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"Take calculated risks. That is quite different from being rash."
- General George Patton |
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"Security is mostly a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."
- Helen Keller |
The story of . . .
The seeds for hosting a third Prisoner program were planted in 2018; they began to germinate on Dec. 28, 2021:
On July 23, 2022, invitations were sent to Andrew Cartmel and Dr. Fiona Moore, asking if they would be the Eternal Village-cast's Special Guests for this unique episode.
Graciously, Andrew and Fiona accepted the invitation.
Graciously, Andrew and Fiona accepted the invitation.
Beginning on July 26, The Eternal Village initiated efforts to share news of the event:
The Eternal Village leveraged its social media along with outreach to Prisoner Facebook groups and the generous support of, The UnMutual, to proliferate news of the event.
That outreach invited folks to visit the program's web page that detailed the time / date (evening of Sept. 29, 2022), location (a TBD theatre in London) and purpose of the event (to celebrate the Prisoner's 55th anniversary / record an episode of The Eternal Village-cast). The page also stated that the program would have a nominal ticket price.
After sharing all that . . . information, people were asked to use a brief form to indicate if they would attend the program.
The initial response was amazing: by August 1st, 22 people had completed the form, indicating that they--most with a plus 1--would be attending.
That surge of (expressed) support nurtured the idea's growth.
Thus, by August 14, the program had grown from merely an Eternal Village-cast recording (w. Andrew & Fiona) to a three part, full evening's event, adding the participation of Paul Gosling and David Stimpson.
That outreach invited folks to visit the program's web page that detailed the time / date (evening of Sept. 29, 2022), location (a TBD theatre in London) and purpose of the event (to celebrate the Prisoner's 55th anniversary / record an episode of The Eternal Village-cast). The page also stated that the program would have a nominal ticket price.
After sharing all that . . . information, people were asked to use a brief form to indicate if they would attend the program.
The initial response was amazing: by August 1st, 22 people had completed the form, indicating that they--most with a plus 1--would be attending.
That surge of (expressed) support nurtured the idea's growth.
Thus, by August 14, the program had grown from merely an Eternal Village-cast recording (w. Andrew & Fiona) to a three part, full evening's event, adding the participation of Paul Gosling and David Stimpson.
The web page for the event opened with this salutation:
You are cordially invited to attend
a very special event
that will examine and extol
how the iconic, television masterpiece,
The Prisoner
. . . has inspired, influenced and motivated
artistic creativity since the program's debut on
September 29, 1967.
a very special event
that will examine and extol
how the iconic, television masterpiece,
The Prisoner
. . . has inspired, influenced and motivated
artistic creativity since the program's debut on
September 29, 1967.
The evening's entertainment would have begun with a journey into the past, taking us inside the room and the conversation between Patrick McGoohan and Lew Grade that launched, "The Prisoner".
The first Special Guest of the evening,
Mr. Paul Gosling (Crooked Hand Productions),
would have performed a unique staging of,
"Magic Number 6"
The first Special Guest of the evening,
Mr. Paul Gosling (Crooked Hand Productions),
would have performed a unique staging of,
"Magic Number 6"
After his performance, Paul would have discussed
the history of the play and the creative process behind
bringing that catalytic conversation (from 1966) to the stage.
the history of the play and the creative process behind
bringing that catalytic conversation (from 1966) to the stage.
Next, we would have examined the present (and very recent)
state of creative output vis-a-vis The Prisoner.
In just the five years since The Prisoner's 50th anniversary,
artists and academics had produced a wealth of materials
about, or in homage to, Number 6 and the world of The Village.
Paramount among those creators
(and for far longer than just the last five years)
would have been our second Special Guest:
Mr. David Stimpson
state of creative output vis-a-vis The Prisoner.
In just the five years since The Prisoner's 50th anniversary,
artists and academics had produced a wealth of materials
about, or in homage to, Number 6 and the world of The Village.
