E15 DIRECTORS WORKSHOP

Three scenes from POSSESSED were used as part of the E15 Drama School Directing course. I went up to Essex University to sit in on the workshop, run by Dr Michael Fry. This was a fascinating experience. They used two very experienced actor/singers and a wonderful pianist called Stuart Barham. What was most interesting for me was to see how much of the underlying intentions of the characters had been communicated through the text. The directors understood the layers extremely well and they managed to bring the scenes to life, along with the assistance of the performers. I answered their questions about the piece and the biographical background and tried to guide them as much as I could over the scenes when asked. It was an intense day but I felt that I understood what I had written a lot better by the end of it and I think the directors gained a lot from actually having the writer there with them for feedback.

One particular director called Jules Tipton, was particularly fired by the peice, and came to the workshop with lots of ideas. Her scene worked extremely well, partly because I think she had put a lot more thought into it than the others. She has asked if she can sit in on the rehearsals for the showcase.