2,706 posts
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Post by Cardinal Pirelli on Oct 15, 2017 0:00:18 GMT
There are AD approaches and then there's a theatre's culture. Nobody would take over the Court and move away from new writing or make the National only for new plays and, similarly, the director led approach is now an organic part of the Young Vic, with the structure there to support and develop them. Don’t agree - director-led is a style rather than a fixed policy like new plays only - it is also hard to define clearly so there’s plenty of scope for an AD to do whatever they want. You can disagree but that flies in the face of the actuality. The idea of directors initiating a production gets a really sniffy response from some quarters, I know, but it's here to stay and the Directors Program there is an important part of our theatrical ecosystem and its continuing success. The Genesis opportunities, the workshops, projects, R & D support and so on are built in. Of course it could be dismantled but good luck to anyone trying to do that.
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Post by Jan on Oct 15, 2017 8:34:18 GMT
Don’t agree - director-led is a style rather than a fixed policy like new plays only - it is also hard to define clearly so there’s plenty of scope for an AD to do whatever they want. You can disagree but that flies in the face of the actuality. The idea of directors initiating a production gets a really sniffy response from some quarters, I know, but it's here to stay and the Directors Program there is an important part of our theatrical ecosystem and its continuing success. The Genesis opportunities, the workshops, projects, R & D support and so on are built in. Of course it could be dismantled but good luck to anyone trying to do that. That is all peripheral to what actually appears on their main stage. Their greatest successes were from directors who didn’t come through that system but were brought in from outside, and in some cases they did not initiate the production either, they were told what play to do by the AD. That infrastructure could easily remain in place whilst the main house artistic policy could be radically changed.
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2,706 posts
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Post by Cardinal Pirelli on Oct 15, 2017 9:15:39 GMT
The system is integrated into their main stage shows as well, the name directors being also seen as mentors and teachers. I see this from my educational perspective as to what goes on beneath the surface, so I don't think any new AD would be allowed to hive it off purely to the smaller spaces. With our differing perspectives I don't think we are going to agree on this but we have not long to wait until we see what he will do anyway.
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Post by Jan on Oct 15, 2017 9:26:49 GMT
The system is integrated into their main stage shows as well, the name directors being also seen as mentors and teachers. I see this from my educational perspective as to what goes on beneath the surface, so I don't think any new AD would be allowed to hive it off purely to the smaller spaces. With our differing perspectives I don't think we are going to agree on this but we have not long to wait until we see what he will do anyway. I think we agree that we don't want the Young Vic to change it's general approach and programming. I didn't want the Hytner NT approach to change either, however .... Anyway let's see.
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Post by bellboard27 on Oct 19, 2017 14:21:02 GMT
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Post by Jan on Oct 19, 2017 14:50:13 GMT
If I didn’t already know he was 50 that quote would confirm it. Wonder why he won’t direct, David Lan occasionally would.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 9:26:22 GMT
If I didn’t already know he was 50 that quote would confirm it. Wonder why he won’t direct, David Lan occasionally would. This interview does not inspire me with confidence. When he talks about his approach to Ibsen's The Lady From the Sea it feels like dumbing down. You don't have to impose on texts by Ibsen - everything you need to know is in the words and directions. The actors' comments on the play show the approach Armah took in rehearsals - I can just hear it now - "What song does this remind you of?" I heard a youngish director ask this sort of question of a writer and all it tells you is that they're not willing to do the rigorous intellectual work required to understand a play and then to find an accessible way of translating that for the actors who then open up the world for the audience. As for having a dance party before rehearsals...Jesus Christ! (Please excuse the blasphemy)
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 9:38:53 GMT
"There are AD approaches and then there's a theatre's culture. Nobody would take over the Court and move away from new writing or make the National only for new plays and, similarly, the director led approach is now an organic part of the Young Vic, with the structure there to support and develop them"
Thing is that Featherstone at the Court has taken quite a radical approach but people seem not to have noticed. Firstly, when she took over there was suddenly a raft of adaptations from film and books - including "Let the Right One in" and "The Kid stays in the Picture". Of course there is a precedent here with "Our Country's Good" which was adapted from Thomas Keneally's book (was it "A Fatal Shore"? - I can't remember), but it does rather go against the Court's tradition of original new plays. Secondly, The Court has become something of a Director's Theatre, I'd say rather than being led by the need to serve new plays - Max Stafford Clarke used to say that he treated classics like new plays and new plays like classics. The Court has moved very much in the direction of physical theatre, even installations (eg Debbie Tucker Green's last piece). This is just an observation.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 9:53:51 GMT
Our Country's Good was an adaptation of The Playmaker, but you got the author right.
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Post by Honoured Guest on Nov 14, 2017 10:39:27 GMT
Now, as always, everything at the Royal Court has a writer at its creative heart. As you say, direction and design aesthetics and practices have changed but so has the playwriting culture.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 11:28:03 GMT
Now, as always, everything at the Royal Court has a writer at its creative heart. As you say, direction and design aesthetics and practices have changed but so has the playwriting culture. I think you're right. It is so very interesting however that their biggest hit so far this year - The Ferryman - does not fall into that culture, but has recognisable characters, plot development etc.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 11:31:19 GMT
Our Country's Good was an adaptation of The Playmaker, but you got the author right. Oh, yes I remember now. The two books "The Fatal Shore" and "The Playmaker" were used to create "Our Country's Good".
