Tag Archive for: Theatre

Telling your story on stage using the language of theatre with Alice Coghlan

by Alice Coghlan
www.wonderlandtheatre.com

 

Consider the onstage space and the offstage.

In theatre, it’s your job to make the offstage space to come to life. Theatre ignites the audience’s imagination bringing the story or vision to life in their minds, whereas film shows you a lot more through visual effects, etc.

 

Consider how your characters sound.

Arthur Miller, for example, is very much an auditory playwright. He said he couldn’t write until he heard the characters in his head.

 

Don’t focus too much on dialogue.

There are many theatrical languages of which dialogue is the principal one, but we also have the language of:

  • light
  • sound
  • design
  • image
  • body language
  • the body in space
  • the tone of the actors’ voice
  • the expression of the actor

These are just a few theatrical languages.

There’s also so much that can be done with silence and pauses. What someone doesn’t say can be extremely evocative.

 

A hand-held prop tells a story.

What a character carries on stage tells you a lot about them. Use narrative hand-held props to bring your characters to life, e.g., a walking stick indicates the age of character, a fan tells the audience that it’s hot or that the character holding it is a fine lady.

 

Phones, for example, are used as props so that a character can avoid communication. Phones are like little masks we carry around with us. You can hold it up and hide behind it.

 

Think about presence and absence; who’s on, who’s off-stage?

What is the effect when one member of your family is not present? Does the mood lean a certain way?

 

Think about the inner child in your character

Getting that person out onstage is powerful. Vulnerability draws the audience in.

 

The power of the body in space tells a story.

The stories the body carries through movement are significant. What rituals or ticks does your character express? How does their body react when they’re uncomfortable or unsure.

Every body on this planet has their ticks. An actor’s work is to “detox” themselves of whom they are before embracing and expressing a new character physically. These rituals/ticks sometimes might intersect with the actor’s body. Finding the body of a character is the actor’s job.

 

Consider setting and staging your play in a specific space.

Site-specific work can enhance your story. Maybe the street is your set and where your play is staged.

 

Looking for a Producer

Juley-Ann Collins + special guests:
Promenade’s Kath Gorman & Ciara O’Mahoney

 

1. A producer is someone who coordinates, facilitates, and develops.

Generally, the producer oversees budget and people management; like the chef pulling together the ingredients for success.

What makes a good producer? It’s multi-faceted with relationship-building at the centre.

Fundraising is part of the producer’s job. They need to be able to think creatively about different funding sources which also comes down to relationship building.

Usually, the producer works behind the scenes and is supporting artists with their creative vision; helping artists realise their vision.

 

2. Define the right producer for you.

Before you begin, consider: what are you looking for in a producer? Do you want a sounding board? A mentor? Someone to help with marketing?

We all have different skill sets so keep that in mind when you’re looking for someone to work with. Make sure your producer has the specific skills your project needs.

 

3. Define what you want a producer to help you with.

Do you want someone to take on your big project or just a small task? Do you want help developing an idea or applying for funding? It’s important to allocate time to do this important preliminary work.

 

4. There must be trust and openness in your relationship.

Do you have the same interests? The same styles? Has this producer seen your work? Do they understand your style?

This person is going to be your ally and advocate. You need to trust and understand each other and be able to thrash things out.

A producer needs to be excited by the project and the people. Find a producer who’s passionate about what you do so that it’s an easy sell.

If you have a shared vision for the work, it’s much easier to connect.

 

5. Look to your network to find a producer.

This is especially important when you work freelance. The following are examples of strong resources who will represent you in your chosen artform:

• Irish Street Arts, Circus & Spectacle Network
• Theatre Forum
• Visual Arts Ireland
• Writers Guild of Ireland

It can be isolating working in the arts; we’re all here for each other. Local authorities and local arts centres are also great resources. Reach out to them. They’re willing and open people. They want the arts to flourish and grow so don’t be afraid to reach out to them.

The following companies have databases of producers for you to browse:
• Branar
• Promenade
• Field Arts
• Once Off Productions

 

6. Agree from the get-go what the fee is and what the producer will do.

Don’t let a grey area develop in your relationship. If there’s no formal contract, put the agreed timelines and fees into an email. This can change later on, but it’s important to capture and record everything so there’s no confusion. From that email you can build on conditions.

