Rehearsal Diaries

13/10/11

Helen and I met with Natalie and Chris today to discuss the production and the contribution we (the dramaturgs) could make. They've got some fascinating ideas - it's a pity they only have 30 minutes to present just a section of the play! We'll be helping to decide exactly what section of the text to use (they do already have a pretty good idea) and how to cut text within that section if needed (and allowed). A big part of our job will most likely be to rein in the directors, keep their concepts focused and as simple as possible - and figure out how to make the rest work (determine the 'essence' of some of the ideas, in order to be able to stage them with nearly no budget). We agree that we very much enjoy working with enthusiastic, energetic people.

We then talked for a few minutes to divy up some of the starting research - Helen will be working on a brief biography of Peter Handke (she's already written about him, and is therefore our resident expert) and I'll compile an overview of the 'myth' of Kaspar Hauser. We'll both look into the growth and development of social networking, and particularly at our cultural dependence on technology and those networking tools. Also, in reading and re-reading the script, we'll be looking for specific textual elements that may need explanation. We should have basic research ready to show the directors next week before the first read-through, and will shoot for an actors' packet the following week.  CB