggling with many things. I missed my friend, Penny Skinner’s play, Fucked, at the Old Red Lion although to be fair it was sold out and so I couldn’t get a ticket. I’ve not seen an awful lot of ... http://benjaminyeoh.com/archives/346 London is coming to its elections for Mayor and local councillors. I was struck by a thought experiment Warren Buffet does before he decides how to vote. Buffet is one of the richest men in the world and tends to vote Democrat. It is 24 hours before you’re to be born as ... http://benjaminyeoh.com/archives/345