Posts tagged Directing

I have decided to merge my two theatre companies together this summer! Pretty Ugly Theatre Co. will join forces with my new company Doublespeak. 

I have decided to take this action as there is no need to have two companies at this point in my career. As I have matured throughout my three years at University I have come to understand that every company needs its own identity. Pretty Ugly was my first venture onto the scene as a director / producer, however the range of theatre being created by the company varies massively. Our first production, To Be Blind… was a very dark, intense piece of promenade theatre, whereas The Clinic for Depressed and Failing Heroes and Villains was a hilarious comedy. Two opposite ends of the spectrum.

Under Doublespeak I directed A State of Silence which was an expressionist, physical production designed to provoke the minds of its audience into asking questions about their own lives; this is what I want to do on a more regular basis. 

Doublespeak is the famous concept created by the British writer George Orwell and was done so to aid his warnings in the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. By keeping this in the name of the company everyone will automatically associate us with Orwell, hence creating an identity.

Doublespeak Theatre Co. breaks down the boundaries between naturalism and expressionism to combine the two worlds. Our work is complex yet accessible and we communicate our ideas and feelings through a physical, imaginative and thought-provoking style.  

So, year three is now four weeks in and I feel settled. However, the work is starting to pile up already! So here is a little update on what I’m doing at the moment…

Our Reinventing Classics module is now in full swing. We are reinventing a reinvention…following? Good. It is a play by Caryl Churchill based on Euripides’ ‘The Bacchae’. Really messed up play, seven characters have their life disrupted in some way and therefore become possessed during an ‘undefended day’. This possession leads to a transformation within the character. I have been cast as Derek, who is struggling remember what it is to be a man.

Our Thesis Production module has slowly been building up. We are now down to our final six potential shows (four of which will eventually be chosen). I have two pitches which I have taken on. Both are devised pieces of theatre. ‘1984’ (George Orwell novel) was pitched by Hannah Sinclair-Robinson, and ‘Inferno’ based on Dante Alighieri’s lengthy poem based on a journey through the seven layers of hell.If either of them is picked I shall be directing a full scale production to be presented in May 2012.The other four productions that made the final six pitches include ‘Punk Rock’, ‘The Arsonists’, ‘Some Girls’ and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.

Sweeney Todd rehearsals have also started. Exciting for Pretty Ugly Theatre Co, and I am potentially working on a play with former RSC Director Laurence Boswell at Bath’s Ustinov Studio.

As well as all of this we are also learning to dance Jane Austin style, which is alot of fun!

That about covers it! I shall be posting alot more now that uni has started again, so keep reading :) 

As I mentioned not so many blogs ago, The Pretty Ugly Theatre Company have set their sights on a major reinvention of Sweeney Todd.

The question is, should I act in it, or Assistant Direct?

If I choose to act in the piece, I will have to audition just like everyone else. The scary thing is, Matt (Director) will take no preference to me just because I am the company co-founder (along side himself). I would have to undergo the same audition process, and if I am not chosen to be in the show, then, basically, I have to accept that.

The other option is for me to assist Matt during the process. Matt recently assisted Dr Terri Power on Full Tilt Theatre’s reinvention of King Lear. He knows all about the reinventing process, and to be fair, I could learn a lot from him. I wasn’t in the show, but many of my coursemates were, and they are full of praise when it comes to Matt’s directing abilities.

The other option for me could be to produce the show, but this role doesn’t take up to much time. I could easily combine an Assistant Director/Producer role and take on both responsibilites.

We have a PUTC meeting on Sunday to discuss the production, and of course, my role going forward.