Kelly Bramall

Restrained Writers- The Curse of Authenticity

Kelly Bramall

Robin Soans states, “verbatim plays are more like conventional plays than is generally acknowledged” (Billington, 2012, online) I question what Soans truly means by the aforementioned statement. Is he suggesting that the staging of a verbatim play is essentially the same as staging a ‘conventional’ fictional play? Therefore, is Soans questioning the writers’ ability to stay authentic to the verbatim text and as a result allowing for the factual text to become more of a fictional representation. Verbatim theatre prides itself on its ability to offer a source of uncontaminated truth. Dramatists staging verbatim plays are incredibly aware of their artistic limitations due to the texts ethical restraints. Therefore, due to the manuscripts legality and the inordinate pressure surrounding the legitimacy of the factual content, writers tend to isolate verbatim in appose to creating a collusion between two genres. However, Max Stafford-Clarke frequently uses the exploration of verbatim texts during his rehearsal process, interesting when working on fictional texts. It appears evident that creators of verbatim theatre and also of fictional theatre seem to be enticed by verbatim emotive qualities. Stafford-Clarke utilising the texts content to draw upon his actors characterisations. However, playwrights seem to reject the idea of a relationship between factual and fictional when it comes to physically staging verbatim. It is either presented as a solely verbatim play in which the text is reflectively accurate, or playwrights refer to the staging as documentary theatre allowing for slight amendments to be made to the verbatim text, therefore reducing the accuracy.

If verbatim playwrights state that verbatim plays fall into the same genre as conventional plays, how come they are so anxious about factual context. Surely dramatic works can be based around a factual text but be presented as a fictional performance. The limitations placed on a verbatim writers’ ability to adapt and restructure text has enable this potentially fatal divide to happen between what we perceive as reality and theatre. What is reality? Yes verbatim plays claim to purport reality but this is just unachievable in the theatre. Yes the text is reality; the reality is someone spoke the words; however the situation isn’t reality that is representation. For example during our performance we used legal transcripts as the source for our verbatim text. The text was in essence ‘accurate’ but the situation wasn’t. We didn’t perform in the court room where Doreen originally recalled the works. We created a representation of reality in a theatrical setting.

Writers are so focused on an authentic representation and dramatically limited by the legality of staging verbatim that they seem to stick to this journalistic delivery in appose to making theatre. Who said verbatim text can’t be embedded within a fictional performance? The words aren’t changed; it’s still authentic to the original text. However, when we begin to experiment with the exploration of fact and fiction as one genre, you are forced to ask the question what is entertainment? I am ethically able to take this spoken text and change its intended purpose. You wouldn’t put a verbatim testimony from a solider serving in the Iraq war in the middle of a play intended for comical entertainment but then the beauty of theatre is to express emotion that powerful change that occurs when one moment you’re laughing and the next you’re crying. This emotive change was something we, as a theatre company, intensified during our performance. The fictional play provided the comical interludes whereas the verbatim served as the stern reality. For us the merging of the two genres seemed to create a natural fluidity largely due to the content of the fictional play. The verbatim text remained faithful to its source, in some ways you could say embedding verbatim within a fictional context magnified its appeal and its impact.

Reinelt comments, “Someday the gap between reality and representation might be overcome by new techniques” (2009, p.9) Here Reinelt is suggesting that the gap between a straight verbatim play and a representational play can afford to lessen, allowing for future exploration of the verbatim techniques. Emerging verbatim playwrights such embrace the ability to experiment with text and language. As theatre makers, you are given a verbatim text to explore is theatrical potential and this is something that should be embraced if verbatim theatre is succeed as a dramatic median.

 

Works cited:

Billington, Michael (2012) V is for Verbatim Theatre, Online: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2012/may/08/michael-billington-verbatim-theatre (accessed 23rd May 2013)

Reinelt, Janelle (2009) The promise of documentary in Get real Documentary theatre past and present, Alison Forsyth and Chris Megson eds. Palgrave Macmillan publishers limited: Hampshire

 

A Response to Simplifying Theatre- A Workshop with Andy Smith

Kelly Bramall

Peter Brook states, “A normal stage action will appear real to us if it is convincing and so we are apt to take it, temporarily, as object truth” (2008, p.87). The idea of truth within a theatrical setting seems somewhat unattainable. Surely nothing is truthful in a theatre, how can it be when you invite your audience to envisage a representation of a suspended reality. Performance most certainly challenges expectations and relies on an audience’s ability to suspend their belief and to disconnect with an authentic world. Brooks goes on to comment, “everything is illusion…the shared association is language” (2008, p.86). This is such a superlative quote to sum up our work as a contemporary theatre company. We present to our audience white middle class females embodying Nigerian male London centred teenagers. For us Brooks idea of a representation being convincing is void, it’s more about hiding the pretence, we are white female actors we are not hiding the reality of the situation. Therefore, we are simplifying characterisation in the sense that we as actors are telling you as audience members this is who we are, inviting them to engage with our situational reality.

