Renelde Headley, who was on the Fresh Milk platform as part of the first Emerging Directors Residency hosted in collaboration with the National Cultural Foundation (NCF), writes about her second week in the studio. This week saw her becoming more accustomed to her surroundings and continuing her interactions with the other creatives sharing the space, as well as the introduction of the two actors she is working with to develop the style of the play ‘Yellowman‘ during her residency. Read more from Renelde below:

My second and sad to say final week at Fresh Milk brought me outside a lot more. As I got more comfortable in the space I’d walk about and play with the puppies or eat snacks out on the deck as well as talk to Katherine, Anisah and Torika, when I needed to step away from the monotony of thinking. This week’s conversations included my hope that I’d hear a monkey on the roof, just once. At the same time, the studio was a hive of activity this week with presentations to UNESCO representatives being made by Katherine, Torika and Anisah and myself.

I spent most of my time delving into the script, conceptualising the work and all-round prepping to meet the actors, Shea Best and Teila Williams. When I met with them, we were off to a strong start discussing character development and the over-all themes and concept. We also were able to experiment with movement and investigate how that impacts/ strengthens a theatre piece.

Over-all the experience, though short, has been extremely rewarding. Having the chance to experience a programme that supports and allows you to investigate your art without the pressure of deadlines or “production” makes me feel like I’ll be a much stronger artist because of it.

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This project is a collaborative initiative, funded by the NCF Barbados