Timberlake Wertenbaker’s
‘The
Love of the
Nightingale’
‘What is a myth? The oblique image of an unwanted truth
reverberating through time.’
Submission Pack
Arts Centre Studio Slot,
Week 2, Term 3
Scene Eight
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Contents
The Play
The Plot
Characters
Why now?
Why the studio?
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3
4
6
6
Production Team
7
The Production
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10
10
10
11
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12
12
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Rights
Letting the text speak for itself
Characterisation
The Choruses
Setting
Puppetry
Staging
Costume
Casting and Rehearsal
Auditions
Rehearsal
Provisional Rehearsal Schedule
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13
14
15
Publicity
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Budget
Budget Notes
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18
Summary
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Appendix: Safety and General Conduct
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The Play
First performed at The Other Place in Stratford upon Avon in 1988, Timberlake
Wertenbaker’s play The Love of the Nightingale is a stunning reworking of Sophocles’
lost play Tereus, finding modern resonance in a myth that is thousands of years old.
Wertenbaker uses both traditional Greek dramatic styles, such as the use of choruses,
in conjunction with a Brechtian epic theatre style that gives the themes of the play all
the more significance to a modern audience. This is not a traditional Greek tragedy by
any means, but makes use of the strongest elements of that genre as well as leaving
the director open to using a more modern approach to the text. The play uses a
combination of narration and poetic dialogue to bring out its key themes, which centre
around the violence that inevitably ensues from enforced silence, and extend to the
nature of love, the nature of power, and the effects of betrayal, as well as giving the
audience a powerful sense of the effects of what happens when two contrasting
cultures collide, a theme which we are all too familiar with today.
The text offers huge challenges and possibilities to the director, written as it is in a
particularly stylistic manner. The language is brimming with double meaning, metaphor,
and reference to classical text, but equally manages to be entirely understandable to
the audience member who merely wants to understand the plot. The play veers between
the comic and tragic, and often has the two coexisting in the same scene, which can
make for uncomfortable viewing for the audience. The character development is
extremely strong, and an effective sense of empathy is created for the protagonist,
while Tereus, essentially the ‘bad guy’ of the piece, is no pantomime villain, but a
believable character whose faults are all too understandable.
THE PLOT:
The setting is Athens. The Athenians are at war, and win with the help of an ally from
the north of Greece, Thrace. The King of Athens, Pandion, has two daughters, Procne
and Philomele, and as thanks to the Thracians, gives Procne to the Thracian king Tereus
as his wife. They sail north back to Thrace.
The play cuts five years, and Procne is bored. She has had a son, Itys, but has nothing in
common with the Thracian women who keep her company. The Athenians favour
philosophy and art, whereas the Thracians are a warlike people, preferring sport. Procne
asks her husband Tereus to go back to Athens to bring her sister Philomele to Thrace for
a visit. He obliges and sails back to Athens. While there, he watches a performance of
Phaedra and during it falls passionately in love with Philomele, who is also watching the
play. Despite the reservations of King Pandion, Tereus insists that Philomele accompany
him to Thrace to see her sister. They sail north toward Thrace.
While on the ship Philomele falls in love with the captain of the vessel. Tereus, still
lusting after her, tries to delay the arrival of the ship in Thrace. Eventually, he stops the
ship altogether and informs Philomele that Procne is dead, a lie. She mourns her sister,
and in her grief turns to the captain. Just as they are about to consummate their love,
however, Tereus comes in and accuses the captain of attempting to rape Philomele, and
murders him. He then rapes Philomele.
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As Philomele recovers from her rape, Tereus, his lust satisfied, returns to Procne,
with the news that her sister is dead. She welcomes him home. Later, he returns to
Philomele, who screams that she will let it be known what a monster he is. To keep her
quiet, he cuts out her tongue.
Five years later, and Procne is commemorating the anniversary of her sister’s ‘death’.
She goes to the festival of the Bacchae, a traditional women only festival, to mingle with
her subjects. Suddenly Philomele appears, and using puppets she has made, as she
cannot speak, enacts her rape by Tereus and the cutting out of her tongue. Procne
realises what a monster her husband is. She lets Philomele kill her own son, Itys, as
revenge on Tereus. When he discovers this, he vows to kill both sisters, and chases
them. The play ends with the metamorphosis of Tereus, Procne and Philomele into
birds, and as a nightingale, Philomele finally regains her voice.
CHARACTERS: (in order of appearance):
Male Chorus: (x5) The narrators of the play. Though the male chorus do not have specific
characters, they are essential to the piece, guiding the audience through the complex
plot and discussing several of the issues presented in the play. They also create images,
helping the audience to keep up with the continually shifting settings, and play several
of the smaller parts. The Male Chorus presents interesting challenges, as they often
snap from being narrators into playing characters and back again extremely quickly,
which means that an actor must be able to change his physicality in an instant.