When we were presented with contemporary theatre practitioner Andy Smith’s illusion that a glass of water is infact a fully grown oak tree, with instantly engaged with his artistic ethos. Smith creates work that is “characteristically simple and accessible in form but unafraid to approach and address big subjects” (Z-arts, 2012, online) In the same sense we stand a white female on the stage and say this is a black male, Smith delivers through his informal and conversation style theatre reduced to its very essence. It was incredible how instantly we as audience members actually began to believe that this glass was in fact a tree. There was on technical advancing, no direction, it was just an empty stage and a half full glass of water. Referring back to Brooks’ idea of language, we were presented with a piece of conversational text to aid our belief.

An Oak Tree- By Michael Craig-Martin

Q. To begin with, could you describe this work?

A. Yes, of course. What I’ve done is change a glass of water into a full-grown oak tree without altering the accidents of the glass of water.

Q. The accidents?

A. Yes. The colour, feel, weight, size …

Q. Do you mean that the glass of water is a symbol of an oak tree?

A. No. It’s not a symbol. I’ve changed the physical substance of the glass of water into that of an oak tree.

Q. It looks like a glass of water.

A. Of course it does. I didn’t change its appearance. But it’s not a glass of water, it’s an oak tree.

The part about the glass of water becoming a symbol for an oak tree is interesting. The fact that the oak tree needs water in which to grow and develop is a metaphor for Smiths theory. In the sense that, this is the starting point and it’s us as audience members to expand the objects potential through engaging with belief.

 

Works cited:

Brook, Peter (2008) The Empty Space, Penguin Modern Classics: London

Roberts, Paul (2005) Craig-Martin, Michael- An Oak Tree at the Tate Modern, online: http://prade.blogspot.co.uk/2005/05/oak-tree-at-tate-modern.html (accessed 22nd May 2013)

Z-arts (2012) Commonwealth-Andy Smith- Flare Festival, online: http://www.z-arts.org (accessed 22nd May 2013)

External representations of the real Individual

Kelly Bramall

We are under no illusion, as a theatre company, that the representations of the verbatim protagonists will be devotedly accurate. Rather than soley emphasising the external physicality’s, we have focused on the emotional sub-context, allowing for a somewhat reduced expectation of physical expression. Although we are quoting the featured characters verbatim, the external representation does not have to be as precise as the actor’s vocal delivery and understanding of the text.  However, when audiences identify that the production is going to feature verbatim extracts, there is inevitably an increased expectation surrounding the portrayed individual’s external presence. In order to eradicate the expectancy, we have avoided the use of digital images of the featured person, for example Doreen Lawrence, as part of an advertisement strategy. Goodman comments, “the more images and vocal imprints that have been circulated close to the time of production, the greater the necessity to pay close attention to external details” (2010, p.7). Rather than presenting the intended audience with visual depictions of the portrayed character, we have aligned our marketing with the use of ‘real words’ in appose to ‘real people’, therefore the misrepresentation of the charters physicality is permissible.

However, in order to allow for that emotive and complex connection between a person as an actor, playing a real person it was an essential part of the individualised character research to use images and video recordings, as part of our company’s internal research. Diane Fletcher comments, “The actor’s powers of observation and listening, and their facility for noticing behavioural details are the most important aspects of their research method” (2010, p.5). As the verbatim extracts were taken from inquiry transcripts, there was instantly this missing link in terms of characterisation. It became very much a question of, who are these people. What are their unique mannerisms? Due to the fact that text was void of emotion in terms of its legality, it was challenging for the actors to connect with the text on a personal level, when they were just presented with the transcript as a document. McKellen comments, “the voice is easier to capture than the face, which is impossible to capture in its volatility” (2010, p.9). During the process from written text to verbal deliver, we infact followed the inverse of McKellen’s theory, in the sense that the actors gained more from visual representations. The actors discovered that Doreen Lawrence sat with her hands clasps together. This slight physical mannerism aided in the actor’s emotional attachment to the text.

