CHARLOTTE ASKED ME TO MUSE ON WORKING WITH A DRAMATURGE, HERE ARE THE MUSINGS.
Be Proud Of Me was commissioned by Mousonturm in Frankfurt. It wasn’t a great deal of money but it wasn’t an expensive show and they made it possible. The devising process was tough, we were working with slides in a blacked out section of our bitterly cold rehearsal space on New Canal Street. Work on this show was dropped in, a week here, a week there, between a host of other projects and touring commitments.
Mousonturm were basically hands-off in their engagement but when they heard that a first sketch version of the show was to be presented in Birmingham, Thomas Frank, our mild-mannered commissioner was straight on a plane.
We had always been a bit twitchy about showing things before they are finished but it seemed worth getting a bit of a steer on this one. After the showing Thomas asked if we could talk together about what he had seen. We sat in a cafe and having noted a few things he thought interesting about what he had seen he then started, in a very delicate but direct way, to take the show apart. Initially it was shocking, in Britain no one ever seems brave enough to actually discuss what they’ve seen in the theatre. I was shaken, he seemed so down on the show I started to worry that we was going to withdraw his commission. Then, eventually the penny dropped. I asked him “are you doing that dramaturge thing?” I had read about this continental figure, the director’s critical friend, now I was experiencing.
Thomas kindly explained how the typical relationship works. “After a rehearsal the Director and Dramaturge will sit down together. The Dramaturge will say ‘that scene did not work, it was far too long, you must cut it in half’, the Director will then reply ‘I agree, that scene doesn’t work, but this not that it is too long, but that it is not nearly long enough, it should be twice the length’” Reassured by this story I continued to listen to the critique before giving a tentative response.
Back in the rehearsal room I ran a selected range of the dramaturge’s thoughts past the devising team and, bearing them in mind, we carried on devising. Ultimately Thomas’ contribution was valuable in the way he had hinted it might be. He posed questions the answers to which informed our understanding of what it was we were trying to make. Things he identified as weaknesses in the show became key elements, which, when fully developed, he was very keen on. This didn’t matter, he forced us to have a strong opinion about them and to commit to them more strongly.
My suspicion is that Dramaturge-Director relationships are unique to the combination of personalities involved and the circumstances in which they are working. Certainly my only other experience of working with a dramaturge, Wouter van Ransbeek, who helped develop Of All The People In All The World for Theater Der Welt 2005, was radically different. Wouter and I were much more relaxed, we met much more, shared ideas and enthusiasms readily and extensively. He took a healthy possession of the show and we laughed together a great deal.
Speculating with next to no knowledge I suggest that the Dramaturge role holds a greater role in theatrical cultures where the Director would otherwise be an isolated figure of great authority. In a devising company working as collaboratively as Stan’s Cafe the role of Directors critical friend feels inappropriate. Maybe within the dynamic of Stan’s Cafe Amanda Hadingue has probably taken a similar position within the devising team and in other circumstance Craig Stephens has been that alternative questioning, prompting voice and council.
James Yarker 9/2/7
Thursday, March 1, 2007
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
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
Saturday, November 25, 2006
It's on the wall
The schedule for the Postgraduate Diploma in Writing for Performance here at The Arden has finally been finalised! A solid programme of workshops and events hosted by both core and visiting staff await students starting January 2007 - (the lucky things!)
Giving time over to writing during the course of one intensive year is certainly a luxury, a great opportunity, the start of a very special journey - I can't wait to get started!
Giving time over to writing during the course of one intensive year is certainly a luxury, a great opportunity, the start of a very special journey - I can't wait to get started!
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