In the early stages of the development process, we decided as a company that not only would our show be a scripted comedy, but that it would most likely be set in either the 80’s or 90’s, as these were decades we were all drawn to. Using a research technique called ‘Wikipedia Rabbit Hole’ shown to us in a workshop by Flickbook Theatre, we were able to narrow down our period to the late 90’s. We each looked into different years and topics within that in order to find a time period which had significant material on which to base our show or to use as source material. We then delivered our findings to the group by displaying our research on post it notes in order to group our findings together.
Figure 1 – Wikipedia Rabbit Hole (Bowe, 2017)
By further researching different areas such as politics, technology and music, we finally decided that 1996 to 1997 would provide a good time frame for us to set our piece. Not only was this the year of the girl band in music (for example, the Spice Girls), but it also saw the rise of New Labour, the death of Princess Diana, and an extreme development in science and technology.
Figure 2 – The Research (Bowe, 2017)
Once we finalised our year as 1997, and the fact our show would be a scripted comedy, it was time to properly begin to devise and script our piece. One of the first things we did as a group was create characters for use in improvising workshops. Then within these workshops, we would act out embarassing/funny stories we had experienced in real life for inspiration, or we were given scenarios or settings in which we would improvise a short scene. We were also paired up as our characters in order to see how they would work in a scene together, almost like hot-seating but in a scene. The writing team then used the results of the workshops to go away and create the beginnings of the script.
Figure 3 – Improvisation (Wood, 2017)
As Stage Manager for Kick a Pigeon Theatre, part of my job involves me making sure communication is clear between all members of the company throughout this development process, as well as organising rehearsals/meetings and knowing all production aspects of our show in order for the process to run without a hitch. For this to happen, I am present at every rehearsal and production meeting, and have made a clear rehearsal/meeting schedule with our Producer and Director to keep everyone on track. It is also important for me to keep notes for both the company and myself, ensuring that everyone is on the same page regarding the show making process, as well as making sure everyone has the correct information so deadlines can be met in regards to the technical and production elements of the show.
After an initial meeting with both the Producer and Director, a rehearsal schedule was formed around the company members’ availability, which was shared with each member on our private Facebook group. As well as this, all documents relating to script work, research, and production roles are uploaded and kept up to date, enabling all members access to them when they are needed.
Figure 4 – Rehearsal Schedule (Blench, 2017)
Figures:
Figure 1 – Bowe, K. (2017) Picture of Wikipedia Rabbit Hole Display. Lincoln.
Figure 2 – Bowe, K. (2017) Picture of 1997 Research. Lincoln.
Figure 3 – Wood, E. (2017) Picture of Improvisation Workshop. Lincoln.
Figure 4 – Blench, A. (2017) Screenshot of Rehearsal Schedule. Lincoln.