Staging

Play Texts
 Process of Staging Play Texts
● Inquiring into how moments of tension, emotion, atmosphere, and/or meaning (“TEAM”) are created on
stage through production and/or performance elements.
Inquiring ● Inquiring into at least one play text and the ideas presented by the playwright (such as concepts, issues,
meanings, themes or contexts) and formulating theatre-maker intentions for staging.

● Developing and refining creative design ideas for staging an entire play text using production elements to
fulfill specific theatre-maker intentions.
Developing ● Developing and refining creative ideas for staging specific moments of a play text using performance and
production elements to create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning (“TEAM”).

● Proposing and presenting creative visual design ideas for staging an entire play text using production
elements.
Presenting ● Presenting and proposing creative ideas for staging specific moments of a play text using performance
and production elements to create tension, emotion, atmosphere, and/or meaning (“TEAM”).
● Presenting work in the form of a production proposal.

● Evaluating the extent to which their creative ideas would appropriately fulfill stated theatre-maker
Evaluating intentions for an audience.
● Evaluating their own written work and addressing any areas that require improvement.
 Staging Play Texts
Exploring the role of the director and the designer

Formulating Working with play

theatre-maker texts in class
intentions

Creating moments of
Developing visual “TEAM” with performance
design ideas and production elements

Identifying key Developing a

ideas from a play production proposal
text
 Key Words
01 02 03
Interpretation Transformation Imagination
The student’s decision regarding what they The process of turning a play text The process of creatively imagining how a
consider to be the main ideas in a play text and
from words on a page into action play text could be best communicated to
how they will communicate these to an
audience through stage action on a stage an audience on stage

04 06
Vision Visualisation
The formation of a specific idea The ability of students to
of how a play will be staged, “see” a staged production
what sort of an experience the
and its design in their
audience will have and how this
will be achieved mind’s eye
 Key Skills
Director Designer Performer
directorial design communication
skills skills skills
 LIGHTING EXPLORATIONS
materials inquiring
a very simple wooden read the opening of a play. Discuss. Mini
frame out of old scrap research time. Bring back, discuss etc.
wood with thin gauze
fabric stapled on
Developing
a stash of flashlights, ● Stage using bodies in groups of 4.
● Next give them a flashlight or a few flashlights
from tiny ones that can be
and ask them to stage this being the screen using
disguised in the hand to
the shadows they create from light. They can be
larger ones that really are representative over literal.
quite overwhelming and ● As they devise and test out ideas, keep layering
reach the back of the in possibilities eg "Now have one person in front
audience in a large room. of the screen" or "use your hands only to create
the shadows" or "explore lights on and off
moments" Watch and discuss.
● Pan for 'gold' moments. Go back, scrap the weak,
make more gold. And so on.
 SOUND EXPLORATIONS
● Read the opening of a play that has ambiguity eg "Blackout" by Davey Anderson
● Discuss the context. Read again, what lines now make more sense?
● Have an "I imagine" conversation.
● Have an "I Imagine" 15 mins of silent drawing/sketching. The task is to explain using visuals - storyboard/anime/brainstorms
using visuals etc a specific line of the opening. What do they SEE. How can we explain something visually? Create a gallery
wall and walk through. Post it note questions to each other. This activity alone could take the entire lesson.
● Take the opening line as a class, or smaller groups. "Imagine, you wake up" Literally only that line. Now give each group a
box of instruments; some actual instruments, some objects such as spoons, toilet roll tubes, crinkly empty chip packets, and
then also include scraps of paper that tell them other instruments such as YOUR NAILS, YOUR BREATH, YOUR FEET,
YOUR HANDS, CLICKS and so on.
● Depending on the group, you can either give them an impact you want them to create (Intense and trapping) or you can ask
them to decide on one.
● Task is to create a 20-30 second sound sequence that either comes before "Imagine..." After it or in the middle ie
"Imagine...... SOUND SEQUENCE.....you wake up"
● Later on you can come back to this activity using a play of their own choice. For example, many of my own students in
Cleveland really connect and understand "Pipeline" and it has been fascinating to hear their soundscapes. Many cultural
motifs are used. One students used a song that is sung in Jamaican Patois about the police coming to get ya...it's a children's
nursery rhyme but so sinister. When she performed it literally some of the audience connected on another level to the
playtext.
● Note: students will predictably ask if they can use sounds they can edit. Ie a jail cell door closing, or a gavel. But at this stage
limit them. Later on this is great, they are now thinking in sound patterns and this is what you want.
 Working with
repertoire texts:
staging
Thinking like a Director & De
signer
 Working with Repertoire texts
Consider how the written play is transformed into live theatre for the audience from the perspective of
Director ● Designer

