We see talent as something inborn. But it’s not inborn at all. Anyone can learn to write headlines or draw cartoons, or do anything to an exceptional degree—if they make enough mistakes and proceed to eliminate the mistakes.

But how can you eliminate mistakes if you don’t make them in the first place? The only way out of this trap is to have a system to make mistakes.

Sean DSouza

There’s an old saying I’m reminded of every time I mess something up in rehearsal: Do you know why it’s called “rehearsal?” Because if you only had to do it once it’d be called “hearsal.”

Sean DSouza’s thoughtful article highlights why mistakes are important, why they should be part of the learning process, and how mistakes create “talent.”

What was amazing about the production was the interpretation of the show. This is a play about student reaction to the suicide of a class mate and uses the old joke “Why did the chicken cross the road” as a jumping off point. The main stage direction in the script states that the cast stands across the stage in a line for the majority of the play.  As you see in the video, they went above and beyond that stage direction…..

This is a great example of interpretation of a script without changing a script to suit an agenda. Not a single word was changed and everything the cast and director did with their actions was in complete support of the playwright’s (mine!) intention.  That is the key phrase – playwright intention. If you’re staying true to the playwright and their intention with the words, frankly you can do the play standing on your head.

I saw a production of a different show today where the teacher (I know she reads this, hello!!!) was nervous about changing the action but as far as I could see everything on stage was in support of playwright intention.  In fact, I saw a couple of lovely transitions that I’m going to end to the final draft. There was respect of the text and that’s all I can ask for.

Sometimes I am very vague with stage directions for this exact reason – I want to see what the production brings to the table.  Sure, sometimes I write out specific stage pictures because that’s what comes into my head while writing. And sometimes schools present those pictures exactly as is, which is perfectly fine, and sometimes a school will get an idea and run with it.   I love both ways equally because at the end of the day it’s my script out in the world. I love that someone can look at a script and go one way, while someone else goes in another direction. That’s theatre to me.

Music credit: LA by The Nighttime Adventure Society
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Look I made a hat,
Where there never was a hat.
~Sondheim

Closing night of Brighton Beach Memoirs approaches. The show will be closed by the time you read this. It will be a happy time for me as I can’t wait to get back home after a six week absence. But it will also be sad because I love the show and the people with whom I’m working.

Here are a few thoughts on how I like to approach closing night of a show.

Celebrate the Impermanence

It’s sad to leave a show behind. What separates theatre from most other art forms is the absolute impermanence of it all. What we share with the audience can never be replicated. Leaving a show behind is part of that impermanence, part of the process.

Make it Your Greatest Hits Show

Shows grow and evolve over a run. You try things. Some work, some don’t. Use the last show to pull together everything that worked. Think of the performance as an answer to the question, “What have we learned?”

Reflect on the Journey

When we first met six weeks ago only two of us had ever met before. Now we’re a tight-knit family onstage and off. Theatre has an amazing ability to do this. Reflect on how far you’ve all come, separately and as a team.

Do the Show You Rehearsed

Save the pranks for backstage. Respect the playwright, the director, and the audience who have paid to see the same show you performed on opening night.

Enjoy Yourself

You worked hard. Enjoy it. Enjoy your favourite moments in the show. Enjoy coming to the end of your least favourite moments. Enjoy being with your fellow performers. Enjoy the great privilege of getting to make theatre.

Thank Everybody

Thank everyone you see at the theatre – from the board ops to the volunteers, to the front of house staff to the girl who cleans the washrooms. They toil in the darkness while you get the applause. You wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for them.

We go to a typical German grammar school. It starts at the age of ten and, depending on whether you want to pass your A-levels or not you either stay until you are 16 or 19. Our school has a bilingual branch, which offers subjects like geography, history and social sciences in English from grade 7 onwards, and which is also the reason why we have drama in English in year 12. Most of the pupils in the drama class have taken part in the bilingual branch, some do not.

2. How often do you put up plays in English?

Every year the bilingual drama class in year 12 presents a play in English. In the past few years, the classes presented a range of productions from Agatha Christie’s Black Coffee (2006), Alan Ayckbourn’s Man of the Moment (2008) and Confusions (2010) as well as Ben Elton’s Popcorn (2009) and an adaptation of Sleepy Hollow (2011). There are also drama clubs for the little ones as part of the extracurricular programme of the school, depending if there are enough volunteers.

