Theatre ADAD
Devising Issue Based Theatre
There are a million and one ways in which a play can be created. The following guide is just one possible method for a group to follow, or simply refer to when creating a piece of issue-based theatre. NB. This guide should not be seen as a rigid structure, but as some general steps in a loose order which a group can use as much or as little as they feel they need to.
Give yourself a timetable, set objectives eg. ‘We want to be at stage 3 by Monday at 5pm’.
It might be helpful to put lots of large pieces of paper on the walls of your workspace so you can surround yourselves with research materials, timetables, aims etc.
Some stages of this guide may be achieved equally well through discussion or ‘on the floor’ (improvisation etc). Choose what best suits your group, or move between the 2 for variety and a different way of tackling problems.
1. Research
Everyone in the group needs to research the issue. Once you have decided on the issue you want to address, it may be useful to ‘brainstorm’ places you could go to research and then allocate specific things to specific group members to avoid ‘doubling up’ on research materials. Be sure that you allocate adequate time to the research process, remember, you may need to set up interviews or meetings a few weeks in advance. There are all sorts of places where you can gather research, a specialist agency working in the field, television documentaries, newspaper articles, pictures, personal stories. Absorb as much as you can, make sure you are well informed about the issue. Share all research with the rest of the group. Write down and remember important facts along with things that interest and excite you.
2. Super-Objective
A Super-Objective is a concise sentence that defines exactly what you want the play to be about. ie. You may have researched into drugs, but this is a massive subject, you must now decide exactly what you want to say about drugs. eg. We want to show how drugs are altering the lives of young people in our town.
NB. This will be used as a constant reference point, so make sure it is exactly right and the whole group agrees with and understands it.
NB. Have your Super-Objective written down and refer to it throughout the process. This will ensure that your play has a clear focus/message and does not become confusing, either for you, or your audience.
3. The Story
Look at your research materials for stories, events, characters etc. Discuss everything and build the story layer by layer. Keep the story simple. You should be able to tell the basic story in a few sentences.
4. Scenario
Breakdown the story into scenes. Say what happens in each scene and why (how does it serve your super-objective?) eg. In scene 5, a young woman talks about her family life before she begins to sniff glue’.
5. Writing
Using the scenario, write the dialogue and stage directions. When you know what a scene is about, and what has to actually happen in it, improvisation can be an excellent way of creating the script. Make sure you keep a very good record of what has happened in the impros (either by taping, or someone making notes). In all impros, some things will be great, and some not. It is now your job to use the great stuff and get rid of the rest in your script.
A few other pointers
Audience. Think about who your audience are. What will they/won’t they know already. What styles or genres might appeal to them? What do you want them to come away thinking and feeling.
Style. The style that you use will depend on many different factors, for instance it may be determined by the subject matter, the facilities that you have at your disposal, what you think your audience would respond best to, or the particular skills of the group. Remember, whilst you can use different styles of theatre, it is not a good idea to use too many.
Characters. It is important to go back to research material for character work, don’t just trust your instincts. For instance, unless you have been a victim of domestic violence, it would be very hard to know exactly how it must feel.
NB. An important point to mention about Issue Based Theatre is that you want to leave the audience thinking about that issue. You will have a lot of questions, but will not have all of the answers. Don’t try to resolve things for them, make them do some of the work.
ã theatre ADAD May 2000.