01 02
Theatre Maker’s
Playwright’s ideas Intentions
Develop a vision of how to
stage the play

03 04
The Proposed Design Production Proposal
 Developing a production proposal
01 02 03
INTRODUCTION Roles Key ideas
Working with play texts Exploring the role of the Identifying key ideas from
director and the designer a play text

04 05 06
Intentions Design T.E.A.M.
Formulating theatre-maker Developing visual design Creating moments of
intentions ideas “TEAM” with performance
and production elements
*tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or meaning
 01
Playwright’s ideas
Evidence from the play
Identify ideas presented by the playwright.
This can include themes, concepts, issues that the
play is addressing
 Different types of evidence from a play

Quotes from the play Setting of the play Characters

Situations depicted in
the play
ACtion Research into the play &
playwright;s biography
 02
Theatre Maker
Intention presen
Intentions
ts a ration ale as to wh y a theatre-maker has selected a partic
ular
it brings
of theatr e and wh at sort of a "world" will be created on stage—
style
together purpose and vision.
 Production Proposal
Theatre-maker intentions
● Students are required to identify specific intentions for their work.
● Theatre-maker intentions refer to the student’s interpretation of
what they consider to be the key ideas of the play, their decisions
regarding how they will stage this interpretation and what effect
they intend this to have on an audience.
● Within their intentions, students should also identify
○ their choice of performance style (for example, naturalistic,
surreal, and so on) and
○ their choice of performance space for the proposed staging.
 Theatre-maker intentions

Responsible theatre-
Effect on audience
making
Theatre-maker intentions should
Intentionality leads to responsible also encompass the proposed
theatre-making. Theatre is a public effect the play will have on the
and live art form so learners should audience and how this will be
think about what they want to say, achieved through the use of
how it will be received, how they performance and production
want to say it and why. elements.
 UC T IO N & P E R F O RM A N CE
Using PROD
s to f u lfil in t e n t io n s
element
 03
The Proposed
Design
You can enter a subtitle here if
you need it
 Visual production design
Explain how production elements meet your stated theatre-maker intentions.

Design Proposals Performance Space

01 Provide the look and feel of the
production as a whole, rather
02 Clearly identify and justify your
choice of performance space for
than a detailed analysis of any their proposed staging
specific moments in the play

Production Elements Visuals

03 Present visuals that are clear,
carefully composed and that
04 lso to demonstrate dynamic
theatre-making processes
demonstrate how production to show the development of a
elements will be used effectively piece of theatre, and
to achieve your intentions student’s physical and vocal
development.
Produc
tion
Design
Examp
le 1
Production Design
Example 1I
Production
Design
Example 3
 Visuals
Visuals can be created either by hand or with digital tools. Visuals can be in the following forms.
 Overall intention versus one moment
Macro — Micro —
the entire play one moment
how to develop an how to use
overall intention for performance and
the staging of a play. production elements to
create moments of
TEAM:
TENSION