Procne: The elder of the two daughters of Pandion. Procne begins the play as a wise
older sister, but it is quickly revealed that she is just as naïve as Philomele at the outset.
After her marriage to Tereus, a union which she does not really want, she becomes
bored and restless, and her character becomes more irritable as she fails to find
common ground with her Thracian ladies in waiting. This character is certainly not an
easy one to play, as an actress must be able to portray a princess and queen at different
stages in her life. The climax of the play, when she realises that her sister is not dead
and that her husband has betrayed her, demands a great degree of control, as she
wrestles with her conflicting emotions of her love for her son, and her desire for revenge.
Philomele: The younger of Pandion’s daughters and the protagonist of the piece,
Philomele is a character that develops significantly over the course of the play. When we
first meet her, she is a young teenager of perhaps fourteen: joyous, stubborn, and
fiercely intelligent, but inexperienced in the ways of the world. By the end, she has
become a woman, raped and abused, her tongue cut out, and her whole existence
reduced to the desire to be revenged on Tereus. This is of course an extremely
challenging role, and the complexities of the character are self evident: how does one
react after rape, after having one’s ability to speak removed, and having your sister
believe you to be dead? As with Procne, too, the ability of an actress to show the ageing
process in Philomele is paramount to making her a believable character, but the
particular skill in the actress has to be in expressing a wide range of emotions without
sound: Philomele is of course silent for the climax of the play, and the ability of an
actress to express the anger and resentment she feels towards Tereus, and the love she
has for Procne is vital.
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Tereus: The King of Thrace, and husband to Procne. Tereus is of course the villain
of the play, as the rapist and abuser of Philomele. He is a king of a society which
revolves around war, and is clearly first and foremost a military leader. Tereus
represents all that is wrong in a patriarchal society, though it is important that he does
not come across as an uncontrolled maniac, but rather a man consumed by his own
lust. His violent outbursts, such as the murder of the captain and the cutting out of
Philomele’s tongue, are not representative of a man who cannot control himself, but
rather the calculated actions of a man who will do anything to get what he desires. The
challenge to an actor will be to demonstrate that the character has such power, but is
still essentially undone by his desire for Philomele, and that he reacts violently because
that is the only way he knows how to respond to such feelings.
King Pandion: The King of Athens. The head of a city which delights in philosophy and
the arts, Pandion is a very different ruler from Tereus. He is an old man, reluctant to part
with his beloved daughters, but also aware that it is necessary.
The Queen: The wife of Pandion. A slightly dim witted woman who serves as a comic
interlude to the discussions of Pandion and Tereus. Her attachment to her daughters is
clearly not as strong as that of her husband.
Female Chorus: (x5) The Female chorus are similar to the Male chorus, though not
identical. They do not have the same role as narrators, though at certain times they do
speak to the audience. Along with the male chorus, they are the only characters aware
of the audience. They also play a few smaller roles in the play. They differ from the male
chorus, though, in that they each have a character name, and have specific roles as the
Thracian women who wait upon Procne. They are part of the culture of Thrace, and
partake in rituals and ceremonies such as the Bacchae. They are important not only as
characters but also as a female voice to contrast with the male voice of the Male
Chorus. As gender is a key issue in the play, this is a crucial role.
Captain: The captain of the ship which sails Philomele and Tereus to Thrace. Though a
small part, the role of the Captain is a challenging one to play. His loyalty to Tereus as a
soldier competes with his love for Philomele and he ends up paying the ultimate
sacrifice for his love.
Niobe: Philomele’s nurse, who accompanies her on her voyage, and witnesses her rape
and disfigurement. Niobe is an old woman of about sixty five, who was brought to
Athens as a slave when she was young. She is a bitter and unpleasant character, who
shows no pity for Philomele after her violation, but merely says that all women must put
up with this kind of treatment from men. At points, Niobe is a comic character, and at
others delivers speeches that are incredibly heartless and haunting. She has been
bowed by the experiences of her youth, and wishes to bring Philomele to the realisation
that women must inevitably succumb to the wishes of men.
An actress must be able to play an aged woman convincingly, and be able to vocalise
through her lines the bitterness that Niobe feels towards the world.
Itys: Procne and Tereus’ son. When he appears on stage, his age is unspecified, but he is
still a boy rather than a teenager. He has grown up in his father’s image, and is very
much the little soldier, wanting to fight wars, and having inherited none of his mother’s
wisdom.
