26-Dancing

Challenge 26 – Due 27/02 at 09:59:59am GMT
Step 1: Walk around and choose 10 inanimate objects (write them all down in a nice and tidy list).
Step 2: Out of those 10 objects, pick the 8 that inspire you, and give them a character name, a background story, and anything else to help you make the object come alive in your head.
Step 3: Out of those 8 characters, pick the 6 that inspire you the most, and write a one paragraph idea, for each of those plays, featuring that character.
Step 4: Out of those 6 ideas, pick the 4 that inspire you the mostest, and write the opening stage direction and opening line for your play.
Step 5: Out of those 4 openings, pick the 2 that inspire you the mostestest and write a full one-page treatment for the play.
Step 6: Out of those 2 treatments, pick the 1 that inspires you the mostiestestetestiestest and write the play.

I loved this exercise more than words can say!!!

25-In a Room Full of People

Challenge 25 – Due 26/02 at 09:59:59am GMT
Every writer has started working on something and then gave up halfway through. We all have somewhere an incomplete idea or play.
Your challenge for today, should you choose to accept it, is to find one of those ideas and complete them!
If you manage to do that – you will become a god!
It will be like raising the dead!
So go – my little Lazaruses… (Lazarusi? Lazari?) fly like the immortal wind that you… breathed… uhm… life into? I don’t know what I’m talking about. On to the Whiskey (third year I’m copying and pasting this, and it still applies).
I know some of the people on this year have never written anything before this project – so your challenge (and maybe those of you who are doing this for a fourth year and are running out of incomplete projects) would be to take one of the plays you’ve written for this project and develop it – make it longer, make it bigger, make it better, make it stronger.
As always with weekends – your only bonus points is to be happy with your result!

Idea that has been bouncing around in my head forever. First attempt.  Not perfect, but it’s written. So much more to do with it yet…

24-Rage Against the Art Machine

Challenge 24 – Due 25/02 at 09:59:59am GMT

Today I’m taking you on some philosophical musings… I don’t know where they will lead any of us! Exciting stuff!

So, as you’ve gathered, I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of whether art should be truthful, or indeed should attempt at representing truth (or perhaps it does so inherently), and if it does, why? And what does it even mean to be truthful? Perhaps it’s all nonsensical.

The clichéd artist in a film or modern novel always seems to be obsessed with this idea of finding a truth. But is that just becoming boring? Should we look at pastures anew? On top of that, it’s that idea of art trying to get closer and closer to being truthful that has led to naturalism and potentially to snuff (If one wants to call that art… which I’m sure there are some ‘ones’ that do) (And llet’s not argue about whether snuff is indeed a direct result. I’m just putting it out there as an argument).

So I wonder, why are we so concerned with this idea of truth? And more importantly, what would happen if we stop?

The philosophical argument is concerned with the question of whether one can derive knowledge from art (as Truth is a criteria for Knowledge).

In the Republic, Plato declared that an artist is “an imitator of images and is very far removed from the truth”. And seeing as several arguments (namely the Epistemic and the Aesthetic) claim that artists are incapable of showing truth anyway, it does make one wonder if art even needs to reflect truth at all. And besides… who gave the artists the right to claim they are able to comment on any truth to begin with? And if I may generalise slightly more, should art even have any purpose whatsoever?

Well, how does any of that lend itself to theatre? That’s a very good question.

If I bring this directly into theatre and the current trends of uber-naturalism, it makes me wonder if watching a well-executed naturalist piece of theatre isn’t a bit like watching a beautiful Trompe L’oeil painting – which certainly requires highly impressive skills (the making it, not the observing it) – because it fools you into believing that it’s real, but at the end of the day, what does it add to our life experience that watching a ‘real’ version of it wouldn’t have added? So why favour that which is naturalistic over the real? Particularly when art can do such greater things and take us to completely new places, that we wouldn’t be able to see in the real world. In the same way, I would ask what the point is of watching a verbatim piece of theatre (particularly one of those that uses fed-recordings) if we can just watch a documentary or just look outside our window?

