Alistair Hall

I loved my time at Hawkwood. I arrived at the serene, scenic grounds and felt a sense of relief to be somewhere so calm. I was expecting to immediately get writing and stick to the strict timeline I’d set in advance when I was in a London-based, speedy frame of mind. What unfolded was five days of slowing down both internally and externally. Hawkwood gave me space to stop and breathe. I threw the timeline away.

Instead of writing, I gave myself time to think about what I actually want to say with my work. I read and researched themes that are currently inspiring a new project I’m planning to write. I let myself absorb the beginnings of those ideas and thought about tone, form and characters.

A highlight of my week was spending time in the Woodland Sanctuary. It’s a wooden hut and meditation spot up in the woodlands in the grounds of the house. I’m definitely not an everyday meditator but I found sitting in the hut good for clearing my head and sinking further into a more peaceful frame of mind.

I guess that’s what I found most inspiring about my time at Hawkwood. It got me out of my own way. I’ve spent the past few months ploughing ahead with ideas, expectations and hypothetical plans for the year ahead and Hawkwood gave me room to reset. I left feeling lighter and in a far better headspace to move forward.

Much gratitude to all at Hawkwood for the lovely food, chats and opportunities that were offered during my stay. I loved it!

Original Blog Entry by Alistair Hall.

With thanks to the Francis Reckitt Art Trust, DCMS & Arts Council England for their funding that make these residencies possible. Read about our Artist Residency Programme here.

Alistair Hall

Alistair Hall is an actor & playwright from Chippenham. His work takes an unsanitised look at human behaviour and focuses on queer characters with unexpected stories to tell. He graduated from RADA in 2019.