www.theblisspages.com - The playwright is in...
www.theblisspages.com - The playwright is in......in Residence, that is, in The Playwright in Residence Scheme 2005.
Twenty hours of coursework over eight workshops during February and March, culminating in a play written and optionally performed by the participants? It sounds a tall order, and I was a little nervous - the last time I was on the stage was as a dormouse in the Mad Hatter's tea party at primary school.
Links on this page: starting to script : think about... : useful techniques : gnome : food for life : the performance : round-robin creative writing : follow up (updated in June 2006)
The play was presented as a rehearsed reading in a showcase performance at The Windmill Theatre on 22 March and the script have been made available to local theatre groups and schools.
Leading the course was Christine H-B, a professional writer, who has written for television. We started by exploring the principles of structure by thinking of what made our favourite plays work - usually some combination of discovery, anticipation, expectation, disclosure and revelation.
The participants varied widely, from IT professionals like myself, through gardeners, teachers, and psychologists to a diving instructor.
We were reminded of the principles of constructive criticism, so, for example, instead of saying, "I don't like that!" we might say, "Does this accomplish what you were expecting?"
We talked about what form we were hoping the play would take - perhaps some layering of scenes, with overlapping dialogue - and possibly set during a birthday or some such event.
There were many exercises, but I'll just mention a few - hopefully representative ones. We had to draw pictures of each other, and then pick one we hadn't drawn. We were then asked questions and had to answer for the characters. Mine turned out to be a fisherman from North Uist, who once went to Ullapool - it was a bit wild - like his pipe and bird-watching, and was content with his lot.
We then had to write a monologue about wanting something - mine was in fact a soliloquy. You'll have to forgive the accent - or lack of one. I can't write in dialect, and if I did, it probably would be all but incomprehensible.
"Well, What'm I going to do about this?
Hmmm. This'll need a bit of thinking about. I suppose I could ask Hamish ... he'll come with the post next Tue'day, proberly.
Hmmm. I could row over to ... Oh ... But my rowlocks are shot.
I've got that mobile thingy somewhere. Now, where did I put him? Oh yes ... He smashed on the rocks, when I was looking for those shags.
Well then, I suppose I'm buggered. It'll be fish for supper again, then..."
We then had to look at some photographs, choose one and invent a history for the character.
I chose Ayla; a political activist aged 33, an only child, separated and living in a flat.
She was chosen as one of the characters for my group, along with a John Mander, a playwright of 54, divorced with a brother and sister, living in a flat in Hammersmith.
He's very self-composed and assured - will this irritate indecisive Ayla?
We were asked some questions:
What does each think of the other? What five areas of disagreement or tension may exist, and what five areas of agreement may there be? Above all, what issues would make for interesting drama? For homework, we had to write a scene where one wants the other's help.
I took a little liberty with this and decided that they were going out, and he had written a play, and put her in it ... with a little too much detail. What he wants is ... Forgiveness.
John Look, I'm really sorry.
Ayla (facing away) snorts unbelievingly
John You did ask me to put more meaningful stuff in my play, and I did.
Ayla Yes. Me!
John Well?
Ayla Come on, you know damn well you put stuff about me in ... personal stuff.
John Well, I was trying to make it believable
Ayla Believable? Actionable, I call it!
John Oh come on...
Ayla Don't you come on me! I could be had up for what you said. Breaking into that animal lab, for example.
John Well, you did.
Ayla Yes, I know - but they don't!
John Don't you have the courage of your convictions?
Ayla Well, I don't have any convictions yet - but you might be about to change that.
John (wheedling) Well, I'm really, really sorry. What can I do to make it up?
Ayla Well, you can change the name for a start. I mean - Ailsa. I ask you. Why don't you make it an eco-warrior name or something?
John An eco-warrior? What? Swampy? Defender of the Woods? Thermo-insulation man?
Ayla Don't be facetious. How about John then?
John (musing) Hmmm. I like the sound of that. Me - the eco-warrior. Well, I do recycle bottles... (returns to script)
We talked about locations, and the importance of thinking about how a performance could be staged. A play with eighty-seven scenes would be a nightmare to stage, and probably confusing for the audience too.
It is also important to think about props. A scene where a cat winds about your legs is easy to write, but quite another thing on the night of a performance.
You also want locations to be believable. Look around you as you live your life. File away mental images of interesting places. Locations will probably be a meld between real places you have been and your imagination, and are more interesting and believable as a result.
