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My play 'Captured' is going to be performed at the Chelsea Theatre

edited November 2013 in - Writing Tales
As some of you have seen on Facebook my play ‘Captured’ is being performed at the Chelsea Theatre on the 18th and 19th of November. You can image how excited I am, apart from a couple of competition wins this is my first work to be performed to an audience. I never intended to become a playwright but hey ho!

It’s really interesting how the show is organised and how much work and effort goes on back stage. Each writer has been given the task to sell £200 worth of tickets to help with the cost of putting on the performance at the venue. The reason we chose the Chelsea Theatre is that the head organiser has had a book launch there and knows the staff well. Each writer has met up with the director and had a discussion about the play, actors, props needed etc.

We’ve also had to do odd jobs to be ready for the performance such as escorting the directors and actors into the University buildings and placing posters, other advertising tasks etc I was able to sit in on two of the auditions to see what the director looked for in the actors and how he/she casted them. It’s been such an interesting experience.

I’m not sure if any of you will be in London on 18/19 November but if you are you’re more than welcome to come along and watch. Tickets are £15 and if you have a student card you can get a reduced ticket for £10. The show starts at 7:30 and last about two hours. (my play is one of eight plays being performed) Please follow the link if you want to book to book tickets. https://southbankgroup.eventbrite.co.uk/ (If you book a ticket please let me know as I am keeping list of the number of tickets I have sold).

It would be great to see some of you there

Comments

  • So excited for you! I wish I could go.

    Hope it goes well, I'm sure it will!
  • Fingers crossed it's a big success.
  • That's fantastic StF. Well done you.
  • That's brilliant! I think I'll be off on my winter travels before these dates, but if I'm not...
  • great stuff.must be an amazing experience to see your work staged.
  • That is SO exciting, StF.

    I can just imagine how you'll feel when you hear actors speaking the very words you wrote.

    Break a leg (I know you're meant to say that to the actors, but I hope you enjoy the whole experience).
  • This is brilliant news, StF! You are going to be so nervous on the night! I hope you sell masses of tickets and that your play is really well received - good luck!
  • Great news - hope you can post a bit on You tube.
  • That's fantastic!
  • Wonderful. Well done you.

    Sorry, I'm no where near Chelsea on those dates.
  • OOOOH, Stf, I so wish I could go! Darn it, I'll be in London on the 13th, but not later! Hope it goes brilliantly, i know it will actually, you are an excellent writer.
  • Terrific, St F. Thrilled for you, and wish could get there, but only recently returned from my Autumn theatre/gallery etc trip.
  • Great news, StF. Let's hope it's the first of many performances. Enjoy the night, it'll be a whirl of excitement. Take pictures, get friends to take pictures/video, network like hell - it's all useful for getting that next project off the ground.
  • Congratulations. Sorry I can't be there, but I'm a long way north of London.
  • Fan-bloooooooomin'-tastic!

    Great stuff StF!
  • How thrilling! Very best of luck and hope it goes down a storm!
  • Great news, Jack! :D Well done.
  • Absolutely brilliant, StF, I couldn't be more pleased for you. Hope it all goes well on the night.
  • Well done St.F you must be thrilled to bits. I hope it all goes well for you.
  • Fantastic, SF. We look forward to the reviews.
  • Congratulations, SF! Such wonderful news, I hope it all goes well on the night.
  • Congratulations, SF! How exciting. I'm nowhere near London unfortunately, but good luck with the ticket sales.
  • ‘Captured’ was performed for the final time last night to a full house. It has been absolutely amazing working with the Directors and Actors on the plays; it’s very interesting to see how much work happens backstage. I was sitting in with on the auditions and a few of the rehearsals with the director of my play and learned what they look for in an actor, how everyone reads the script differently and the different approaches they take while performing the script. The Pro Dean of the university arrived with our Course Director and several of our teachers to watch and the night was enjoyed by all who attended. :-)
  • Well done - I think it's bloody marvellous what you're doing.
  • Really brilliant news, StF.

    So, how it was acted out - was it how you imagined it would be when you were writing it, or was it completely different?

    I know very little about playwriting, but it really intrigues me.
  • They all saw the play differently in their heads which lead to different re drafts. I saw the characters as men and woman but the director saw them as teenagers nearing adulthood. I thought that would make more of an impact with the audience so in the next draft I changed their ages. I described the scene and props needed for the scenes but since we couldn’t find everything needed we had to compromise. Instead of having two rooms we had two spotlights on opposite side of the stage and two different tables to show the audience the characters were in different rooms. The end product was very different to what I thought it would be but I was still impressed with it.

    We hired a photographer to take pictures during rehearsals and the second night’s performance was recorded. When I’m given the video and pictures I’ll post them here. If I can’t do that I’ll put it on Facebook for everyone to see.
  • What a wonderful experience for you, St Force. I've never written a play, but have acted in lots during my AmDram years and it's no surprise that the director and actors interpreted your set, props and words differently. So good to hear that you were impressed with it!
  • Wow, so it really was a very involved process from paper to stage?

    It must actually be quite amazing to have your written work turned into a live action piece. We all talk about making our work come alive on the pages, but you've done it literally!

    Bloomin' well done. ;-)
  • [quote=MonkeyNuts]Wow, so it really was a very involved process from paper to stage? [/quote]

    Yes, it was. I didn't want to step on the Director's toes and get in her way so I only attended the last couple of rehearsals so she had time to interpret it her way and the Actors their way. Then you can see what they thought about the play and why and even incorporate their ideas into the script. If I had been at the first rehearsal I know I would have stood there shouting 'No, no ,no not like that. Do it this way, THIS way.' and got on everyone nerves. :-)
  • You're a very wise young man, J. I'm really looking forward to seeing the pictures.
  • How long was it on for, StF? Did you go to every show?
  • That sounds like a fantastic learning experience, StF. Well done.
  • Well done, StF.
  • edited November 2013
    The plays were around fifteen minutes long and there were eight in total. The show started at half past seven and ended at half nine, two hours long. We started a few minutes late because we had to drag some people away from the bar to the actual theatre, give a health and safely announcement about fire exits and the like and explain who we were and what we had done to make the show possible. There wasn't an interval or a break half way through but I think if the show was any longer we might have needed one. Then again that would have caused the problem of dragging some drinkers away from bar to watch the second act.

    As it happens there was around a minute gap between each play when the lights came down and the actors went on stage in the dark to move tables and chairs for the next show and to get in their position. The lighting technician played music (chosen by the director) that fitted the play. For example the play before mine used the song 'Single Ladies' (Put A Ring On It) by Beyonc
  • So has this made you want to write more plays?

    I can feel how exciting it must have been by your posts; you're positively buzzing! :-)
  • [quote=St Force]wouldn't have suited my play about the tortured prisoner of war. (Unless they forced him to listen to the song on repeat ) [/quote]

    :)
  • I'm still a novelist and short story writer through and through but I've just heard today that because the performance went so well the Pro Dean want us to do it again next year, including the other years on the same course. I'm ready for it! I just need to think up an idea but I've got about a year to do that.
  • That's good news, St Force. You may feel that you're a novelist/short story writer, but it's good to try other forms. No one says a writer has to stick to one type of writing. I used to only write travel articles, but the OWC on talkback encouraged me to try the flash fiction form and I've now had lots of flash stories published as a result. :)
  • Exciting times St F - well done - you're a star
  • Sounds brill, SF - congratulations on what sounds like an amazing experience.
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