Sh*t Happens: The Book

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It’s natural, the Stoics said, to instinctively react negatively to a bad event. It’s what we do next that matters. We have the power to choose how we apply value judgements – after our initial reaction, we don’t always need to classify something as good or bad. It isn’t sh*t happening that upsets us, but our judgement that sh*t is happening. As the phrase goes, sh*t happens. Sometimes it happens to us. Sometimes we have periods when it feels like a lot of sh*t is happening to us at the same time. It is something that Amanda has captured really well in This Sh*t Happens All the Time and, more than anything, I feel so privileged to be able to tell this story on stage," she says, before dashing off to replenish her vitamins. I really pride myself on being 'Derry', but then I meet a Derry person and they're like, 'Where are you from?'," she admits.

In the classic comedy, Wayne’s World, Wayne Campbell experiences one of these periods and laments: “What the hell’s going on? I lost my show, I lost my best friend, I lost my girl. I’m being sh*t on, that’s all, sh*t on, and you know what really pisses me off…” At this point the camera operator appears to lose interest in Wayne’s ranting and pans away from him. The project is realized in the co-production of BFILM.cz (CZ), FAMU (CZ), Bagan Films (FR) and Arte (FR). The realization was supported by Czech Film Fund, Slovak Audiovisual Fund, the programme of European Union Creative Europe MEDIA, CNC, Procirep-Angoa and Literary Fund. MM - DS: We have to let go many, many ideas for script. We really liked some of them, but it simply didn't fit into our story or characters. At first it was the most painful thing to do, but now, when we think of them, we laugh at some of them because they would not definitely work! The same thing happened with design. We were researching multiple possibilities, because we were not satisfied with the first design concepts. This final RISO print design is actually the fourth design concept we tried, and it works perfectly with the film and it’s aesthetics. Because the development process took around 4 years on and off, we naturally changed our minds plenty of times. SH_T Happens has its world premiere at the 76th Venice Film Festival (28.08 - 07.09.2019) and its directors are looking forward to watching for the first time the film with an audience. While it is possible to start memorizing the misery index scores, there are enough cards to prevent that from happening for a while, especially if you mix in expansions (which use decimal points!). In any event, the game is less about who wins and more about the process.Can SHIT HAPPENS turn 2020 around? I guess anything is possible at this point!That ability to laugh, no matter what else is happening, predominates in Derry Girls of course, and as a natural-born Derry girl herself, Farren was delighted to play the head teacher of the fictional Londonderry Boys' Academy. Bert Large is in dispute with his son Al over his future in the plumbing business. Al desperately wants to change career. He's determined to go to college to learn about computers and break away from the family business. His father won't hear of it. First, remember these things aren’t happening TO YOU, they’re just happening. Life is full of challenges and opportunities and I equate them to waves in the ocean. Some are big, and some are small. They come in, and they go. But I always remember the universe is working in my favor, not against me. So instead of asking “why is this happening to me?” ask instead, “what are the lessons that are presenting themselves to me right now?” My good buddyGlenn Ambrosesays "life is a schoolhouse". We all have different curricula, but we will be presented with lessons all along the way. A powerful, provocative monologue, Amanda Verlaque’s This Sh*t Happens All The Time at the Lyric, Belfast poses a question that ought never have to be asked: why should love provoke violence?

Although harrowing in places, she says Verlaque's story is also very funny with "big peaks and troughs", but what attracted her most to the part was the honesty of the writing. Remember, everyone has varying degrees of challenges. We are all in this thing called life together. Be kind, you never know someone else’s pain they’re powering through. Be there for each other. When you’re up and someone else is down, offer to lend a hand if you can. Meanwhile, a nasty stomach bug is sweeping through Portwenn. People are dropping like flies, and filling Martin's surgery. The local pharmacist has been busy with customers seeking remedies, and he suspects the local swimming pool is too blame. Further investigations, however, suggest the village's water supply is the culprit. So, basically I've been taking lots of vitamins, drinking gallons of water with honey, ginger - all that. I'm in training and treating myself a bit like an athlete building up to a marathon. I've been careful in rehearsals, not to push myself too much because I could burn out - and I'm not in my 20s any more." In preparation for going solo on stage in Amanda Verlaque's debut This Sh*t Happens All the Time - part of this week's Imagine! Belfast festival of ideas and politics and the Lyric theatre's new writing programme - she is leaving nothing to chance.It is radiant, it is appropriately sex-invested, and it is tinged with nostalgia of an era where a healthy dose of sh_t and comedy manners would help deal with improbable interpersonal relationship problems. We tend to judge what goes on in our daily lives as either good or bad. We get a promotion or someone gives us a compliment – good. We make a mistake or do something to embarrass ourselves – bad. There are still faint traces of a Derry accent, but the Farren accent today is decidedly neutral, I venture. She laughs. It’s a shame the chapters have come to an end… Really glad your hard chapter ended in a positive way. Look forward to reading some more of your adventures.”