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Post by Honoured Guest on Nov 14, 2017 11:44:14 GMT
I think you're right. It is so very interesting however that their biggest hit so far this year - The Ferryman - does not fall into that culture, but has recognisable characters, plot development etc. Yes, the earlier Royal Court equivalent of The Ferryman was Hangmen and it's interesting that its writer-director-design team has decamped to the Bridge for their next UK project. In truth, the Royal Court is far too small for projects which are expected in advance to be probable mainstream "hits".
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 12:31:20 GMT
I wonder if the director-led Theatre is partly responsible for the weaknesses in some new plays we have witnessed this year. The director-writer relationship ensured that the text was developed to the highest standard. Director-led theatre leads to a focus on established texts as the director has the freedom to play around with them. You can’t do this so readily with a new script (unless the director is also the writer). What I am really asking is are directors losing the specialised skill of working with new writing?
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Post by Honoured Guest on Nov 14, 2017 12:56:22 GMT
I think it seems more that writers are writing texts for different kinds of theatre. One of the weakest plays this year is Young Marx which is written for and staged in the old school manner by a posse of old hands. But Alice Birch is writing specifically for Katie Mitchell and her design team, Simon Stephens wrote a text to be gifted to a choreographer for its stage creation, Simon McBurney was in full command of both adaptation and direction. And the International Department is working directly with many writers, Gary Owen and Rachel O'Riordan have become an established writer-director team, and Caryl Churchill's texts always seem to find equally successful direction. I think it's a huge step forward that the Royal Court now offers such a wide range of theatrical possibilities to writers.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Nov 14, 2017 13:26:32 GMT
I'm biased because I have a working relationship with the Court but I do see it as a writer's theatre, strongly.
The point about Jerusalem is interesting, because it wasn't quite a Court production, but a West End production that Butterworth insisted be given to the Court for a short run ahead of the prearranged West End debut.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 13:32:00 GMT
I think it seems more that writers are writing texts for different kinds of theatre. One of the weakest plays this year is Young Marx which is written for and staged in the old school manner by a posse of old hands. But Alice Birch is writing specifically for Katie Mitchell and her design team, Simon Stephens wrote a text to be gifted to a choreographer for its stage creation, Simon McBurney was in full command of both adaptation and direction. And the International Department is working directly with many writers, Gary Owen and Rachel O'Riordan have become an established writer-director team, and Caryl Churchill's texts always seem to find equally successful direction. I think it's a huge step forward that the Royal Court now offers such a wide range of theatrical possibilities to writers. The Simon Stephens piece is a case in point - a fascinating text but the director didn’t seem to have a clue about how to handle it. As a result the physical performance - while mostly engaging - at times came across as glib because it felt as though the director wasn’t very experienced at digging deeply into a text. Just my individual opinion.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 14:23:03 GMT
I'm biased because I have a working relationship with the Court but I do see it as a writer's theatre, strongly. The point about Jerusalem is interesting, because it wasn't quite a Court production, but a West End production that Butterworth insisted be given to the Court for a short run ahead of the prearranged West End debut. Was that not The Ferryman? I seem to recall Jerusalem at least grew into its status as modern classic rather than hitting the decks all guns blazing like The Ferryman did.
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Nov 14, 2017 14:35:12 GMT
Sorry I must have had a brainfart, I meant the Ferryman. Thanks for pointing it out.
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Post by romeo94 on Nov 26, 2017 20:47:13 GMT
Has anyone caught Yellowman yet? Thoughts?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 26, 2017 21:38:17 GMT
Has anyone caught Yellowman yet? Thoughts? Seeing it on Wednesday - if I can get my act together.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 27, 2017 10:31:16 GMT
Has anyone caught Yellowman yet? Thoughts? Seeing it on Wednesday - if I can get my act together. But are you taking it on the road?! (Diane Langton... blast from the past...saw her playing Morales in A Chorus Line...)
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Post by MrBunbury on Nov 29, 2017 8:25:05 GMT
Has anyone caught Yellowman yet? Thoughts? I went last night. I found it very good: it is a two-hander and Christopher Colquhoun and Nicola Hughes are excellent in telling the story of Alma and Eugene and bringing to life also all the other characters.
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Post by peggs on Nov 29, 2017 13:42:27 GMT
Anyone seeing How to win against History in previews? I have a ticket for Saturday but am out Friday night and Saturday in the day so not sure if i'll be awake enough to go, or if the amount of clothes I'd want to wear would neatly fit at my feet for standing
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2017 14:31:55 GMT
I'm not seeing it until later in the run, but I've heard such tremendous word of mouth from people who've seen it in the north that I'd advise you to push through the pain barriers. It's only 80 minutes after all.
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Nov 29, 2017 15:56:36 GMT
Worth knowing.
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Post by Honoured Guest on Nov 29, 2017 16:56:13 GMT
We loved it in Cardiff a couple of weeks ago. Admittedly, we have chairs in Wales.
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Nov 29, 2017 20:20:31 GMT
We loved it in Cardiff a couple of weeks ago. Admittedly, we have chairs in Wales. How spoilt are you! A cold has now hit, the telegraphs very helpful advice to stay away from all people with coughs and colds proved difficult to implement in the real world. Am hoping for honey and lemon miracle cure.
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Post by zahidf on Nov 30, 2017 23:25:48 GMT
Saw 'how to win against history' today. Was excellent!
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Dec 1, 2017 11:00:32 GMT
Oh no. Just when you want something to be bad so you can write it off as a bad job. Someone has just suggested nip of alcohol to help me sleep at night, worth a shot I guess.
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