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Casting Note: Obviously it is impossible to cast a convincing pre- pubescent boy
from among the student population. We believe that it is essential to cast
someone who is believable in this role, and therefore will look to cast Itys from among
the children at the Warwick Arts Centre Youth Theatre programme. I have spoken to
Charlotte McCormick about this, and it may be possible to do this. If we cannot find a
child suitable for the role, or if the parents of the child are unwilling to let him perform,
then we will use (Assistant Director Poppy James’ younger brother) Philip JamesPemberton (11) for the role.
THE OTHER ROLES IN THE PLAY WILL BE PLAYED BY MEMBERS OF THE CHORUSES.
WHY NOW?
We believe that the relevance of The Love of the Nightingale, a play ostensibly set in an
Ancient Greek culture far removed from our own, is clear to anyone who has read the
play. The obvious contrasts between the cultures of Athens and Thrace suggest clear
parallels with the lack of understanding between the Western and Middle Eastern
worlds that continues to dominate the global political arena. In addition, the tragic tale
of the rape and silencing of Philomele has themes that are universal: the uncomfortable
realities of lust and desire, the oppression of women in patriarchal societies, and the
consequences of unjust actions. This is a play that was written in the modern era, and
appeals to modern sensibilities.
However, it would be wrong to suggest that we merely want to stage this play because
of its themes and meanings. The Love of the Nightingale tells a compelling story, and
the non- prescriptive style of the script gives both actors and director almost free reign
to be creative and to find interesting and innovative ways to tell that story. For these
reasons, and many more, we believe that a production of The Love of the Nightingale
would suit a studio slot perfectly.
WHY THE STUDIO?
The decision to submit this production for the studio was not taken lightly. The studio is
of course the most professional of all the spaces that Warwick student drama is
produced in, and it is therefore a requirement that the work produced in such a space
be of a high and professional standard. The flexible nature of the space, as well as the
technical possibilities that the Studio affords a lighting designer, of course renders it the
most obvious space to attempt a piece of exciting theatre. In the past, productions have
often been awarded a Studio slot due to their ambition in terms of set and lighting
design. This academic year, particularly, this has been the case, with Clockheart Boy, No
Man’s Land and The Night Heron all fairly complex in terms of design. The Love of the
Nightingale is certainly an ambitious project, but for different reasons: we plan to tell
our story using a mostly bare stage, with the physicality and presence of our actors the
key to the production. There may be no grand schemes to construct an enormous set in
the space, but nonetheless, The Love of the Nightingale guarantees to enchant
audiences with its simplicity of design, and with the sophistication of its execution. The
play is one that demands an intimate environment between performer and audience,
and the Studio is, in this team’s opinion, the only space on campus which can provide
such an atmosphere. As the design of the production involves a traverse staging, this
too makes the Studio the only possible space in which to stage this production.
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Production Team
Sam Maynard (Director):
Sam is a second year History student
Cast member of Iphigenia at Aulis and The Night Heron for WUDS
Cast member of Rebel for Freshblood
Cast member of Metamorphosis for Agito Theatre at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2006
Cast member of thirteen productions while in attendance at Sevenoaks School
Took Theatre Studies at International Baccalaureate Higher Level, involving directing a
production of Neville’s Island by Tim Firth, and learning about a variety of theatrical
traditions, including Brechtian and Ancient Greek styles.
Poppy James (Assistant Director):
Poppy is a second year English and Creative Writing student
Cast member of Iphigenia at Aulis for WUDS
Cast member of The Visit at the Priory Theatre, Kenilworth
Cast member of ten productions while at school, including plays in Greek styles
Took A and AS level Theatre Studies, which included cutting, writing and directing
several productions.
Took a RADA residential course in Summer 2005.
Rowan Rutter (Producer):
Involved backstage in five productions at school, Shakespeare through to musicals.
Ran and publicised a successful music concert and raised 1500 pounds as a result
Spent 6 months on tour with Northern Broadsides as their ASM and AWM (assistant
wardrobe mistress).
Legally recognized member on a professional company. Did get-in/get-outs in 15
separate venues and worked along side some of the best people in the business, kept
my mouth shut and learned things. Problem solving, dealing with AWOL actors and
learning how to be professional on a daily basis.
For WUDS: helping backstage on Night Heron (pre-production) and doing set problem
solving and construction with designer Ben Fowler.
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Katherine Harding (Designer):
Katherine is a second year English Literature student.
President of Warwick Art Society, running workshops in a variety of artistic disciplines.
She will be working with the Art Society with group workshops on puppetry and model
making to make some of the play’s central props.
Completed an art foundation with Grade Merit before beginning her degree, specialising
in sculpture and carpentry.
