"I came away from the workshop feeling full of potential ideas"

I've always been interested in verbatim theatre. I think a school trip to the National Theatre of Scotland many years ago spurred on an interest in theatre using the words and stories of real people. The trip was to see Black Watch – a production combining verbatim, physical and political theatre. It was a show that massively impacted me and definitely spurred on my passion for theatre generally, and also the profoundness that verbatim theatre in particular creates.

I was therefore incredibly excited for our recent workshop with Mariem Omari on verbatim theatre. I was really hoping to learn more of the nitty-gritty ins and outs of making a verbatim show, and hearing from Mariem exactly why the form appeals to her. And the workshop did not disappoint at all. The three hours of the workshop went by so quickly, and I left feeling so much better informed about verbatim theatre than I had been going in. Mariem talked about things such as deep listening, and the ethics of verbatim theatre. How Mariem described ‘deep listening’ particularly stuck with me. This is an interviewing technique whereby when you are listening to another person talk, you really do nothing but listen. You don’t begin thinking about questions you could ask, you don’t begin thinking about what you could say next – you only listen. I thought about the fact that I rarely practise deep listening during my day to day life. I like to think I’m a good listener, but my brain does automatically start thinking of questions and responses whilst someone is talking to me. I think being mindful of practising deep listening as Mariem describes it, is something I’d really like to take forwards with me. She went over really practical stuff with us too, about things such as consent, transcribing and interview technique (which were exactly the nitty-gritty insights I had been hoping for). Mariem spoke about the form so articulately and intelligently, and I came away from the workshop feeling full of potential ideas for a piece of verbatim theatre of my own. I’m interested in all sorts of ideas regarding verbatim theatre, and I think particularly exploring telling rural stories in this way. I really think that verbatim theatre has a unique power to it, and a healing power as well. I think a large part of this healing power is down to the deep listening practice that Mariem described to us and the way it gives space and allows people to feel heard.

Other than the workshop, I read three very different plays over the last few weeks. I read: I’m With The Band by Tim Price, Glory on Earth by Linda McLean, and Born Bad by debbie tucker green. I have to say the latter two – written by women – were my favourites. Both very different but hugely impactful in different ways, one through giving new voice/agency to one of the most famous women in history (Mary Queen of Scots), and the other using a form and structure I’d never encountered before to explore an awful secret pulling a family apart. The reason why I’m With The Band stuck with me less is hard to articulate, other than I found a play about four men harder to engage with than the plays that centred the stories of women and families. 

                                           Credit: Robert Caplin for The New York Times

I’m excited for a new round of plays and to continue branching out and reading things I might not otherwise. 

Eilidh Nurse

Eilidh is part of the Bunbury Banter Young Playwrights Programme 2020-2021