Social Sunshine

"Fresh air, brilliant company, a picnic and a show!"

We've all watched groups of friends in the park before now, from simply gossiping in the sunshine, having a game of old fashioned rounders (soft ball to my US readers) to having a full blown sports day.  But if you stay and watch the comings and goings in our cities and towns, you'll see other groups of friends doing other activities. 



St Paul's Church yard
City of London

I've seen a trio of musicians on Hampstead Heath practicing their latest set and a pair of actors practicing their lines in Soho Square.  The musicians obviously needed practice but with the hoots of encouragement from the sunbathers, they soon hit their stride and their confidence grew in the 40 minutes or so I was watching.   The actors practicing their lines were so focussed on the moment, they weren't aware of the number of people who simply stopped, sat and enjoyed their lunches and before you knew it, they had finished to a very loud round of applause.  Blushes aside, they left very pleased with themselves.  I hope they got the parts they were working towards.

On a weekday lunch time, a group of friends were enjoying the sunshine in the little park next to St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London.  One of them had a Spanish guitar and the other two were just singing descant.  It was an enchanting moment and the business people having coffee or wine in the nearby establishments came away from their bars and were completely enraptured.

When I was visiting New York and Barcelona in the 1990s, the parks, and the beaches for that matter, were used for a lot of different purposes.  Impromptu, what we would call today "pop-up", performances were, and still are, common. 

I've seen a makeshift stage made out of a tent and some brightly covered shawls in Central Park with a group of actors practicing a script that was terrible, but they were having fun and they had brought along friends and family to be their audience.  The show still attracted dozens of strangers, some would stay a few minutes and others (myself included) watched for a couple of hours.

Barcelona in the mid-90s was amazing, it was vibrant and edgy whilst still full of traditions.  One of the relatively new attractions were its beaches.  Before Barcelona had hosted the Olympics, the beaches were simply commercial areas and so with this new facility on their doorstep the locals and the tourists alike, used them to their full potential.  On one visit I watched and listened for over an hour to a group of opera students.  I asked my friend why they were performing on the beach and she laughed, "they are practicing for their exams!" and then proceeded to take me for a walk to show off other's doing the same thing.  The term for their exams were coming to a head and there were a number of groups and individuals practicing different forms of music along the beach in front of friends, family and strangers alike.

So with a little forethought, our amazing outdoor spaces can be so much more.  Lets embrace it, whether its coffee with friends, chatting and sorting out the world or perhaps simply talking about our latest exploits and adventures, there's nothing like a little outside chat and giggle!

So the idea is this, if you're a musician, actor, poet, writer, what's to stop you arranging a picnic with a group of friends one Saturday afternoon to practice a performance, read your latest verse or sing your practice piece for your next audition and have some fun too.   Maybe connecting friends that haven't met before?  And if you live in a flat that doesn't have a garden and is too small to entertain, then a park or the grounds of nearby stately home or a beach surely would be the next best thing?  Probably not so convenient in the Winter, but on a dry and ice cold Winter's morning, with a backdrop of a city or pocket park, a few friends gathering to help practice lines over donuts and coffee or read through a script on the roof or a balcony of your office building in a lunch hour, the possibilities are endless.  It could simply be another way to connect to work colleagues or neighbours and have a break from the day to day chores we all need to do.  Isn't it wonderful how entertaining reveals itself in so many different forms.

Angela, a good friend of mine who was a make-up artist turned puppeteer took my suggestion and ran with it a few Summers ago.  She invited a group of friends and friends of friends and neighbours, as she wanted to practice a mini-show she was designing for an art festival in the South of France.  She had three new puppets and needed to practice the transport of them, the makeshift stage and her own belongings (it was only her that was going to France).  Two cases with wheels and a rucksack was diluted down to one case and one rucksack with a long drum attached to the latter which held poles for her "stage".  All in all she had about a dozen people to watch her show and after practicing three variations, she had a crowd of a hundred surrounding her.  A great success!

Entertaining this way may need a little forethought, perhaps your friends, family, work colleagues, neighbours and contacts could bring their favourite tipple and you and your closest circle could bring the food.  Then its blankets at the ready, instruments, vocal cords, verse or prose at the ready and off you go. 

Could it be that simple?

Well, sort of...

An open garden square
in Chelsea

Just check that your park, stately home or beach doesn't have any byelaws or rules that would restrict you performing, even for free.  Remember to check to make sure you are allowed to drink alcohol there too, there may be restrictions for the park as a whole or certain parts of it.

If you are going to a stately home which is open to visitors, you are likely to pay an entry fee just to get in.  But also check if they mind you and your friends (especially if there is a large group of you) having your performance.  They may say yes so long as you sit in a particular area, or they might shrug and smile and forewarn you that you may have some additional listeners and watchers.  They may even offer your group free entry if you return!

The idea is sound, and I'm sure not many grand old houses open to the public in the Summer would object, but check with the family who own the property, or perhaps with English Heritage who may manage it, in advance.