Led work on set design at school, designing, building and painting sets for Hamlet and
Les Miserables. Parts of the latter set have gone on to be used by a local theatre
company. Since arriving at University she has also participated in painting and building
for Faustus.
Other design credits include designing the cover of her school magazine and creating a
logo concept for Agito Theatre.
Richard ‘Ricardo’ Jephcote (Designer):
Richard is a Theatre and Performance Finalist and semi-professional photographer. He
has been involved in many Warwick Drama projects on all levels of production.
Non-technical credits include acting in various independent productions (Saved, The
Visit, The Elephant Tree), other minor Codpiece roles, and directing an independent
short film (Woyzeck).
Publicity design: The Visit, Iphigenia at Aulis, The Lover, Happy Jack, Bouncers, Othello,
Saved, Rebel, No Man's Land, Elegies, Illustrations of Madness and photos for
Copacabana and Clock Heart Boy
Performance photography: Iphigenia, To the End of the World, The Night Heron
Served as Director of Photography on Saved and is currently doing the same on another
independent film.
Set/LFX design credits include Bouncers and a past performance of extracts from The
Love of the Nightingale in Lancaster.
On the WERL exec as Head of Design
Producer, Designer and Editor of WTV's music show.
Plus he makes damn fine puppets.
Hannah Clapham (Costume):
Hannah is a second year Theatre and Performance Studies student.
Publicity and Marketing: Hysteria (Studio, 2005), A Chorus Line (MTW, Main
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Theatre 2006)
Producer: The Visit (The Priory Theatre in Kenilworth, 2005)
Iphigenia at Aulis (Studio, 2006)
Acting: To The End Of The World (Studio, 2006)
ASM: Wild Party (MTW Main Theatre, 2006), Copacabana (MTW Main Theatre, 2007)
Stage Manager/Set Design: The Elephant Tree (WSAF 2006, Edinburgh Festival
2006)
Costume: Copacabana team
I also make my own clothes from time to time!
Paul Brown (Tech Manager):
Paul is a second year Maths student.
Has DSMed, stage managed and lit both school and amateur shows back at home in
North Wales since the age of about 12!
Experience at Warwick includes Lysistrata (Lighting Operator), Illustrations of Madness
(Technical Manager) and WSAF Edinburgh Preview (Lighting Operator) in the Studio, as
well as The Wild Party (ASM), Copacabana (Followspot) and Pizzaz (Followspot) in the
Main Theatre.
He has also been on the rigging team for several other shows, and was a member of the
WSAF Technical Team.
Outside of the Warwick bubble he works as a technician at the Royal International
Pavilion arts centre in Llangollen, North Wales.
Nima Seifi (Publicity):
Nima is a first year English Literature and Creative Writing student.
Performed in Night Heron for WUDS
Marketing design for WSAF 2007.
National Youth Theatre member for 4 years.
New Vic Theatre Youth Society member for 10 years
We believe the talent and the enthusiasm of every member of this team to be clear. The
breadth of knowledge that this team can bring to the table promises to make this
production an exciting and innovative piece of theatre for WUDS.
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We felt that it was important to have an explanation of Poppy’s role as Assistant
director, as the relationship between the Director and Assistant Director is
something that could potentially be a problem, and has undermined the productivity
and success of student productions in the past. It must first be said that Sam and Poppy
know each other very well, and that we have discussed Poppy’s role in depth.
The job of Assistant Director is not to direct. It is to assist the director. The director
makes all directorial decisions, and acts upon them. This ensures that there is only one
voice in rehearsal, one set of directions and no confusion. The assistant director is there
to help structure rehearsals, be another pair of eyes during the rehearsal and to
therefore be able to discuss with the director the progress and future of rehearsals. It is
important to emphasise that having an assistant director is totally different from a codirector. In a way, you have all the advantages of a co-director and none of the conflicts.
There is no potential for power struggles, because there is only one person in charge
and that is agreed from the outset. Nor is there a clash of ideas, because it is the ideas
of one person, the director, that are followed. However, it does mean that the cast get
the most out of rehearsals because two heads have planned them and two people have
been able to observe everyone and ensure that everyone is happy and progressing.
Essentially, it is to enable a better production by having a positive, constructive
atmosphere for the entire team.
The Production
RIGHTS:
The rights for performance are available from Samuel French Publishers, at a cost of
£80 per performance, and we have been granted permission to begin rehearsal.
LETTING THE TEXT SPEAK FOR ITSELF:
Our vision for The Love of the Nightingale is to tell a story that will captivate and
astonish the audience, through stylistic narration and dialogue, and strong
characterisation. Our aim is to create a strong impression of the world that the
characters in the story inhabit simply through the language of the play, and the
characterisation of the lead roles. The power of the play is evident in the writing, and in
the opinion of this team, it would be inadvisable to dilute the emotional resonance of
the language by relying on an overcomplicated set, or an overarching ‘vision’. Our simple
set will not divert attention away from the action of the play, but will serve the plot.
As has been previously mentioned, the play has a great deal of significance, and serves
not merely to tell a story, but also as a modern fable in many ways. However, we believe
that the text is sufficient to convey these meanings, and that any attempt on the part of
the director to highlight the significance of particular passages would serve merely to
lessen the pace of the production, lose the interest of the audience and to undermine
the enjoyment of the audience. Thus, in this production we will concentrate on telling
the story, which has enough interest in itself, and allow the audience to draw whatever
meaning they choose from the language of the play.
CHARACTERISATION:
This focus on the text of the play means that the direction will concentrate on making it
accessible and understandable, as well as making some of the more stylistic speeches
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of the major roles fit within their character development. The ability of the
audience to empathise with the lead characters is paramount, and it therefore is
important that the language that they employ appears authentic. This is also true of the
choruses, as they serve as the connection between the audience and the action, and so
it is vital that the audience not only believe in them, but are also able to understand the
significance of what they are saying. The lack of set means that the chorus must be able
to convey the story and setting through the language, and this is certainly something
that will be focused on in rehearsal.
Though we will aim to create ‘real’ characters in this production, of course the acting
style will not be naturalistic throughout. The nature of the play, and its style, dictate a
different approach. Firstly, though we do believe that there is some merit in the
‘emotion memory’ style of acting, we do not feel that this kind of technique would be of
use in this play, as some of the emotions and experiences that the characters go
through are not things that student actors will be able to relate to. The severing of
Philomele’s tongue, for example, is not comparable to any experience that any actress
may have had. This may seem an obvious point, but not an irrelevant one. We do not
wish for the actors to try and ‘become’ their characters, but merely want them to
outwardly express how they think a character would react when faced with such
situations. The richness of the language will be a great help in this.
THE CHORUSES:
A dilemma that is presented to the director with this particular play is in how to utilise
the chorus to greatest effect. In the text, they comment and criticise on the action of the
play, and its themes, much as a traditional Greek Chorus does. However, they are also
the storytellers, and play several of the smaller parts. The Female Chorus acts as the
more traditional chorus, and have roles assigned them, so they are fairly straightforward
to direct, whereas the Male Chorus change roles from soldiers to sailors and to actors. In
this production, the Male Chorus will be used as if they were in control of the action. It is
they who explain the action and who introduce new settings and characters. We will
establish a convention whereby the Male Chorus dictates how the action proceeds. This
will be done with lighting and with a specific action that the Chorus will perform every
time they introduce a new scene.
SETTING:
The setting in the play shifts constantly, from an Athenian palace, to a theatre, to a ship,
to a beach, to a temple in Thrace. These will be represented by movement of white
boxes (see STAGING, below) into different formations, and through the actions of the
Male Chorus. Each member of the Chorus will have staffs, which will be used to
represent different things, such as oars during the ship scene, and spears during the war
scene, as well as having use as rhythmic instruments. These things, in addition to
lighting, will help the audience to build up a picture of the setting.
Though the play is set in Ancient Greece, historical accuracy is not particularly important
for our production. We believe that the themes and the story of the play are the key to
its appeal, and as mentioned earlier, are timeless, so the period and the setting are not
something we will seek to emphasise. The design aesthetic deliberately is not from any
one period or geographical location, as we believe that this is immaterial, and to
complicate an otherwise complex story with worrying about historical accuracy would
not add to the story, our main focus. The costumes are deliberately simple and designed
to illustrate the clash of culture between Athens and Thrace, and will not be historically
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accurate. All design decisions have been made to help the audience further
understand the plot and the themes of the play, rather than to give an impression
of a time period.
PUPPETRY:
The play demands one scene in which puppetry is used, when Philomele acts out her
rape and mutilation by Tereus to her sister using three dolls she has made. These
puppets will be constructed by Art Soc in workshops over the second half of Term 2. As
Katherine is the president of the society, it will be easy to ensure that the designs fit
with the style of the rest of the production.
STAGING:
The staging will be traverse. We believe that the traverse setting offers greater
opportunities for imaginative theatre, and serves to create a more intimate theatrical
space, which is vital for the production. As the audience will be closer to the action, it
will be easier for the chorus to establish a relationship with them, and for the audience
to feel greater involvement with the storyline.
