Writing, Theatre, Poster Design, Films, Education and Attempted Wit
A useful exercise when devising a drama or creating a character is to look at a topic from two different points of view. This exercise encourages students to consider two points of view on a subject, and to practice writing those perspectives. The exercise develops into Angels and Devils, where we imagine the angel and … Continue reading TWO SIDES (angels and devils)
The Drama Formula is an easy way to remember how to write about a performer's use of voice or movement in Drama. Many students fall into the trap of simply relaying part of the answer - but using this "formula" helps them to understand that greater detail is needed. This short video explains the Drama … Continue reading The Drama Formula
In 2006 I had the immense pleasure of seeing a play of mine produced. The play was THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS, which was a documentary drama looking at the 1888 killings attributed to "Jack the Ripper". The play centres around the 5 women most commonly identified as victims of the Ripper. These "canonical" women were Polly … Continue reading The Whitechapel Murders – Annie
It’s been a strange year for cinemas, and studios must be playing a bit of a guessing game when trying to figure out if and when to have their big budget movies released in cinemas. Bond 25, NO TIME TO DIE was the first to delay its release from April to November, and eventually some … Continue reading When are the BIG MOVIES coming out in 2020?
I'm not a dancer. But I've been lucky to work with dancers and choreographers who can create moves to tell a story, set a mood, create striking imagery, and more. And the people I've worked with have been brilliant at contributing ideas, or interpreting some of my ideas (some planned months in advance, some inspired … Continue reading Gotta Dance!
Scavenger Hunts are great for giving students a competitive motivation to get some work done. As we are currently in lockdown and creating work from home, I've put together a Drama Scavenger Hunt/Quiz which includes some quiz questions, internet searches, taking photos and even some puzzle solving. The answers aren't attached. If you don't know … Continue reading Drama Scavenger Hunt/Quiz
In 2006 I had the immense pleasure of seeing a play of mine produced. The play was THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS, which was a documentary drama looking at the 1888 killings attributed to "Jack the Ripper". I really enjoyed researching the play and had a great time writing it. The play centres around the 5 women … Continue reading The Whitechapel Murders
In the UK at least, the name "Jack" has been used for centuries - as a nick name for someone from the lower class or unpleasant or untrustworthy from Shakespeare's time, as the "Jack in the Box" toy (one meaning of which from 17th Century is of a fraudster who would mis-sell an empty box … Continue reading The Legend of Spring-Heeled Jack
A couple of years ago I was the first guest on podcast The Buzzword, talking about theatre, education and more. The first interview took place shortly before HalfWits production of The Odd Couple in 2017. I directed this production, with a cast including The Buzzword presenter Aaron Pennie I was again delighted to be contacted … Continue reading Return to The Buzzword
"Yesterday" is a 2019 fantasy romantic comedy directed by Danny Boyle and with a script by Jack Barth and Richard Curtis. Like any movie today, there are a range of poster variants used to publicise the film. In this post we will look at two of them and discuss TECHNICAL CODES, CULTURAL CODES, GENRE CONVENTIONS … Continue reading “YESTERDAY” posters decoded
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