You might find it useful to make a diagram, even if some of the location may not physically exist on the set - for example, if you're a passenger in a bus, the driver's location could be in the audience.
To give yourself ideas about characters you might want to use, think about different types of relationships.
For example you can make lists:
... and these lists barely scratch the surface.
Try to avoid stereotypes, but try to make them as real as possible. If you can't relate to your characters, what chance does the audience have?
Interesting plays generally come from interesting characters - would The Importance of Being Ernest have been so successful without Lady Bracknell? I think not.
... But characters without conflict wouldn't make for much of a play either. If everyone had gone to Abigail's Party, had a nice time and gone home again at eleven, the audience would, rightly, feel cheated.
Of course, a resolution to the conflict is expected, but not too soon. A false start or two, some misunderstandings, a wrong that must be righted - the scope is endless.
I always like a twist in the tale - but I try to be aware that they are not universally popular.
Sometimes it can be useful to write an outline of a scene before trying to insert any dialogue, and beware of getting so carried away that you forget where you were going in the first place!
Think of a word. It may be a word that is important to you, or just a word which you want to explore.
I chose candle and then let it lead me to other words, which might trigger off ideas, or lead me on to different trajectories.
From this, I wrote the following short piece.
A candle is a very profound object.
It can be religious or profane.
For me, it conjures up meditating in a bath, steam clouding the air, rich jasmine and sandalwood scenting the room and dim shapes appearing through the gloom.
I think of the bees that laboured to produce the wax as I inhale its aroma, redolent of the past but also hinting of a sensual present and many possible futures.
Some people questioned why I hadn't included words like danger or fire, but they simply hadn't occurred to me - I'm sure these exercises say a lot about the mood and mental state of those who do them. I feel I am in an upbeat phase of my life right now and hope my outputs reflect this.
We did some other exercises - all to do with exploring words.
We each thought of a list of words beginning with the first seven words of the alphabet. Mine were: argument, bread, cutting, drag, elbow, foot, and garden.
I gave precedence to words you can play with; words with more than one meaning; words with slang and proper meanings; words with attitude.
We did some round the table word-association with eyes closed, and then followed this up with a story round the table, one word at a time.
This was interesting as nobody knew or could control where the story went - it jumped about like a wild animal trapped in a cage, going off in unexpected directions, returning to its beginnings before darting off again. There seemed to be some sort of gestalt, and it was exhilarating.
We then each started writing a story, moving round every few minutes until all the stories were finished - authored by eight people. They were interesting, and did not all go where we expected.
We were then expected to write the beginning of a scene containing two characters. We had to establish: where they are; their relationship; and what one of them wants.
I could have just reprised my earlier scene with Ayla and John, but thought this might be construed as laziness, so...
(ring on doorbell)
Ben Excuse me for bothering you, but I couldn't help noticing...
Bill Noticing what?
Ben Your gnomes
Bill Gnomes?
Ben Yes, in your front garden
Bill But I don't have any gnomes
Ben Um, I think you'd better have a look
Bill ... (looks out of door) What the hell is going on?
Ben I can assure you that I had nothing to do with this, um, appearance
Bill What's your interest in these bloody gnomes anyway?
Ben Well, as it happens, I have the honour to be the, um, chairman, of the Gnome Appreciation Society. As we say, there's, um, Gnome place like home
Bill Please, no more. I hate garden ornaments, and especially gnomes. What is it you want, anyway?
Ben Well, I was going to ask if you'd like to be nominated for the ‘happiest group' class in the best-kept garden competition. It's being judged by the mayor, and...
Bill I couldn't give a stuff if it was being judged by Jordan. I just want these bloody gnomes gone. Now!
Ben If it helps, we do have a gnome rescue scheme. We could...
Bill I've heard it all now – a gnome rescue scheme! I think you should just get a bloody great hammer, and...
Ben Well, some people do think they are friendly as well as decorative, but I can see you're not a fan. If you wish I can arrange to get them collected this afternoon. There is a small, um, no, perhaps not. Do you want us to collect them?
Bill Yes, please. I just want them off my property. I've got the local coven coming round later, and I don't want them to think I'm weird or anything.
At the next meeting, we passed round the scripts we had started, and voted on which would be short listed for further work. Luckily someone liked the quirkiness of gnomes, and it was one of those selected, though it did not make it through to the final performance. We then divided into groups. Some worked on the scripts, writing a paragraph or so, and passing it on, whilst others looked for a theme, around which monologues or soliloquies could be written.