We have decided to use a minimal set, to create a stage which is a blank canvas, filled
only with five white cubes which can be moved around to create the different settings of
the play. The manipulation of these cubes will create settings such as the theatre in
which the Athenian court watches Phaedra and the ship which sails Philomele and
Tereus to Thrace. The script does not rely on many specific settings other than the ship,
and this means that the changing positions of the boxes do not need to accurately
represent a particular setting, but will rather be used to suggest a setting in conjunction
with the narration of the male chorus and the action of the play.
The minimal stage will be framed by multiple layers of white fabric, which will be used
both to suggest scenery and at other times will function as screens for a system of
projections and lighting effects. Simple white drapes hung from and cantilevered out
from the balconies at either end of the stage will provide two focuses for drama.
Additionally, we will be using the three lighting rigs as rails for three striking, sail-sized
stretches of gauze, which will act as sails in the ship scenes. The largest of these will
hang only as low as the balcony, so will give the impression of sails without cutting
sightlines. Abstract moving projections and lighting onto both the “sails” and end pieces
are intended to suggest particular settings; images of the moving water for sea with a
sea setting; animated images of birds at the transformation in the final scene. The use
of gauze in the sails will allow the projections to pass through all three screens to create
a multiple image.
COSTUME:
The costumes for this production are designed to emphasise the difference in culture
between the Thracian and Athenian characters. They will serve to highlight the contrasts
between the warlike, strong and rough Thracians, and the philosophical Athenians.
Athenians (Procne, Philomele, Pandion, Queen, Niobe): Costumes will be brightly
coloured, and made of long, flowing materials, with a hint of Indian design about them –
dresses may resemble saris for example. The impression we intend to create is one of
dignified elegance, and of a culture which is based on appearance and the arts. Though
these characters are the Athenian royal family, we do not intend to have King Pandion
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wearing any sort of crown, but will ensure that the costumes are sufficiently
graceful so as to give the impression of royalty. There is a supply of muslin cloth in
the WUDS cupboard in the Arts Centre, and we plan to make some of the costumes
from this. Other material can be bought cheaply from fabric shops etc.
Thracians (Male Chorus, Female Chorus, Tereus, Captain, Itys): The style of the Thracian
dress will be based around creating the impression of Thrace as a region that thrives on
warfare. We will use earthy colours, rough materials, and ensure that there is a great
deal of flesh on display, to give the impression of a tribe that is still essentially
uncivilised, and that lacks the rich culture that Athens possesses. We will also use body
paint on the arms of the male Thracians as war paint, to give them a more imposing
status, and to reinforce the idea of a barbarian tribe. The women will also wear rough
materials, but will be fairly scantily clad, possibly even bearing their breasts during the
Bacchae scene. We will use materials like Hessian to create these costumes, which is
cheaply available, and there is a supply in the WUDS cupboard.
Our costume designer, Hannah, will assemble a team of costume makers to create
these costumes before and during the Easter break.
The production concept overall is to create an exciting piece of theatre which can
express the plot and themes of the play in an inventive and innovative way, without
overcomplicating the space, or forcing the issues and significances of the piece onto an
audience. The emphasis will be on telling the story, and not on an overarching concept
designed to dazzle the audience.
Casting and Rehearsal
AUDITIONS:
We believe that the audition process will be crucial to the success of the production, as
we have all seen plays which have been undermined by errors of casting. It is important,
too, that the nature of the audition process accurately reflects the nature of the play.
This presents certain dilemmas for this particular production, as certain elements of the
play, such as the reliance on chorus, would suggest that a group audition would be
preferable, but the strong characterisation needed for the leads would be better
demonstrated in a solo audition from a piece of text.
We have thus decided to make the audition process different for men and for women;
while men will be asked to attend open auditions, involving emphasis on teamwork,
storytelling and narration, the women will sign up for a slot for a ten minute solo
audition, based on a monologue taken from the play. This takes into account the
different roles that men and women have to take in the play, and we believe that it will
help actors to demonstrate the qualities we are looking for, and that it will be easier for
us to make choices on who is suitable for which role. After the initial audition process,
we will have a series of recalls based on dialogue and narration to finalise our choices
for the casting of the play.
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Though this may seem to be a long-winded way of going about the audition
process, and different from the norm, we believe that it is worth putting in the
effort to locate actors that will be right for the production.
We intend to have cast the play by the end of week 6, to give us the maximum possible
amount of time to rehearse the play. This means that the auditions would occur
throughout that week, which is also easier for the team as it is reading week.
REHEARSAL:
Once cast, we will begin rehearsing the play as soon as possible. Though the last weeks
of term are always busy for everyone, it is important that we are well on the way by the
beginning of the Easter break. Ideally, we will have blocked the play in its entirety by the
end of term, and will be able to concentrate on fine tuning the production during our
week long rehearsal period over the Easter break, and the first two weeks of Term 3.