Paramount among those creators
(and for far longer than just the last five years)
would have been our second Special Guest:
Mr. David Stimpson
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In a live-via-video conversation
we would have explored David's prolific and passionate
panorama of prose about, The Prisoner.
And, David would have shared a preview passage from his
new (online, fan fiction) novel entitled,
"The Prisoner - A new No. 2"
we would have explored David's prolific and passionate
panorama of prose about, The Prisoner.
And, David would have shared a preview passage from his
new (online, fan fiction) novel entitled,
"The Prisoner - A new No. 2"
The evening would have crescendo with
a "live" recording of The Eternal Village-cast
with our capstone Special Guests:
a "live" recording of The Eternal Village-cast
with our capstone Special Guests:
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ANDREW CARTMEL
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DR. FIONA MOORE
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With Fiona and Andrew we would have discussed . . .
the evergreen themes within The Prisoner
. . . examining which topics will carry into the future
as perennially relevant social criticism . . .
&
. . . which themes are trapped in time
or in the ideals of their progenitors.
the evergreen themes within The Prisoner
. . . examining which topics will carry into the future
as perennially relevant social criticism . . .
&
. . . which themes are trapped in time
or in the ideals of their progenitors.
In tandem with conceptualizing / organizing the program's agenda, The Eternal Village conducted an exhaustive search to find the perfect venue for the event.
On August 20 that location was booked and announced:
On August 20 that location was booked and announced:
The Eternal Village's London 2022 program would be held at the Network Theatre directly underneath (and only a 3 minute walk from) London's Waterloo Station.
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With all the, "Ws" solidified--i.e. why, who, when & where--the final task was ticketing.
As used in 2017 & 2018, The Eternal Village engaged Brown Paper Tickets and opened registration on Monday, August 22:
As used in 2017 & 2018, The Eternal Village engaged Brown Paper Tickets and opened registration on Monday, August 22:
With sincere appreciation and delight, The Eternal Village shared news of the event's first ticket purchasers:
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But after that great start . . . none of the individuals who had completed the online form--indicating their intention to attend--took action to purchase a ticket.
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On August 30, The Eternal Village reduced the event's ticket price to a mere £6.
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Then, on Sept. 5, The Eternal Village made one final, "Straight Talk", outreach via e-mail to all the individuals who had completed the webpage form:
On July 26, 2022, our event survey form posed this question: "Would you like to attend an event to celebrate The Prisoner's 55th Anniversary?" The question was specific: to come out, to come together and to attend an event.
Transparency:
Between July 26 - Aug 22, you and 39 others (for a possible audience of 61 people), took the time, burned the calories, and indicated on the form, "Yes, I will you attend".
To date--Sept. 5--not one of you have registered to attend.
"Straight Talk":
If the event hasn't achieved (at least) 50% attendance by Friday, Sept. 9th, the program will be cancelled.
Yup. And there won't be any tears. Life happens; risks are taken.
We won't hold up the lives and/or schedules of the program's Special Guests and the Network Theatre unless there is a quorum of enthusiastic, engaged and fun seeking folks who actually want . . . to come out, to come together and to attend an event.
Transparency:
Between July 26 - Aug 22, you and 39 others (for a possible audience of 61 people), took the time, burned the calories, and indicated on the form, "Yes, I will you attend".
To date--Sept. 5--not one of you have registered to attend.
"Straight Talk":
If the event hasn't achieved (at least) 50% attendance by Friday, Sept. 9th, the program will be cancelled.
Yup. And there won't be any tears. Life happens; risks are taken.
We won't hold up the lives and/or schedules of the program's Special Guests and the Network Theatre unless there is a quorum of enthusiastic, engaged and fun seeking folks who actually want . . . to come out, to come together and to attend an event.
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And then . . .
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By Sept. 9, only one additional ticket had been purchased.
Consequently . . . :
Consequently . . . :
You can read an expanded outline of this project AND a special appendix about, "What Killed The Eternal Village" in this essay:
