Pen to Page to Stage!
Over the short space of six week, (and hopefully you've all been experimenting in your own unique workshops), we have covered the early workshops required for a new and developing drama group and have reached the stage of devising a short script.
We began with storybuilding, through storytelling, followed on with parts one and two introducing improvisation, developed further by exploring the use in the workshop of imaginary objects, following up, with last week's, by article exploring actual objects as stimuli for use in our character building workshops.
Taking the experience you've gained over those weeks, and putting it all together, you can now devise a short script for performance within your workshops. The following 10 minute script is one devised from an OBJECT, (an old pocket watch): a given CIRCUMSTANCE, (an auction at an old house): at a given TIME, (the past): belonging to a chosen CHARACTER (AN OLD TRAMP): and the story was created by using these things as the building blocks along with our story building techniques, and trying out a few improvisations.
TRAMPING GROUND by Marilyn Cameron.
At an old mansion house an auctioneer is indexing the contents of the house for the auction. He picks up an old pocket watch and gazes at it. We are transported back to a time in the houses past where its owners have closed it for winter. As we hear the sounds of stormy weather, two tramps seeking shelter enter the dark house, slowly and wary. They light a single candle. One holds on to the other, and their faces are lit dimly, as they shuffle in.
TRAMP ONE Oh oh oh oh oh oh......You sure ye knows this 'ouse me old mate?
TRAMP TWO Been 'ere plenty 'o times afore. What ails ye? Yer outa the wind ain't ye? Outa the rain,outa the cold.............
TRAMP ONE Outa the world, feels like.
TRAMP TWO Should be at 'ome then, seein' as ye spends mosta yer time 'nebriated.
THEY SIT DOWN ON A PART OF THE FLOOR THAT IS A LITTLE LIT BY MOONLIGHT DIMMING NOW AND THEN AS CLOUDS PASS BY. THEY SET THE CANDLE DOWN IN FRONT OF THEM. TRAMP ONE REMOVES ONE OF HIS BOOTS TO RUB HIS FOOT AND TRAMP TWO BLOWS WARMTH INTO HIS CUPPED HANDS.
TRAMP ONE We can move on in a couple 'o hours, old mate, it'll be light then.
TRAMP TWO Ain't ye for some shut eye then? Said ye was tired afore...
TRAMP ONE Sleep 'ere! A fool I'd be to sleep 'ere.
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