The period of a week before the beginning of term during which we will rehearse will be
the most important period of rehearsal of the play – time restraints mean that these will
be intensive rehearsals, but we will make sure that they are not longer than necessary,
trying to allow cast members as much free time as possible over the Easter break.
It is important to note that we want to create a piece of theatre which is the product of
every member of the team. Though Sam has ideas about what he wants to achieve in
every scene, and will examine the text in detail before every rehearsal to make sure his
objectives are clear, he wants to discuss every scene with the cast, and will be receptive
to their ideas of how the production should work, while sustaining the authority needed
to maintain order in rehearsal.
Early rehearsals will concentrate on creating a sense of cast unity, vital considering the
large size of the cast, through team building games. Sam’s experience rehearsing The
Night Heron showed how successful such an exercise can be, as the games immediately
created a sense of team among the cast, as well as ensuring that they enjoyed
themselves. We will also work on building a collective understanding of the text, firstly
making sure that the plot and themes of the play are clear to every member of the cast,
and also making sure they understand our ideas for the production. We believe that it is
vital that the production is a collective effort between cast and crew, and we will have
socials to bring the two together.
We will especially try to create unity among the choruses, as it is vital that they work
together to create images and tell the story clearly. We will timetable separate
rehearsals for the choruses and the main roles early on in the process, bringing them
together in later rehearsals. This is because the methods of rehearsal will be extremely
different between the two groups: while the leads will focus on characterisation, the
chorus will concentrate more on movement as a collective, and on their relationship
with the audience, as well as developing the smaller characters that they have to play.
For the leads, the focus will be on discussion and understanding of the characters and
their development through the play. Though improvisation may play a small role in the
process we do not believe that the style of the play demands it, and we won’t use it
extensively. Blocking the play, though, will be the early focus, with more emphasis on
motivation and character development later in the process.
The cast will be expected to learn their lines over the Easter break, as it is important
that we can continue to develop the production unencumbered by script.
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PROVISIONAL REHEARSAL SCHEDULE:
Week 7:
- Team building games + discussion of the text and nature of the play
- Read through of the text and feedback from the cast
- Beginning to block the play
Week 8:
- Blocking of the play
Week 9:
- Continuing Blocking
- Character Analysis
Week 10
- Continuing Blocking
- Do a stop/start run through of the whole play if possible.
Week 0
- Finish any blocking that hasn’t been previously completed
- Run each act
- Work on problem areas
- Continue focus on character development
- Work on Puppetry scenes.
- Work on Bacchae scene.
- Run through the production several times (run the show to technical and back
stage team)
Week 1
- Run through the show
- Work on problem areas
- Run the show to WUDS exec.
Week 2
PRODUCTION WEEK
Monday: Get in and tech
Tuesday: Tech and dress
Wednesday: Dress and PERFORM
Thursday: PERFORM
Friday: PERFORM
Saturday: PERFORM
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Publicity
Of course, there is no point in staging this production at all unless people come to see it.
We firmly believe that the appeal of this play will mean that we have no problems
selling tickets, if we ensure our publicity tactics are dynamic, interesting and effective.
Nima Seifi and Richard Jephcote will work on producing simple but effective designs for
posters and flyers, and we will assemble a team to help with distribution of material
around campus, while encouraging the (sizeable) cast to promote the show as well.
We intend to market the production around the idea of Philomele’s silence and
oppression by Tereus. Early ideas for poster design include several head shots of
Philomele, one with a dagger in her mouth, another with blood tricking from between
her lips, and another with Tereus behind her with his hand over her mouth. These
images will be simple but striking, as we intend to create a style of poster and flyer that
will provide a recognisable identity. We are also considering using the image of a dagger
throughout the marketing campaign, further establishing a brand identity with a single
icon.
We plan to set up a website, as this has been a successful method of publicising
productions in the past. It will include information about the show, about the team, as
well as rehearsal photos and details of any press interest. We intend to contact the
Warwick Boar to see if they are interested in writing a preview of the production, and are
also considering contacting other local press, such as local radio stations and
newspapers. We will also have clothing made for the cast and crew promoting the play,
but they will cover the cost themselves.
This play will have immediate appeal for a wide audience within the campus
community. Students of English and Theatre will be interested to see it as an example
of a play that makes use of several genres, and the reputation of the playwright will also
attract audience members from the English department. In addition, members of the
Classics department will be interested to see a play which deals with a classic myth told
by Sophocles and Ovid, but which is told in an entirely new way. We will contact the
Classics society with information about the play and inviting them to come. The themes
of the play could certainly suggest that it has a feminist agenda, and though we do not
wish to explicitly market it as a production about feminist issues, we will certainly
contact Warwick’s Anti Sexism society to suggest that it would be an interesting
production for them to see.
