(Re)Presentation in Verbatim Theatre

<p>Using a range of interpretive methodologies and based on both the practice of others and the author’s production, direction and evaluation of a series of shows this thesis explores a number of aspects of verbatim theatre presentation and re-presentation (restaging). The form of verbatim theatre discussed is primarily that deriving from personal interview material and the predominant thesis focus is one of Australasian context and practice. The thesis is in two separate sectons with strongly related aims; the first section aiming to clarify and support the second. The first section answers questions about verbatim theatre evolution, processes and practices through both reviews of literature and interviews with prominent practitioners. It reveals vitality and diversity in VT practice, breadth and depth of scholarship in both Australia and New Zealand. It illuminates the processes and practices of creating and performing a verbatim play to support those who may consider doing so. The second section describes and evaluates the performance of re-presentations in August 2015 of the VT play We’ll Meet Again. This play had been developed in 1994 from interviews with war veterans to create a theatrical event honouring a generation whose common experience was involvement in the Second World War. The actors in the re-presentation were all students at Toi Whakaari:New Zealand Drama School and the show was performed in nine venues over six days. Audiences were predominantly elderly although those at community centre venues were of a range of ages. Tools used to evaluate the performances included audience survey forms with room for written comments, observations of audience responses and verbal feedback and interviews with actors. The remarkably positive survey responses and powerful written and oral testimony support the argument that a re-presentation of verbatim theatre has the potential to reinstate and broaden further the impact, appeal, value and aims of the original work. This argument is further supported with the formation of guidelines to present research findings as well as supporting, in a practical and immediate way, those embarking on re-presentation. A selection of images and performance video, illustrating the context and findings of the research are included in the thesis document.</p>

(Re)Presentation in Verbatim Theatre

<p>Using a range of interpretive methodologies and based on both the practice of others and the author’s production, direction and evaluation of a series of shows this thesis explores a number of aspects of verbatim theatre presentation and re-presentation (restaging). The form of verbatim theatre discussed is primarily that deriving from personal interview material and the predominant thesis focus is one of Australasian context and practice. The thesis is in two separate sectons with strongly related aims; the first section aiming to clarify and support the second. The first section answers questions about verbatim theatre evolution, processes and practices through both reviews of literature and interviews with prominent practitioners. It reveals vitality and diversity in VT practice, breadth and depth of scholarship in both Australia and New Zealand. It illuminates the processes and practices of creating and performing a verbatim play to support those who may consider doing so. The second section describes and evaluates the performance of re-presentations in August 2015 of the VT play We’ll Meet Again. This play had been developed in 1994 from interviews with war veterans to create a theatrical event honouring a generation whose common experience was involvement in the Second World War. The actors in the re-presentation were all students at Toi Whakaari:New Zealand Drama School and the show was performed in nine venues over six days. Audiences were predominantly elderly although those at community centre venues were of a range of ages. Tools used to evaluate the performances included audience survey forms with room for written comments, observations of audience responses and verbal feedback and interviews with actors. The remarkably positive survey responses and powerful written and oral testimony support the argument that a re-presentation of verbatim theatre has the potential to reinstate and broaden further the impact, appeal, value and aims of the original work. This argument is further supported with the formation of guidelines to present research findings as well as supporting, in a practical and immediate way, those embarking on re-presentation. A selection of images and performance video, illustrating the context and findings of the research are included in the thesis document.</p>

Law, Narrative and Critique in Contemporary Verbatim Theatre

The present article undertakes an interdisciplinary inquiry into contemporary British verbatim theatre as a site of interplay between law, art and politics. Focusing on the example of Matt Woodhead and Richard Norton-Taylor’s 2016 play Chilcot, documenting the public inquiry into the UK’s role in the 2003 Iraq war, the authors explore the work as a space of legal and political critique, and ask how the specific theatrical and narrative affordances of the verbatim form shape its critical substance.

A Reflective Practitioner Case Study Approach to Researching Verbatim Theatre

The Reflective Practitioner Case Study (RPCS) methodology, as defined by John O’Toole in Doing Drama Research (2006), is situated within the broader category of qualitative practice-led research, with a focus on inducing practice based data for analysis and research. This article details my application of the RPCS methodology when researching the process and impact of verbatim theatre practice within the context of writing and performing the verbatim play bald heads & blue stars. I provide examples of the triangulated documentation of the creative process, demonstrate strategic planning for the induction of data in order to research the values that influence practice, and the approach used to explore the impact that being involved in a verbatim theatre process has on the interview subjects. While elsewhere I have published the findings of my research into the verbatim theatre process, values and impact of the bald heads & blue stars project, this article focuses specifically on the strategic implementation of various RPCS methods, such as interviewing, critically reflective journals (both written and audio recorded) and the archiving of external and integral materials related to the practice of writing and performing a verbatim play. This article systematically outlines the comprehensive and triangulated approach for inducing data and documenting a creative project when conducting practice-led research using a Reflective Practitioner Case Study.