News
Funny Wonders Family During Lockdown – Anna Beecher
During this time of lockdown, we thought we would take a peek at what some of the Funny Wonders ‘alumni’ are doing. Many of them (amazingly but probably not surprisingly if you know them) have gone on to have creative careers.
In our origin story, there were a few family names synonymous with Funny Wonders, one of them being Beecher. So first up, we’re seeing what Anna Beecher has been getting up to this past month.
FWinc Family: Anna Beecher
Lockdown Location: Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Current Work Status: writing, making theatre and teaching other people how to do those things at the University of Virginia (currently remotely)
During lockdown, Anna has been producing a series of ‘writing prompt’ videos and workshops as an extension of transferring her teaching materials online. These give you a series of exercises to try to get you writing and finding pathways into creativity. For anyone wanting to give it a go, her videos are available on YouTube. All you need is paper and a pencil and 10-20 minutes. www.youtube.com/user/TheBananatheif/videos
Anna’s previous work includes the children’s show ‘Nest’, which has toured in the UK and the US. Nest is an immersive journey through the seasons and features puppetry. Anna says the bird puppet “wouldn’t be out of place in a Funny Wonders show”. The legacy of Chris Agnew and Douglas Agnew in motion.
Some thoughts on Funny Wonders by Anna – I often think about Funny Wonders (especially Chris) and about how all the chances you are given to be creative as a kid can shape your adult life. I feel like I owe Funny Wonders a lot. It was a space where, unlike school, there was no pressure to be ‘normal’. Being yourself and all the creativity that comes with that was not just accepted but encouraged. The power of having grown ups tell you the arts are worth something when you are a kid is amazing!
In other work, Anna also has her debut novel coming out next year called ‘Here Comes the Miracle’. It was meant to be out this year but has been postponed due to the pandemic.
If you want to find out more about Anna and her work, visit her website www.annabeecher.com/