“Sebastian! What’s the frigging challenge?”

oh… uhm… I have no idea!

Good luck!!!

For more thoughts and perhaps inspiration (or lack thereof), feel free to read this page: https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/art-truth

23-Perfect World

Challenge 23 – Due 24/02 at 09:59:59am GMT

I am completely at a loss!

I mean, what more do they want?!

We tried loving them!

We tried offending them!

We even tried showing them compassion!

But this world just sucks!

It’s not that interesting! And God knows it’s full of lots of terrible things. Terrible people… terrible events… terrible prospects… terrible traumas… just terrible!

And besides, who even wants to write about the real world?! We’re writers, creators of worlds. We should make things up. Why would anybody be interested in art that’s “true”?! (still brewing here…)

Plus, I think we all deserve a good holiday! If only we had a skill that can help with that! Oh wait … we do!!!

So let’s create the best world ever! I think we can all do with a nice Utopia, right?

I mean, if Carlsberg can do it – surely we can too…

Mmmmm… beer…

So get your idealism out there…

What should you put in your perfect world? Well, that’s clearly down to you… Whatever you think makes the best world… And with that – whatever you think makes the best plot… or the best life… (if you’re so inclined in having either of these things).

“Bonus points,” you say? Well, you can’t have a perfect world without some, right?

So to get them – stick as many stage directions as you possibly can. If we’re creating a world – we might as well explore it properly, am I raaaaaaait?

High fives all around!

22-Sermo in Monte

Challenge 22 – Due 23/02 at 09:59:59am GMT

Compassion… understanding… open-mindness… aren’t we all so friggin’ awesome (!) But can we truly be tolerant and respectful of people who are wron… I mean, people who have views that differ from ours?

So let’s try and see the world from their point of view? All you lefties out there, can you try and right a Tory play? Or for your Republicans, you are left with writing an ode to the Democrats?

But – you have to make sure that you do this without being sarcastic, without trying to prove them wrong… but from an honest place of understanding and acceptance!

Can we write a play from the point of view of an ISIS fighter? What about from the point of view of a racist? a misogynist? a… Hitler?

And let’s open this Pandora box (why the hell not!) Whatever you voted for Brexit – can you write a play supporting the other side?

I could not bring myself to follow this prompt. With everything going on in my life, I don’t have the bandwidth to be compassionate right now.  Someday I’ll revisit it. But not today.

21-Generated

Challenge 21 – Due 22/02 at 09:59:59am GMT

Snowflakes, snowflakes, everywhere, and not a drop of land to ski in!

Are we all too sensitive? Has theatre lost the power to shock, to hurt, to amaze and disgust because we’re so worried about offending others? Or even worse, offending ourselves. Shouldn’t we upset people by forcing them to face things they disagree with? Otherwise, aren’t we just preaching to the choir? (And isn’t that how we found ourselves in 2016 with some shockers?)

I mean, what we consider to be totally acceptable today used to be offensive and tabboo. Just think of A Doll’s House, Spring Awakening, Angels in America, Hair, and the list can go on for yonks.

In fact, The Lord Chamberlain’s office once banned the phrase “up periscopes” from being used on stage because they believed that more impressionable minds than theirs might be incited to “commit buggery” if heard that phrase… and dare I even mention Mary Whitehouse.

But… surely it was the fact that artists dared to offend, that helped bring change forward.

So let’s do that! Let’s write a play with the intention of offending others.

Now, before you start saying that you are not the kind of writer that upsets people – may I just remind you that you are not writing something to be produced. This is for your eyes only!

As always, I don’t read plays when asked not to – and as always – they are deleted at the end of the month.

Make it unethical… immoral… horrendously insulting to everything and everyone! And obviously – the fouler the language – I guess, the better!

And following on from Jelinek in Challenge 8 – this time I will refer you to her compatriot, Peter Handke’s “Offending The Audience”.

For bonus points – write something that offends you! But like – TRULY makes you scream in anger and upset!

