Читать книгу Chequered Flags to Chequered Futures - Mark Wheeller - Страница 8

From Page to Stage with Matt Russell

I first met Mark back in 2014 for our production of Too Much Punch for Judy. We have been lucky enough to produce a Mark Wheeller play every year since and continue to do so without fail. His texts are a perfect guide to developing the skills of drama teachers all over the country, who are at different stages in their career and are passionate about developing their creative skills as directors. Mark’s texts are predominantly written in a verbatim style which gives the cast and the director a point of focus. The themes that surround these true stories are the nucleus, however the way in which drama ‘teacher/directors’ can stage them is down to interpretation and is an outstanding way to push creative decisions to new and exciting ends.

CFTCF is a perfect example. This production is heavily reliant on some lengthy and beautiful monologues. Although this could potentially make rehearsals tougher for a larger cast, you will soon realise that the chorus can offer vital stage presence in regards to tableaux, symbolic movement and choral speaking. Personally, I found rehearsals, at times, very intense. The actors, even though they were thoroughly enjoying the process, appeared deeply moved by the story and were inspired by the creative opportunities each scene offered. However, this directly leads onto a hugely relevant point, which are the sorts of things a young cast could be thinking about when exploring such a text. You can always step back as a young actor and look at large professional sets, lighting rigs, sound design etc, marvel at the complexity of them all and think ‘big’ in order to capture the vastness of it all. Alternatively, you can think on a smaller, much more personal level that encourages our young performers to look into elements of symbolism that could somehow make intelligent and relevant connections to the characters’ story or ‘place’ within the text.

We decided to take this approach during the table read and early pre-production meetings. I remember sitting with the cast, showing them rough sketches I had drawn, set pieces and playing them pieces of music to see what they thought. The atmosphere was positively electric and the general consensus was to keep things simple, symbolic and impactful. We didn’t want to make any changes to the text, the thought never crossed my mind. However, I did look at the opening from a different perspective. In the original script for CFTCF we see a flashback of Chris Gilfroy in one of his drama classes, being the centre of attention and generally enjoying some activities and improvisations, something he was clearly very talented in. Mark’s stage directions call for the action to be fast-paced and gripping with a clear undertone of humour which gives the audience a calming perspective into the nature of Chris’s humane persona. I loved reading this scene but secretly felt as if it needed something different, something that resonated with the tone and atmosphere we were trying to create.