tags_ writing

People Take Pictures Of People

    Hikkaduwa 2018 On the beach a tourist couple are ankle-deep in the surf, and she’s performing the kind of frolicking you only perform at the edge of the sea if you have a camera’s gaze upon you. The boyfriend, a man in his late thirties, is insta-framing the early sunset behind his partner… Read more »

The Museum Of Important Incidents

  The Museum of Important Incidents was established some years ago (precisely when is unimportant) in order to celebrate the truth. Fame and infamy and the works of so-called significant persons are often bright and noisy; often lauded as the ‘course of history’. But they have their own museums. Instead, we founded an institution to… Read more »

The Modern Spirit

  We don’t see the ghosts we used to. Because of course the cities are brighter than they once were, they cast a glow over the countryside, the nights are full of cars and noise. The skies above us are bereft of whirling shades, they thin out to airlessness, then stars, then galaxies etc –… Read more »

A humble request to theatre critics

(Author’s note: I am, occasionally, a theatre critic.)   Please do not use the phrase ‘self-indulgent.’ It will almost always be factually incorrect. You’re perfectly entitled to use the word ‘indulgent’, as long as you go on to clarify what is being indulged. But ‘self’-indulgent? Unless you’re very well acquainted with the creators: how the… Read more »

Drama: problems

Over the next few months I’m about to start working as a dramaturg and writer alongside some great artists, as well as giving a few talks and workshops about sound design for performance. When describing my methods I sometimes use phrases that are shortcuts to wider thinking, to ideas I’ve developed or adopted over the years about… Read more »

Writing (at) Utah

  The film above is edited from footage we shot in Normandy this summer, around a screenplay I’ve been writing called Utah. I’ve been writing it for about 7 years now, on and off. Well I say ‘writing’. It’s mostly been heavy research and worrying. Then last July, a sudden two-week burst of frantic typing…. Read more »

Why not / because usually / what else

  Oh hello. Well, a while back you might have seen Rupert Christiansen’s Telegraph blog on the subject of women in theatre. If not, here it is: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/11169928/There-is-no-conspiracy-against-women-in-the-theatre.html I’m not going to get rude about Mr Christiansen’s opinion. I don’t know the guy, and there’s enough rudeness on your internet already. If you’ve come here… Read more »

Writing Dark Land Light House

  How I’m writing Dark Land Light House: – In 2008 we outlined a story. A sci-fi horror set on a lighthouse in space. It was meant for radio at first. – Then we thought about it as a film for a while. We decided it wouldn’t quite work. Or we couldn’t quite afford it…. Read more »

WHY IS YOUR PLAY BORING?

To be clear, I made this chart for myself…     (Click image for full-size readability fun.) I’ve been getting back into the frame of mind where I’m writing theatre for other people to produce. And I kept having to ask: why am I returning to these old structures / methods / mistakes? So I… Read more »