Jazz-hands, Ballads, and Mastery
Mama said I was a singer before I could talk…
Well, that was me. I swear I came out singing. Nothing stopped me from singing. If I couldn’t find a microphone I found a hairbrush, a cup, or once even a toy Dyson hoover. Before you ask; yes, there is video footage of this, and no you cannot find it at the end of this blog!
I love everything about musicals, the dancing, the singing, the costumes, the pizazz! But, most of all, I’ve always loved how they made me feel. I could feel everything the characters did. I laughed when they did, I felt rage when they were wronged, I sobbed when they performed their big power ballad at the end of Act 1. Honestly, they made me feel powerful.
I am rather ashamed to admit that I was not this emphatic about plays a few years ago. I never went to see them as I thought they were boring. I know, I know, don’t be mad! Plays were just something I sat through. To keep me entertained I needed glitter and jazz hands thank you very much! Is that really too much to ask?!
Well, over the past few years that has changed, but it has certainly skyrocketed throughout this programme. I found myself not just watching plays for the sake of it. Not just for an assignment or to sound more cultured. I became fascinated with the craft of it. When I read or watched certain scenes, I felt things! I felt confused, nervous, worried, frustrated. They changed from boring characters to real people I wanted to get to know. How on earth is this possible without my beloved songs and choreography?
Well, I think it’s because I have learned so much about what actually goes into playwrighting. We had a workshop with the wonderful Stef Smith, during which we had a chat about how playwrights can set their own rules and master their own work. And I would agree that it truly is a craft to be mastered. Plays are there to tell a story, to answer a question, to show a perspective, to make a statement, to make an impact. Playwrights must consider so much when they are writing, such as who they are writing for, why they are writing it, whose story they are trying to tell, how this story should be told…the list is endless.
Each of the workshops I have been privileged to attend has taught me how multi-dimensional playwrighting is. It is not static, it is living and breathing. If I try to write simply for the enjoyment of other people, my work could become empty. When I write for myself to master my own craft, something great can come out. I have learned that plays are more than entertainment, they are meaningful works of art that are meant to evoke something. That something may not be prescribed, but it is still something.
I am still not fond of every play I encounter, but at least I now know that I can learn from it.
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