 3. What is the level of English do you understand?

We have been learning English for about eight years. In years 5 and 6, 6 lessons a week are English lessons, preparing for the subjects taught in English from year 7 onwards. We will also take bilingual A-levels in an English Advanced Course and in Social Sciences or History next year in 2013.

4. Why did you choose The Pregnancy Project?

Why did we choose the play? Firstly, we thought it is a funny play with a serious topic that affects us personally in a mixture that might appeal to an audience of fellow pupils and parents. Secondly, there is a majority of girls in our course which is also the case in “The pregnancy project” and which makes a casting of roles easier. Everybody should have a part to play onstage if he or she wants to. Another aspect is that it is possible to put up the play especially in terms of setting and props without being a drain on a very tight budget.

5. What did you think of the play? 

A large majority of the pupils in our course preferred “The Pregnancy Project” to other plays: At the beginning of the term, everybody in class suggested a play after a thorough search on the relevant websites and databases. The then five most popular plays made it to a play-reading of selected scenes, and finally a class vote decided on The Pregnancy Projected with an overwhelming majority.

6. How long does it take to rehearse a play in a second language? Is it a longer process than doing something in German?

From our limited experience of nearly a year of rehearsals, the process of a rehearsal does not take much more than it would take if it would be a German play. As we are a bilingual course we are used to and confident in speaking English and using English as a language of communication rather than learning it only in classes of English. This makes rehearsing and playing all the more appealing and fun!

7. What’s the rehearsal process like? Do you discuss the play in German or in English?

This depends on the situation. Sometimes it is easier to discuss scenes in German but we also do it in English. It is also funny to see that if we discuss it in German we most likely use a lot of English terms in between because it somehow comes along.

8. What is the audience response to English plays?

Generally, the audiences’ responses are quite positive (at least in the last few years), mainly because plays in English are very unusual. Nevertheless, it developed to be a normal project at our school, which takes place once a year, because the people in Recklinghausen tend to like them a lot.

Here’s the number as seen in rehearsal:

There is a wee bit of rehearsal looseness, a couple of small flubs, and Joel Grey doesn’t seem to have a clue what’s going on most of the time. But for the most part you’re seeing an all-out performance quality effort. These people are very talented, but their effort and commitment elevate them to an even higher level.

It’s rare to see such all-out effort in rehearsal. This is understandable. Doing this for eight hours a day can be exhausting. But this video reminds me of what kind of effort and commitment we should all be striving for.

Here’s a cut-down version of the same number as see at The Tony Awards:

I love how far they have progressed. The flubs are gone, the effort is undetectable. It just looks so easy and fun and loose and free. Yet it’s as precise as a Swiss watch.

So this week I’ve been saying this salesman credo changing the last word from  (you may have guessed already) Closing to Learning. A-Always, B-Be, L-Learning. I learned a great lesson this week.

Last week I had a fabulous workshop for one of my plays. 3 days, 30 students, really engaged, school is going to do the play in the fall, all round great. And I had plans to repeat the play at a second workshop this week. The night before I start second guessing. Why repeat myself, what am I going to get out of this, what if it doesn’t go well, what if I’m wasting my time. I was exhausted, I was cranky and it didn’t help to get up at the crack of dawn. Next day, I’m still second guessing, but going ahead.  My heart sinks when I walk into the class room and there are six students. Six. How can I work with six? How is this going to work? Why did I get up so early? Ugh what a waste of time.

Well, shame on me for thinking that. And kudos to me for not giving up, for forging ahead. If I had given up, I wouldn’t have had the chance to hear sections read with totally different voices. I wouldn’t have latched on to a fantastic tone for a character based on how one of the students read. I wouldn’t have seen the shape of the piece more clearly when the stage wasn’t full. I wouldn’t have learned something new about the work.

A-Always, B-Be, Learning. Once is never enough with a play in progress. There’s always something to be gleaned, something to be learned. It’s up to me to  learn. It’s up to me to not give up. One more time is one more opportunity to make sure the piece is exactly right.

My next favourite movie moment is when Cameron is sitting in the car inFerris Bueller’s Day off. “This is ridiculous, ok I’ll go, I’ll go, I’ll go, I’ll go, I’ll go. What – I’LL GO. ”  That rhythm ends up in so many of my plays….

