On Reflection

On Reflection

Looking back at the whole process of our production, I am extremely pleased with how A Gothic Tale turned out. The team found a way to work efficiently together in producing a completely original piece of devised theatre. We forget we had substantially less time to take it from the page to stage as we had to allow time for the script to be written; only having the final fully edited script by Easter.

As director I feel an honest approach is needed when reflecting on our production. It was not easy taking a completely original script devised from within the group as it is understandable that people will come with different visions – I did not want to take anything away from the script writer’s hard work, but at the same time I felt like I had to put my own stamp on the production.

I had always been interested in creating the impression of two worlds, so the audience can leave the production wondering why the fairytale they were used to have been corrupted – as a reflection of the process of growing older and leaving the fairy tale behind. It was not meant to leave a deep and lasting impression, but rather create that small thought in your head as to why they chose to come and see this corrupted fairy tale. This is where the audience divided; it was interesting to see in certain scenes half the audience laughing, some cringing and some genuinely gasping.  The audience seemed to develop relationships with some of the characters very quickly e.g. the Piano Tuner and took comfort in the comedy styling’s of the housekeeper – even when she did turn evil!!

If I am honest taking the role of director I feel I had been a bit naïve. I had directed a Shakespeare play before and felt I had learnt a lot from the directing module however, nothing could have prepared me for directing a completely new devised piece of theatre in such a short amount of time! One of the main hurdles I came across was the constant need for script editing to expand the story and create more character depth; this is where I suggested the introduction of the character development scenes. These comprised mainly of dance numbers and self help recordings! I feel I have learnt a lot with this process, worked with a fantastic team, and one of the main things I have learnt is to ask for help when I need it – there is a fantastic team of cast, crew and teachers that can offer guidance and insight in times of confusion and panic!

 

Finding space was another huge obstacle – especially with our production being as tech heavy as it was, it was difficult to keep a vision in your head that no one else could see up until the day when we finally got the tech! I learnt to start every rehearsal with an explanation to what will be on stage eventually and briefed the actors on what to expect, creating the vision in their minds was key so the scene could make sense to them! Spending months pretending there was a lifting angel with top lights, haze and a huge silhouette was no easy task!!

 

To be completed.