The NotaBle Acts Theatre Company invites current and aspiring playwrights and directors to take part in a free workshop on playwriting and directing with our 2015 Playwright/Dramaturge in Residence, Daniel Macdonald. The workshop will take place on Saturday, July 18 from 10-4 (with lunch break) at Carleton Hall, UNB. To register and for more information, email Daniel at macdan@sasktel.net

Read on for a full description of the workshop.

 

NotaBle Acts Playwright in Residence        Playwriting/Directing workshop

NotaBle Acts is pleased to be able to offer a workshop in playwriting, directing, and devising by Playwright in Residence, Daniel Macdonald.

In this rapidly changing world of art and theatre, a theatre artist must be versatile, malleable, and willing to adapt and thrive in the truly multi-disciplinary world that is theatre. This means that aspiring theatre artists should consider the notion that play creation does not exist in one discipline but in several.

Daniel’s talk/workshop will look at all facets of theatre creation and will explore the very question of why we are compelled to do theatre and what good theatre actually is. It will explore the essence of strong, dramatic playwriting and the increasing role directors play in the final product. Finally, it will examine the nature of devising and present ideas on how to devise a work of theatre using a collaborative model of exploration and play-building without a script.

Questions for discussion and exploration:

Playwriting

• Why write a play?
• What is “dramatic structure”? Does it matter?
• What does a playwright’s career look like?
• What does it take to be a really good playwright?
• How do you publish? Why do you publish?
• Playwrights will also be encouraged to ask specific questions about their own work and struggles.

Director

• What is the role of a director?
• What are the challenges a director faces?
• How does a director work with a new play and playwright?
• How do you direct a play in rehearsal? What techniques can you use to illicit better performance from actors?

Devising

• What is devising?
• When/how does it work?
• Why devise a play rather than just write it?
• What are some techniques you can use to begin devising?
• Why is devising such a current hot technique/method for new play creation?

Several practical exercises will also used to give concrete examples of some of these techniques and concepts.

 

Mainstage

July 22-25 Black Box Theatre, STU

Angel’s River by Andrea Boyd

Set in rural New Brunswick in 1969 and inspired by real events, Angel’s River is the intense, poignant, and humorous story of 17-year-old Carrie Lynn, who becomes pregnant accidentally, gives birth to a little girl, and confronts the painfully wrenching decision over whether to give her child up for adoption.

Acting Out: Four One Act plays 

Staged Readings at Memorial Hall, UNB

July 31 – August 2 

Jolt by Tilly Jackson

Tragedy. Teenage rebellion. A gun. Only Olivia Miller can save her fractured family from itself – but her methods may scare you.

Portrait of a One-Eyed Man by Bruce Allen Lynch

As Mikhail and Sasha struggle against corruption, conspiracy, and the KGB, Mikhail’s wife worries their children will suffer the consequences. Duty and family clash in this haunting, nonlinear exploration of a fractured Russia and Putin’s rise to power.

The Beavercreek Vacancy by Gordan Mihan

A SCUBA diving enthusiast motel-owner, an agoraphobic accidental drug dealer, and a mysterious stranger ponder duty, honour, fear, and friendship as a dying hotel threatens to crumble around them.

Spaceman by Jake Martin

As Jane, broke and broken, tries to restart her life in a new city, a person from her past returns to offer help. Can she accept it – and him – after all of these years?

Taking It to the Streets: Four Ten-Minute Plays 

July 27th-31st Barracks Square 12-1pm

The Curious Incident in the Park in the Day Time by Jeff Lloyd

Kate is enjoying a book in the sunshine when Danny’s rude phone conversation breaks the spell. In a classic tale of boy annoys girl and then invites her on her dream trip, will romantic comedy conventions trump common sense?

Someone Gets Shot by Jake Martin

Two self-described bad guys find themselves in a standoff engineered by unscrupulous loan sharks with only one way out: a revolver with one bullet. Watch to see how they decide who gets to live and who gets shot?

Bergman Gets Results by Alexa Higgins

Three yoga practitioners and their demanding instructor distractedly contort their bodies in a play that skewers cultural obsessions with diet, exercise, mindfulness, achievement, and a pervasive fear of failure. Laugh your way to Namaste.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Fish by Gordan Mihan

Gloria and Luke gather their friends to celebrate the life of their dear friend in this punny and poignant play about culpable negligence, resentment, baseball, and the special bond between people and their pets.

Street Scenes: Site-Specific Productions

Date, Time and Location TBA

Jon and Richard Duel for Honour by Jean-Michel Cliche

When their friendship hits a rocky patch, Jon and Richard decide to settle things in the only honourable way: with swords, in a churchyard.

The Field by Alex Donovan

Witness the story of the beginning, middle (and possibly end?) of a years-long relationship as played out in one picturesque setting, as told through words, movement, and music.

A Night of Readings

July 26th Time and Location: TBA

Winner of the NotaBle Acts High School Playwriting Competition:
The Damsel in Distress Who Saved Herself  by Kira Smith
… with, and despite, the help of a slightly bumbling prince. A subversive fairy tale romp.

Professional Playwright-In-Residence Reading:
Iago Speaks and Terra Mater by Daniel Macdonald
A reading of new works by our 2015 NotaBle Acts Playwright/Dramaturge in Residence.