"Your Neighbour Has A Beautiful Story": Day One Of Writing & Directing

Today felt like a new class. We've gained three new faces: Tim and Amy from Melbourne, and Vanessa from New Zealand. But it's much smaller than usual (22 I think) and missing many people we've had all year. Feels a bit like the beginning of the end of the year. We're winding down. It also feels that way because it looks like this workshop is going to be less performative - focussed much more on the roles of writer and director (funny that) than the actor. But still. Four more weeks of discovery! Let's go!

~

Philippe started the class by interviewing the new members of the class. What's your name? Where are you from? How old are you? And then put them in the shit a bit by asking if they have anything else they'd like to share - like a song or a poem. Both Amy and Tim struggled to think of anything to do, and crumpled (understandably) under the pressure/nerves. But when Vanessa got up she had a bit more confidence. She mentioned that she spoke a bit of French, and then Philippe started speaking to her in French. She then talked about how she's living in Paris for a year with her four kids and Mathematician husband. Philippe asked questions and for the next forty-five minutes Vanessa told us about her life. How she moved to NZ from NY when she was 14. How she came to have her first child, and what the love was like with the father. How her parents felt about it. Her relationship with her mother and father. How she met her second husband. Lots! And it was all really interesting! Not your average life-story!

"How she told the story - we were dreaming about many things."

Philippe then asked who wants to write this to eventually be directed as a play. I put up my hand. Life in Oamaru and first kisses in Mission Bay is right down my alley!

~

"Your neighbour has a beautiful story."

"How can we start? It's a big problem."

"You have a rhythm of a show...You have a movement of the show...Movement of the story."

"You ask some questions to someone and you have a beautiful story. And a new story."

"Normally in the first seven minutes of a show we know whether we are going to love it or not."

~

Steph also got up and told the story of how she met her father for the first time (after finding herself in none other than New Zealand!). Again, lots of questions, and honest answers. Little details are good. 

~

So this is the beginning of 'Writing & Directing' - the last workshop of the year.

I'm left questioning whether I have stories of my life that I want to tell? I can't think of any. Or any that I consider worthy of writing a show about anyhow. I've had a pretty happy life without any major dramas: not so great for theatre! But I can always lie...