P.S (anger, anger everywhere, but please don’t direct it at me… or at each other… lay it all in the play! 🙂 )

I intentionally did something to offend myself for this one.  Everything in it is randomly generated.

20-Stigma

Challenge 20 – Due 21/02 at 09:59:59am GMT

Remember that little love fest we had last Wednesday?

Modern amour and digitalised cupid arrows are far better than sacrificing a goat and a dog, then whipping the person you fancy with the slain animal skin (the less-spoken-of origin of Valentine’s Day…), but does ‘swiping right’ really leave the same footprint as love at first sight?

Let’s find out!

So, I’d like you to write about dates. Blind dates, speed dates, pub dates, stood-up dates and ‘my kids mustn’t know I’m here’ dates. And for all you clever-clogs, if you’re writing about the fruit, then dates on a date.

And the closer you can identify with one of the characters, the better. Let one of the characters be the same age as you, the same ethnic and cultural background, same religion and beliefs, same marital status, and have the same sexual orientation.

Think about that moment when an online profile or an app photo, becomes a real human being. And when do our online habits and communication style transform into connection with another person (or not).

And for those golden bonus points, find a reason why the date has to end after 15 minutes, even if the datees are having a wondrous time.

19-Anything For Love

Challenge 19 – Due 20/02 at 09:59:59am GMT

The title of your play is:

“I will do anything for love… (but I won’t do that!)”

For bonus points – stick a meatloaf in there somewhere!

18-No Yoga Today

Challenge 18 – Due 19/02 at 09:59:59am GMT

So what’s with all these emojis and gifs? They’re all the rage, apparently.

Personally I don’t have a scooby how any of that works and the odd gif I happen to notice just gives me headaches (and makes people forget to attach their plays. ahem!) . I just about mastered smily faces. 🙂 <= see?!

However, apparently, yuvs (yoot?) today have created an entire language out of them. There’s a fascinating sub-culture going on with these things.

And they’ve taken over fruits and vegetables… you can’t ask for an aubergine or a peach or… well, you get my drift.

I wonder, then… can they be used for the greater good? or at the very least for theatre?

So your challenge for today – write a play using emojis, gifs, and any other non verbal imagery that is now used as forms of communication.

Perhaps the entire play is in emojis, perhaps only the stage directions, perhaps use them sporadically in the dialogue.

Either way, use them!

USE THEM, I say!

But here’s the thing. Make sure the play still makes sense. Remember, it’s a play. Someone is meant to read it and know how to stage it. so make it work, baby, make it work!

And in terms of content, seeing as we’re all teched up – why not write about that? The joys or perils of technology?

*thumbs up emoji* (am I using this right?)

17-Intervention

Challenge 17 – Due 18/02 at 09:59:59am GMT

Let’s be super duper strict. Below are the rules for your play:

1. You must have 4 characters in the play – and the gender for 3 of them must be undefined! You can add two more – but only if they are not human.
2. One of the characters plays the banjo – really badly, and one character only speaks in rhyming couplets (can be the same if you like).
3. There must be a minimum of 3 pauses in the play, one of them must be a super long pause (think Pinter to the power of Pinter).
4. One of the characters has had relations with everybody else in the play (as well as characters that are mentioned but not seen).
5. Every line of dialogue must have one of the following: either 7 words, 12 words, 22 words, 29 words, 56 words or 99 words (you can punctuate as you like).
6. The play will contain three acts/scenes, but you can add one more if it’s a dream.
7. At some point, everybody on stage falls down to the ground.
8. Each scene/act must contain one person being told off for shouting (even though they didn’t shout), and another person revealing a big secret (even though it may not be true).
9. Each scene/act must have at least 10 lines of dialogue and 10 lines of actions.
10. Oh – and you must pick one letter of the alphabet (not Q, X or Z) for each character (each one can have a different one or the same) that they are not allowed to use in their dialogue at all.

If you aren’t sure you understand any of the rules – go with what you think they mean.

And again, with this being a weekend task – your only bonus is to be happy with the result.