Commissioning An Artist
Lachlan Philpott’s The Chosen
Joanne Martin
Brisbane Girls Grammar School
The Spark - Bustown
Approval Stage
Playwright
Principal
Board
Playwright’s Agent
Contract
Publisher
Lachlan’s Needs
– Residencies
– Publication
– Character
The School’s Needs
High student involvement
in the project
The Idea
A collection of ideas
Discussed with students – narrowed the focus
Research/viewing/discussion/
roleplaying/workshops
Lachlan – notes of ideas, language, concerns
Six months …
Sixteen Pages of Script
The Chosen
A girls’ choir enter one by one and stand in rows. With all the girls in place, there are two
noticably vacant spaces, one in the first row and one in the third.
Monica, the conductor enters. She beams at the girls with excitement and leads them
straight into Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft.
Principal Petherbridge enters speaks to us as they sing.
Principal
Popsy Nichol began Year Mum in 1985. When she came to this school that
first day nobody had idea that she would be the first Australian woman to
walk on another planet. Popsy is an old girl we are very proud of and this is
the reason we have selected Beyond The Stars as this year’s Gala theme.
Beyond The Stars.
None of us will forget the thrill of seeing Popsy step off that ship and onto the
crust of Mars.
When our prime minister was born she didn’t know she would one day lead
the country. When Mother Teresa or Beyonce were born they didn’t know
the impact they would have on people all over the earth. The same for Popsy.
And for you.
The aqua light grows stronger.
People are a sum of the choices they make, choices that were made for them
and things they particularly were chosen for that are beyond their control.
A girl in the choir puts up her hand. The choir stop singing.
An unearthy white noise begins softly.
In our lifetime we are all chosen. Some of us will be chosen to lead.
Monica and the girls look at the vacant spaces. Monica sends a few girls away to look for
missing girls.
Some of us will be chosen to parent. Some of us will be chosen because we
have a special talent. A gift.
The girls return and shake their heads to indicate they have not found the missing singers.
Sometimes our friends will be chosen and we will not. But at some point in
our lifetimes each one of us will be chosen.
Sound cresendos and fades. Black out.
Auditions and Rehearsals:
Senior Drama students
•
•
•
•
•
•
Staffing
Choir element – new arrangements
Pre-show installation
Freya Star
Ambiguity in published script
Three rewrites (editing characters/scenes
through rehearsal process)
• Lachlan – readings and casting
Set Design – Emerging Artist
Rapid movements in time and place; multiple entrance points for
large cast; abstract with upward movement; the rocket …
Google Sketch Up
Set Construction
Recycled plywood
Set Design
Projection Mapping
Documenting The Process
Behind The Scenes – capturing
footage as you go!
Production
Choir
Production
Schoolgirls
Production
Monologues
Production
Overlapping scenes
Production
Popsy Nicholl
Production
The Choir
Production
Choreography
Editing
Lachlan’s Final Edit for Publication
Two hours long - reduce
Characterisation eg Cecilia
Overall intention – ambiguity of Freya’s claim
School’s Agreement
Include images of production, cast lists,
introduction
Final Read with Lachlan
Publication
ATYP
Staging Challenges
•
•
•
•
•
Multiple locations with rapid shifts in time and place
Script 17 – 23
Film 8:12 – 12:00
Playground
PE – netball
English classroom
Science classroom
Library
The Choir
Katy Perry remix
Film 1:23.45 –
Beatles – Blackbird
Film 1:48.30
Scenes for Discussion
Film 32:00 – 37:10
The Choir/Monologue/Popsy
Nicholl/Monica/Cecilia/Anna and Krystal
Film 1:13.30 – 1:18.40
The Abduction – Calling Occupants
Film 1:28 –
The investigation