We are aware that the slot for which we are submitting can be a difficult one to market
for. At the beginning of the third term students are often preoccupied with exams and
essays, and as has happened in previous years, there is a danger that the priorities of
the potential audience will not permit them time to come and see a play. However, we
believe that with organisation, commitment and a striking marketing campaign, we can
convince students to spend a few hours of their time watching our play. The large cast
size is undeniably advantageous when trying to sell tickets, as cast members tend to
bring in friends to come and see them perform, but we also think that the themes of the
play will be interesting to the student population. The box office success of No Man’s
Land was in part due to their prolific poster campaign, but aided by the fact that a play
about war intrigues people who wouldn’t normally go to the theatre. We hope to achieve
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the same effect by using images such as the dagger and the blood from
Philomele’s mouth. We are confident that this play has the credentials that will
attract Warwick students to buy tickets, particularly at a difficult point in the year.
Budget
INCOME
TICKET SALES
120 CAPACITY X 4 NIGHTS X £5.50 = £2640
100% TOTAL INCOME
£2640
EXPENDITURE
HIRE OF ARTS CENTRE STUDIO
£580
SET DESIGN:
5X WHITE BOXES, MOCK DAGGER
FAKE BLOOD
PROJECTOR HIRE
MATERIAL
COSTUME:
100 METRES WHITE MUSLIN
£200
£130
CLOTH DYE
M ARKETING:
5000 A6 FLYERS
PHOTOCOPYING
£220
£100
£100
£20
PRODUCTION RIGHTS
£320.00
ADMINISTRATION / MISC.
£30
OF WHICH: 200 POSTERS
TOTAL EXPENDITURE £1480
Break Even Output
EXPENDITURE / LOWEST INCOME
1480 / £5.50 = 269 TICKETS TO BREAK EVEN
269 TICKETS / 480 (TOTAL CAPACITY) X 100 =
BREAK EVEN OUTPUT OF 56%
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BUDGET NOTES
Both the set and costumes for this show can be budgeted very low due to the
simplicity of the design and the availability of many of our materials for free. We are
also in contact with Cannon Business Park and Deloitte who have shown interest in
sponsoring this production. However we believe that we can comfortably produce this
show professionally within the 56% budget laid out above. The marketing budget is
taken from a quote given to us by Face Media and the set design and costume budget
have been costed by the designers and by Luke from the Arts Centre. As you can see,
the whole design for the show is very simple so we have decided to spend most of our
budget on marketing, due to the time of year (exam time) that we have applied for. We
believe that with the amount of posters and flyers ordered, we can realise a
comprehensive publicity campaign and that our audiences will exceed the 56%
budgeted on.
SUMMARY
This pack has not been put together simply in order that we can be successful in our
submission. We believe that it contains a realistic assessment of how we plan to
proceed with the production and we fully intend to act upon everything that we have set
out in this pack. We have deliberately decided to avoid gimmicky ideas for this
submission, as past experience suggests that while big plans may look good on paper,
making them a reality is often a different story. We intend to make this production a
high quality one through the standard of acting and production, and through the
commitment of a highly talented team, and we wish for the production of The Love of
the Nightingale to be remembered for telling a fascinating story in an interesting way.
“Much
I envy thee thy life: and most of all
That thou hast never had experience
Of a strange land”
Fragment from Sophocles’ lost play Tereus,
Translated by Sir George Young
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Appendix: Safety and General Conduct
We thought it was important to have a brief note about safety in the submission pack.
After the casting has been completed and the production team finalized, the producer
will call a company meeting and brief everyone on the fire regulations and general
onstage/offstage/backstage conduct. There have also been concerns raised about how
students leave rehearsal rooms. We would like to assure you that we will do everything
necessary to leave all rooms as they were and to re-set any furniture. As you can see
from the pack, our production team have all had experience in theatres or dramatic
events. I think this lends a professional spirit to this team and I would like to assert my
confidence in the entire production that everything will be done with proficient care and
attention. Any fire exit signs covered with blacks or by the traverse seating will be
replaced into a more prominent position in the auditorium and the pre-set dagger will be
the last prop to be set before the auditorium is opened to the public, and there will be a
member of the production team in the auditorium at all times between then and the
beginning of the show. The staging for this production as a whole is low key and most of
the effects will be carried out with lighting and the bodies on the stage. This will greatly
limit the possibility of personal injury to any member of the production team or the
audience. All our cast and crew will be fully covered by WUDS or the Tech Crew and we
will ensure that we remain within the safety guidelines set for us by the Arts Centre. I
think that you can have complete confidence in us as a production and a team that the
safety and conduct of this run will be of a high standard.