This month we’re going to look at the Drama Journal. What is it and how can it be used most effectively?

Read the whole thing here!

In This Issue - The Drama Journal

What is a drama journal?

Journaling is a vital part of the drama classroom. The journal gives students the opportunity to self-reflect and self-evaluate, and to practice assessing and evaluating others. Not only are these elements essential to the classroom, they also help students build real world skills. The ability to evaluate what you do and what others do in a constructive manner is incredibly useful in every walk of life.

Journal Topic Areas

We cover Personal Reflection, Drama Reflection, Critical Reflection, and Creative Thinking.

Quality of Work

The purpose of journal entries is to show the teacher that the student understands and is able to comment thoughtfully on a specific experience. The aim of the student is to demonstrate a skill – whether it be assessment, reflection, or creative brainstorming. To use the journal as a personal outburst or diatribe is inappropriate. To say I don’t know, I don’t understand, or I have no answer is inappropriate. There is always an answer when it comes to personal reflection because there is always a personal point of view.

Assessment vs Evaluation

What is the difference between Evaluation and Assessment?
These are two words that tend to get bandied about quite a bit and sometimes the line between the two can get blurred. It’s important for students to know the difference so that when they can respond accordingly.

Questions and Sentence Starters

Sometimes students just don’t know where to start with a journal entry. Here are some questions and sentence starters that can get them on their way.

Quotes

Here you’ll find a collection of acting and theatre quotes. Have students respond to a quote as a jumping off point for reflection. Do they agree or disagree with the quote and why?

Read more about all of these topics here!

Some of these plays were written close to twenty years ago. It seems so odd to have works so old! That must mean….. I’m old. Let’s move on, shall we?

What an experience to be able to re-visit who I was as a writer way back then. It’s thrilling that they plays are still being done – that means they continue to catch someone’s eye. That to me is the greatest compliment of all – when work survives and thrives.  I would say that a couple of these plays are indeed my most popular.  Bright Blue for sure receives many productions each year.

I wrote differently back then. I would say that it was more instinct without much process. Now I’m more careful, I think more if that makes sense. I question more, and strive to answer my questions. I pay attention to the craft of writing, as opposed to just writing a play.  I took more risks back them in terms of content, but that was more because Theatrefolk hadn’t even fully formed. So there was less attention needed toward creating the high school appropriate play. I’m thankful for that ignorance at times.

And when I watched those plays a couple of thoughts run through my head. First, who wrote that?? I can’t believe Tuna Fish Eulogy came out of me. I don’t know how it came to be.  When plays are done and published the creative spark that made it come to life has to move on so that I have room for the next play. It amazes me to go back and see that spark on the stage and know it was my doing.

Second, I sometimes wonder “Was I better playwright then, or am I a better playwright now?” I cultivate a fear that writing on instinct is more creative. That it creates better work. And as I said some of those earlier plays are my most popular.

So it was interesting to also see last month my brand new play Chicken. Road.  produced. A play that was written with careful consideration, with attention to questions, with instinct lighting the spark but craft doing most of the heavy lifting. And I love it. I think the reason I have almost twenty years of playwriting behind me, and no end in sight in front, is because I have developed a writing process. I don’t have to wait for instinct and indeed I don’t. I’m never at a loss for what to write next.

In the end, it’s nice to sit in the dark and visit an old friend. And also to think – wow that play is good!

Holy. Cow. With sprinkles and fudge topping.

Thank you! We’re giddy with excitement and want to return the favour with…

You don’t even have to be a customer of ours. By sheer virtue of the fact that you’re reading this, we want to sincerely thank you. All you need to do is to follow either our Facebook Page or our Twitter Feed throughout the day, where we’ll be posting the instructions to get free scripts.

Thanks again. You are why we’re here.

~Lindsay and Craig

One of the plays I’m workshopping is my long in development Poe piece (the middle school version) which can’t seem to find a home and I don’t know why. But I’m not prepared to give up. Nor am I prepared to make changes until I see it in action. But because Poe’s text is so dense, that’s hard to do in a workshop situation.  Unless you’re stubborn. As I am. (Craig says I’m pigheaded, but tomato tomaato). To that end I’ve been thinking about and coming up with some techniques to get students away from reading the page and performing as soon as possible. I want the piece to come to life so I can see if the issues are with the script.

Watch and see what I’ve come up with…..

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