Dramaturg's Response

These are my thoughts after the session.

Connor’s should definitely be one voice, one character. Each story he tells brings the missing characters we never actually see to life. Brings the docking area to life. Brings the pub to life by what action is taking place in each room coming off the docking area only when our man is smoking. But his sympathies and annoyances about the others in his story and their actions reveal his character and what he can’t see about himself.

Anthony’s main character should be never really interested in the crime. Never really useful as a hero. Always more interested in his appearance – his fatal flaw. It will be taken away from him – his looks destroyed. Who is he then? His learning curve. The script’s strength is its originality. Its weakness is its structure.

Luke’s great strength is its structure. Its weakness is its lack of originality. It is great to learn from the old masters. To recreate an old master. Well done. I learnt my craft like that. I deconstructed death of a Salesman for months. But all great artists have a spin of their own. Some truth only they know – they can access. Imbue it with this.

I talked about being suspicious about the person giving feedback. Read the person’s uniform and therefore why they have said that. I’m gonna use me as an example. I was hard on Luke because I’m working class therefore prejudice against people I perceive to have a silver spoon. I may have been lenient on Anthony because he’s pretty and I’m female. I may have showed Connor favour because he arrived late and therefore is a mystery, and someone that I have to make love me quick: only so much time left. Also he is Irish like my mum and I am prejudice in their favour because of Beckett and O’Neill and all the other great Irish storytellers even my mum. Of course there are a million more detailed reasons. From this start you can probably work them out.

I am sending you all the same sheet because we were all there and you can use this and the feedback I have given others to test your own skill of observation against that day and use it as a marker for are you right or wrong in the future. A starting point to build on.

Always refer back to your original draft. That is driven by instinct. The basic structure and idea will be there. Your other drafts are looking for layers to make it 3 dimensional and help you lose superfluous story. But again be suspicious – it is my last experience.

A direct quote from NWP:
There’s no particular kind of play we’re after, we’re simply looking for the basics of rounded characterisation; lively dialogue; engaging story; compelling theme; and a sense of theatre. Plus ideally a distinctive voice and originality in material and treatment. Me again. Look at each phrase and enquire internally and externally what it means.

Linda Brogan