01 02 EMOTION
ATMOSPHERE
MEANING
INTERPRETATION how to use
+ EFFECT ON performance and
AUDIENCE + production to achieve
STYLE OF this overall intention
PERFORMANCE = for the whole play
INTENTION
 04
Production proposal
stude nt s are req uired to con ve y the ir understandings, skills and us
e

ma nc e and pr od uction ele me nts through words and visuals

of perfor sal.
in the form of a production propo
 A proposal can be…

… a vision of something not … the communication of an

yet happened intention Something imagined

… persuasive and
… a visualisation
compelling
 Key terminology for the task
Play text
Staging (using performance and
● A play text is the text of a dramatic work
that has been written for theatrical
production elements)
performance. ● Staging refers to the proposed choice and use of performance and
production elements in a performance space to fulfill stated
theatre-maker intentions in a theoretical production of a play text.
● Performance elements are defined as the performer’s use of body
Ideas in the play text (such as face, gesture, posture, body language or manipulation of
objects, for example), voice (such as pitch, pace, pause, tone,
volume,emphasis or intonation, for example) and the placement
● The key ideas presented in the play text will and movement of performers on the stage.
differ depending on the specific play text ● Production elements are defined as scenic and technical
chosen, might feasibly include concepts, components (such as the design of the space, set, props, costume,
lighting, sound and/or special effects, for example).
issues, meanings or themes. ● These performance and production elements are neither
● Students must mine for these ideas embedded prescriptive nor exhaustive and are subject to the nature of the
production and the specific theatre-maker’s intentions. Students
in the play text rather than carry out a detailed must explain the effect the performance and/or production
analysis of the literary or theatrical devices elements they have selected will have on an audience.
employed by the playwright.
 Key terminology for the task
Moment in the play Production proposal
● Students are required to identify a moment ● A production proposal communicates the
in the play text and explain how they will student’s vision for the feasible staging of a play
use performance and production elements to text for a live audience
create tension, emotion, atmosphere and/or ● It explains how performance and production
meaning (“TEAM”). elements could potentially work on stage to
● fulfill theatre-maker intentions.
A moment is defined as a short and
concentrated theatrical instance that the ● The proposal contain visual production design
student determines to be significant and ideas and images to help communicate the
appropriate for demonstrating their theatre- student’s vision. As the production proposal
maker intentions on stage. This could be as articulates a vision for the final staging of the
short as a single stage direction or as long as play text, students are not required to consider a
a specific scene. hypothetical rehearsal process in this task.
 05
An Example
Romeo and Juliet
Here's much to do with hate, but more with love.
Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate!
O any thing, of nothing first create!

Theatre-Maker
Intentions
● key ideas of the play,
● Staging decisions
● Intended effect on audience
● Performance style
● Performance space
 Settings of Romeo & Juliet
Act 1 Act 1I Act 1II Act 1V Act V
Scene 1: Verona. A Act 2, Scene 1: A Act 3, Scene 1: A Scene 1: Friar Scene 1: Mantua. A
public place. lane by the wall of public place. Laurence's cell. street.
Act 1, Scene 2: A Capulet's orchard. Act 3, Scene 2: Scene 2: Hall in Scene 2: Friar
street. Act 2, Scene 2: Capulet's orchard. Capulet's house. Laurence's cell.
Act 1, Scene 3: A Capulet's orchard. Scene 3: Friar Scene 3: Juliet's Scene 3: A
room in Capulet's Act 2, Scene 3: Friar Laurence's cell. chamber. churchyard; in it a
house. Laurence's cell. Scene 4: A room in Scene 4: Hall in tomb belonging to
Act 1, Scene 4: A Act 2, Scene 4: A Capulet's house. Capulet's house. the Capulets.
street. street. Scene 5: Capulet's Scene 5: Juliet's
Act 1, Scene 5: A Act 2, Scene 5: orchard. chamber.
hall in Capulet's Capulet's orchard.
house. Act 2, Scene 6: Friar
Laurence's cell.
 R&J Theatre-Maker Intentions
key ideas of the Intended effect
Staging decisions
play on audience
Love and hate are often characters of Romeo and Relatable, and possible -
intertwined to disastrous Juliet will be aged to young to show how what
consequences adults and set in the midst of happened then can still
Blind adherence to the Ukrainien-Russo war happen, the cyclicity of
tradition is dangerous Set is transformable, war and hate — the waste
Love may not be enough different lighting will of (young lives)
in the face of so much highlight different portions
hate of the performance space to
create discrete acting areas.
Performance Rubble can be moved to
create different spaces
Performance
style All actors stage on stage at space
Naturalism all times Theatre in the round
THANKS!
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