By defining and recording working terms and conditions, you show how much you value and respect the work being put in by your colleagues and partners.

Timesheets are a good idea – record the time you’re putting in, down to the quarter of an hour. This shows how long things take and makes it easier to plan.

Being clear on everyone’s expectations is important.

Contracts are a good thing. If you find them overwhelming, a letter of agreement might be easier to organise. This could capture the agreed time the producer will put in and what days they’re present in-person for. Maybe the first half of payment happens ahead of time and the rest afterwards. This can all be put into your own words and fit within a one-pager. There might be tweaks and changes as you go along; this all builds into your relationships and legitamises your work. Your colleagues and partners will always feel more comfortable around a defined plan. You don’t want vague agreements.

Webinar: Writing Applications with Juley Ann Collins

Juley Ann Collins presents a webinar on application writing for Minding Creative Minds.

Tips: My play is ready, now what?

Pamela McQueen

1. Be sure the funding you’re applying for is right for you.

Have a clear sense of who you are as a maker/writer. Consider what stage you are at in your career: emerging or established?

When you’re considering a fund to apply for, take a step back and think about how it will benefit you at this point in your career or at this point in your play’s development. If it’s a once-off funding award, make sure it hits at the right moment in your career.

Awards usually have a list of people who’ve received them previously on their sites. Look at who these people are and what stage their career was at when they received funding. This will help you to decide if you should apply for a particular fund.

2. Local arts office funding has restricted applications

The competitive level is reduced for local arts office funds as they’re not open on a national level. Your odds of achieving local arts office funding increases compared to national awards.

Some local arts offices are better than others at providing funding so consider applying to the local arts office in your home county/region if it’s different to where you currently live.

3. There’s an understanding that venues will support artists.

Go and have a relationship with venues as an individual. It will improve your chances of connecting for playwriting support in the long-run.

4. Ask for more information.

If there aren’t detailed guidelines or FAQs accompanying a funding opportunity, send in questions before you apply. Anything that’s an open call expects to have interaction with the public, so dig deeper to give your application a stronger chance of success.

5. You may need multiple funders to get your new play staged.

If you’re looking at a new play poster, you’ll generally see several logos attached because that many organisations have funded it. That’s the kind of risk-deleveraging that’s often needed for new plays.

6. Consider UK playwriting competitions & awards.

Most of the UK awards are also open to Irish applicants; this still is the case post-Brexit, however check their FAQs.

7. Have a relationship with The Arts Council of Ireland

Subscribe to their monthly newsletter. Attend live clinics and meet the theatre team.

8. Always request feedback.

Always request feedback from both successful and unsuccessful Arts Council funding applications. This feedback informs your ongoing relationship with them.

9. Define your role in the casting process ahead of time.

Now that you have your funding and your play is being staged, ask yourself:

● What will your input into the casting process be?
● Will you be in the room with the director?
● Will you supply potential creative team names for consideration as part of the selection process?

Your agent (if you have one) will negotiate a lot of this, but if not, it’s up to you. Define what you want, and talk to the producer at the earliest stage regarding this.

10. Define your role in the rehearsal room ahead of time.

Before you get near the rehearsal room, define whether you’re open to edits during rehearsals or whether the script is locked off. You will have to facilitate technical changes e.g., a costume quick change, which is reasonable, but are you open to bigger changes like character discovery? That’s a conversation that needs to be had with the director before getting into the rehearsal room.

Define how long you’re required to join rehearsals for. Is it the whole first week? Are you required to be back for the first whole run-through? Crucially, define what the communication lines are for you into the rehearsal room. Will you receive the daily rehearsal report from the stage manager? Will you receive the annotated changes?

Some writers want to be there every day. Others don’t want to be there for the first weeks of rehearsal because it can seem like your text is being torn apart while the director and team figure things out. This is natural.

Other questions to consider ahead of time include: Who has final say on including any improvisation? Will you be the scribe in the room taking down new dialogue? Will you be doing the overnight edit of that? That’s a lot of work so be very clear on whether you are doing that. You should be paid for all of this work which is above and beyond any commissioning/royalty agreements.