Script to Stage

I'm lucky, I've never wanted to go out drinking and getting completely smashed. I spend a large amount of my money on theatre tickets instead. I didn't always, but since I began acting with amateur groups, and then progressing through the LJMU drama department, I've seen as much theatre as I can. On more than one occasion I've been moved to want to see a show a second time.

Tonight's show of Crime and Punishment at the Playhouse made me realise just why it is that I spend my money on visiting the theatre. There is something special that goes on within a theatre space. Even as I write, I'm aware that sounds cliche, but it's true. Last night, I wasn't able to get a copy of the script for the production, but on the second time round I was. What struck me was how bare the script was. The production very much had the feel of Brecht's influence. You couldn't help but notice it to be honest, and yet that doesn't appear in the script. Sure the wonderful dialogue and the basics of the stage direction appear, but the scale of the production, the use of live sound effects and music, the simple elegance of the costume design, none of that appears in a script. When you first read a script you have yourself and your own voice.

Somehow though, someone has looked at this script and managed to direct something that I know I'd find it difficult to reach without help or guidance. I'm not sure I have that level of imagination...yet (I hope that one day I do). Some scripts like those of Shared Experience do give you the idea and the basis of the expressionism that the company have a tendency to use. In The Mill on the Floss (Helen Edmunson) the conceit of having three Maggie Tullivers, who all appear to have a distinct personality and flavour, is written right into the script. In that case, perhaps the writer knows exactly what the company do and how they'll use a script and can tailor the script to that company. Yet it occurs to me that in five year's time someone who didn't see this production might try to stage the script. There don't appear to be any indicators of the variety of techniques that were employed in this production. It wouldn't surprise me if that future production came out completely differently.

I'll admit, I have a vested interest here, I'm now third year at LJMU and we're going to very soon have our directorials coming up. We have to take a script, select extracts from said script, and direct two first years. Oh and our extracts cannot exceed fifteen minutes. So I'm looking at scripts of shows I've seen and working out what is written into the script and what isn't. I'm looking at what choices the directors and designers made. Why did they work? What didn't work so well?

The show wasn't without it's flaws. There were some moments where I wasn't entirely convinced by the 'picture' I was seeing on stage. They were simple moments, but what I didn't see yesterday from the front row of the circle, I saw tonight in the middle of the stalls. There were odd flashes of glare from polished surfaces reflecting stage lights, meaning that I winced or had to direct my attention away from the stage for a moment or two. There were moments where I'd witnessed a nice scene from above yesterday that were blocked by an actor's back. In the grand scheme of things they aren't particularly big objections. They didn't detract too much from my enjoyment.

What was the big thing for me though was seeing the changes between nights. Last night some of the acting was bigger and more expressive...perhaps a little too big at moments, where tonight they weren't. Lines that I'd not heard properly, I heard tonight. One thing is for certain, I've come away realising just how much harder I ought to be looking at the scripts that I'm considering for my directorial. How do I think of everything? How can I make that show I direct the best it can possibly be? I think I'm seeing plenty of late nights and time spent pouring over scripts in my very near future...like maybe tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.

I suppose I'd better get some rest then!