In addition to proving the verbatim actors with visual representations, it was an essential research constituent to issue the actors with a factual insight into the life of the people behind the unmitigated text. Cantrell and Luckhurst state, “Most actors argued that research facilitated their performances, but also stressed the importance of acquiring an ability to select and distil information which serves the construction of the person created” (2010, p.3) The factual information was provided so that the actors could develop their attachment to the text and to start to develop characteristics and personal mannerisms.  This ability to select relevant information from research to aid in the actor’s vocal delivery of the text was important. Once the actors knew that Doreen was a well educated woman it seemed to transform their vocal deliver and aid in the understanding of the text. For example, during on of the verbatim extracts in which Doreen expresses Stephen’s ambition of becoming an architect, became more prominent once the actors established that Doreen was studying for a degree at the time Stephen was killed. Generally attached to the stigma of verbatim theatre, is this assumption of a dull, tedious and dictatorial delivery. This is something that needed to be avoided in order to create an authentic representation. Proving contextual background aided in the actors emotional delivery and personal relationship to the presented individual. It became more about a connection to the portrayed persons emotions, rather that a detached connection with the transcribed text.

Sample examples of the character portfolios are provided below:

Doreen lawrence

Name: Doreen Lawrence

Gender: Female

Age: 60 years (age when Stephen died 40 years)

Born: 24th October 1952

Orientation: Jamaican, emigrated to England aged 9

Doreena and Neville finically struggled to provide for their family. At the time of Stephens death Doreen was in her first year of a degree, which would lead her into teaching with the special needs sector. Neville was currently unemployed, which put immense pressure of their marriage. Doreen had worked in banking most of her life. The week Stephen was murdered Doreen was on a trip, away from the family home, as part of her University studies.

Doreen has two younger children, Stuart and Georgina Lawrence (both of which are full siblings of her eldest son Stephen)

In 1972 Doreen married Neville

In 1974 Stephen their first child was born

Neville and Doreen divorced in 1999

Doreen is a campaigner, writer and patron of the Stephen Lawrence Trust. She is also a patron of STOP HATE UK.

In 2003 Doreen was awarded with an OBE for services to community relations

In 2012 Doreen was presented with a lifetime achievement award for her outstanding charity work at the Pride of Britain Awards

Also in 2012 Doreen was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Education from UEL (University of East London) for her continuing campaigns following her sons death.

It was interesting to note how some of the verbatim extracts were delivered with almost an impending sense of guilt. That somehow as a mother Doreen should have protected her son. The change is vocal deliver developed from the fact that Doreen was away from home just before Stephen died, she wasn’t their to protect him.

This video provides the actor with a example of Doreen’s tone, pace and vocal register.

 

 

Works Cited:

Cantrell, Tom and Mary Luckhurst (2010) Playing for Real- Actors on Playing Real People, Palgrave Macmillan: London

