Griffen 2014

21 www.oaclub.org.uk Cherry Briggs (Common Room 2007-2010) Cherry’s book The Teardrop Island: Following Victorian Footsteps Across Sri Lanka was published in June 2013. The Teardrop Island follows in the footsteps of the eccentric Victorian James Emerson Tennent. She retraces his travels across modern- day Sri Lanka, to the very heart of a country torn apart by the Boxing Day tsunami and years of civil war, venturing into restricted areas of the former warzone and delving under the surface of contemporary culture via fortune tellers, pilgrimage trails, tea estates and cricket matches. ISBN: 978-1-84953-414-7 The Loose Limbed Collective ADDITIONAL INFORMATION The Loose Limbed Collective (LLC) networking programme was launched at the Old Vic in London in 2012 to support OAs working in theatre, dance, film, television, comedy and music. Developed jointly by Abingdon’s Head of Drama, Jeremy Taylor, and West End Theatre Producer and OA Julius Green (1982), the LLC grew out of the School’s annual drama dinner where for several years, sixth formers enjoyed a chance to talk with established actors, writers, directors, producers and designers to gain insights into the tricky business of making a career in theatre. Generously supported by the OA Club, the LLC now aims to bring together people in the arts to share ideas, experiences, make connections and perhaps even consider working together - a sort of speed-dating for arty types! 80 Loose Limbs gathered for the group’s second senior networking event at the BFI Southbank on 30 May 2013. In a nod to the prestigious surroundings, the tenth anniversary of the Abingdon Film Unit was also marked, and tributes were paid to the late OA and documentary filmmaker Michael Grigsby (1955), whose outstanding career is discussed elsewhere in this issue. A selection of film extracts was shown that included highlights from several of Grigsby’s films, alongside clips from some of the 111 films produced by the AFU since 2003. The screening also featured part of the first Abingdon film, Ut Proficias which was directed by Grigsby and premiered at the school in 1953. After watching the films, guests returned to the BFI’s Blue Room where convivial conversations continued until long after the event’s scheduled finish. Indeed, the bars and restaurants of London’s South Bank were humming with Loose Limbed chatter until close to midnight. Clearly, coming together to share ideas is something Abingdonians in the arts enjoy. Any OAs working – or aspiring to work – in the performing arts who have not yet been contacted but would like to attend a LLC event are warmly invited to contact Jeremy Taylor via email. [email protected] William Phelps (Common Room 1998-2010) Will Phelps, Headmaster of the British International School of New York, will return to the UK to take up the appointment of Headmaster of The Beacon School near Amersham from September 2015.