Cook (before "Food for Life" week starts)
Well, I ask you.
I've been doing school lunches at Saint John's for twenty-three years and the children always loved my food.
And now they say it wasn't healthy.
Stuff and nonsense!
I ask you...
What's wrong with some nice healthy fish? Straight out of the sea and made into nice little fingers - they love them.
And potatoes are good for them too. Nice and golden and crispy - fresh and hot. Well, they were frozen - but they say that's fresher than fresh actually.
And they loved them.
And now what?
Foreign muck.
Pasta - all sorts of weird shapes - no idea what do with them. I suppose they'll take hours to cook.
Basmati rice - that's supposed to have a high gi, or is it G.I. index? What's a G.I. Index when it's at home? And it's not even for pudding. I mean, rice, but not for rice pudding. Oh I love a nice rice pudding, with a lovely tasty thick skin on it.
And what's this? Green beans and broccoli, whatever that is. They need cutting and cleaning and cooking - chips are so much easier and cleaner and more, well, convenient.
And they say this is progress.
Food for Life? Food for making my Life difficult, I call it...
These were edited and polished up at the last workshop on Saturday - which unfortunately I couldn't attend - before the public performance at the Windmill Theatre, Blatchington Mill School, Hove, at 19:00 on Tuesday 22nd March 2005. The performance was a rehearsed reading, along with five other groups.
I really enjoyed these workshops. They've been fun and I feel that I've learned a lot. Christine H-B was very helpful and really pulled everything together.
Scratch night, as it was called, was very interesting. We got the chance to see all the other groups who were part of the Playwright in Residence Scheme 2005, including a special needs school, and ages ranged from primary to secondary.
I was very impressed with the high quality of all the works, especially as they were all written and rehearsed in only twenty hours.
I made no notes, so sorry if I've missed out any pieces.
The evening was hosted by Alister O'Loughlin, from The Prodigal Theatre Company and The Nightingale Theatre.
I was surprised and gratified by the number of people in the audience - and if I'd been performing, I'd have been a little intimidated too, though all the performers exuded self-confidence.
First was Downs View and Longhill Schools presenting Bring it On! There was a group mime and poem, then depictions of movement. This was followed by a short story, concluding with two rap songs.
Next was Aldrington CE School, performing Crompton, an excellent story about a misunderstood dragon.
Then Somerhill Junior School performed Honest! This started with a Chinese whisper, with predictable consequences, and moved onto several pieces with the common theme of lying - who does it, why, and with what consequences.
It was then our turn. Our performance was entitled Consequences. I was disappointed that I wasn't able to perform. This was because I couldn't attend the last session, which included the rehearsal, but it did give me the chance to see the performance as a member of the audience. We started with School Dinners, a selection of monologues, and I thought this worked very well. There were then three short scenes. The first was Platform, set in a minor station, with a suspicious suitcase and a surprising ending. Next was The Box, as the prodigal son tried to reclaim a mysterious box from his forgetful father - but what did it contain? Lastly was Ransacked, where two shady characters found their office had been broken into, but by whom? Were the forces of good or evil responsible?
Lastly was Blatchington Mill School, who performed The Dress. This very impressive piece took fashion as its theme, and had several interlocking stories that hooked together well, and a great surprise ending.
Overall, it was a very entertaining evening. I would like to particularly thank Sophie Amstell, the Community Arts Manager at Blatchington Mill School, who coordinated the entire project, and the Arts Council England, Blatchington Mill School and Pier Playwrights, who provided funding.
It would be a shame if the impetus we have build up as a group was allowed to dissipate, and we had a follow-up meeting on Election Day: 19.00 Thursday 5th May 2005 at the Nightingale Theatre in Brighton. We evaluated the course and received a certificate (early in 2006), and it was nice for the group to meet again socially and thank Chrissy for all her hard work.
I think that a emailed round-robin could allow us to continue our collaboration, and hope theblisspages may be able to facilitate this. I've started a round-robin, and hope members of the group (and perhaps other interested parties) may like to continue it.
In May 2006, I received a package, and it was the long-awaited script book. It was nice seeing my name in print again, and I re-read all the scripts with enjoyment.
I hope you've found my reactions interesting, and useful, and if you are inspired to do something as a result, or have any comments or contributions, I'd love to hear from you.
updated Thu 01 Jun '06 give feedback...
:
: © Mike Bliss 2009