Thursday, 25 June 2015
Dramaturgy gets Boyled @ Comic Con 2015
Why bring your work to Comic Con?
It’s the perfect place for it! If anyone is going to understand a play all about comic-book superheroes it a convention for comic book fans.
What can the audience expect to see and feel – or even think – of your production?
They’ll see a deceptively sparse set and I imagine at first they’ll feel worried that it’s not more complex. That should fade away quickly though (I hope) when I take them through the world of generation superhero and – if I do it right – make them feel both sad, uplifted hopeful and motivated all at once.
The Dramaturgy Questions
How would you explain the relevance – or otherwise – of dramaturgy within your work?
When you’re making a play that draws so much on universes of fiction that already exist and that are loved by hundreds of thousands you are absolutely responsible for making sure everything makes sense within those universes.
What particular traditions and influences would you acknowledge on your work – have any particular artists, or genres inspired you and do you see yourself within their tradition?
Obviously I was hugely influenced by comics, particularly Marvel which I grew up with, and the fast paced, exciting otherworldly genre of comic book fiction and fantasy.
My process utterly depends on the play. I guess each play has it’s own demands of how it wants to be written and if you try to fight against what the play wants you end up with something ugly and awkward and stunted.
Hero Worship didn’t want that – it was a solitary labour of love! I wrote the play in one sitting. Performed it for a few people in their living rooms. Got their feedback and went and battered away at it for a while again before coming back to them.
What do you feel the role of the audience is, in terms of making the meaning of your work?
The audience are always another character. I can’t imagine doing a show like this without actively involving them. I don’t want an audience sitting passively and observing the piece whilst not affecting it, I want an audience answering the questions I pose, getting to know the character personally and really becoming part of the whole experience.