The multi-faceted role of a Dramaturg…

Kelly Bramall

The role of a dramaturg within a theatrical organisation holds an ambiguous and often misunderstood definition.The role of a Dramaturge is seen as a contested extravagance. It is not essentially always a priority for a Dramaturge to be present on theatre companies casting list. It is a role that is generally perceived as an additional extra. If the theatre company’s expenditure will only stretch to accommodate the pay of the performers and the indispensable production team, than a Dramaturge is void from the budget. The general consensus surrounding this role is that the company’s director or assistant director would adapt their role to accommodate the acquired roles relating to dramaturgy. Michael Paller states, “Dramaturgy’s always been done by somebody; they just weren’t always called dramaturgs” (Anderson, 2012, online). I lot of the work of a dramaturg is done behind the scenes, in front of a computer, undergoing historical research. Some small, low budget theatre companies, adapt their research needs in order to allow the research to be undertaken by an in house administrator/researcher, in appose to a Dramaturge. However, Dramaturge Philippa Kelly commends the importance of a Dramaturge within a theatrical establishment, commenting, “A dramaturg creates conversation between parts of a theatrical practice or process, where those lines of conversation may not exist” (Anderson, 2012, online). Here Kelly is suggesting that a Dramaturg can offer a new theatrical perspective, adding a different dimension and approach to that of the in-house director. It is apparent that there is no fixed structure in place with regards to the work of a dramaturg. The responsibilities denoted to such a role are amended and restructured depending on the direction of an organisations individual project. Mary Luckhurst states that, “a dramaturg is a person with knowledge of the history, theory and practice of theatre, who helps a director, playwright or actor realise their intentions in a production” (Luckhurst, 2006, p.8). Due to the specialised nature of our current project and the prominent historical connotations associated within Williams’s script, my role as a dramaturg has been one of a contextual researcher. Due to our company’s artistic mergence with verbatim theatre, undertaking focused research into the field of verbatim works has been an essential component to my role within the organisation. Cardullo comments that a dramaturg, “denotes the study of a given play: its content, style, and interpretive possibilities, together with its historical, theatrical and intellectual background” (Cardullo, 2009, p.3). A side from this generalised definition is the task of sourcing and editing the verbatim material. Obtaining the verbatim direct from the primary source, the initial transcripts of the inquiry, has enabled the organisation to adhere to the ethical restraints of staging verbatim. Similarly the script allows for a contextual affiliation between the theatrical background of the script and the historical concept behind the verbatim testimony. Communicating and collaborating with both the director and the cast has collectively aided towards the successful integration of two divergent theatrical styles.

 

Works cited:

Anderson, Caroline (2012) The Secret life of a Dramaturg: Online http://www.theatrebayarea.org/editorial/Secret-Life-Dramaturg.cfm (accessed 21st May 2013)

Cardullo, Berts eds. (2009) What is Dramaturgy? Peter Lang Publishing Incorporated: New York

Luckhurst, Mary (2006) Dramaturgy: A Revoultion in Theatre, Cambridge University Press: Cambridge

 

 

 

The ethical constraints of an ‘authentic representation’

Kelly Bramall

The creation and representation of verbatim material embodies complex ethical dimensions. Auslander describes verbatim theatre as “authentic inauthenticity” (2007, p.155). The undisputed origin of the performed material, self-consciously delimits its authenticity.  Due to the liminality of the theatrical space, the document becomes unethical; it becomes an entity between the notion of a factual document and a representational real. There is this underlying impenetrable suggestion that the verbatim genre will never escape its ethical restraint. Stephen Bottoms states, “Without a self-conscious emphasis on the vicissitudes of textuality and discourse, such plays can too easily become disingenuous exercises in the presentation of ‘truth’” (2006, p.57). Here Bottoms is implying that verbatim work can become hypocritical to its own practice, as a result of neglecting the changes that occur between the sourcing of the document and its theatrical interpretation.

It is also implied that verbatim theatre cannot ever ethically portray its depicted event, due to the fact that it only represents a concentrated proportion of the document. It is this ethical restraint that may question the authentic credentials of our current work. As we experiment with the collaboration between fact and fiction the sole emphasis of our performance is not on the document, therefore essentially jeopardising its factual import, due to the fact we can only present a proportion of the event.  Whether you are incorporating or creating verbatim this is an ethical concern creators of this genre have to consider. Gillian Slovo’s verbatim play The Riots could be seen as representing a misleading interpretation of the events, due to the fact verbatim accounts of the rioters were not included. Esther Addley comments, “Her critics will argue, that this is an intellectual’s view of the riots- that the rioters aren’t voiceless, it’s just that she hasn’t found those voices”(2011, p.1: online). As Slovo was creating an entirely verbatim play, the ethical importance of work was heightened.

We are not creating as reconstruction of the Stephen Lawrence murder inquiry; we are consequently using verbatim extracts taken from the Lawrence inquiry, to aid and sensitively emphasis the issues raises in our fictional text. Although the verbatim extracts have to be authentically represented, the restraint of creating a factual and ethical depiction of the proposed event is somewhat limited.

 

 

 

Auslander in, Anderson, Michael and Linda Wilkinson (2007) Making Theatre from Data- Lessons for performance ethnography from verbatim theatre, Volume 50:3, pp. 56-68

Bottoms, Stephen (2006) ‘Putting the Document into Documentary’- An unwelcome corrective’ TDR: The Drama Review, issue 3, volume 50: pp.56-68

Addley, Esther (2011) Burn Britain Burn: Gillian Slovo’s The Riots, The Guardian. Online: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2011/nov/22/gillian-slovo-the-riots-play (accessed 24th March 2013).