‘Ill-fated Associations’ - James Metcalf writes about a life shattered by war
Rachael Parker shares three of her poems with The Yorker
A poem by J Cridford exploring the imagination and quest for belonging
Photosoc's theme for this fortnight's competition was 'Christmas'. Its winner, Oliver Wood, discusses his work.
What’s your play about?
Qaisar Siddiqui: Ten Days is about life and legacy, both biological and cultural, and whether one is worth preserving at the cost of the other. Set five centuries into the future, in a plague-ravaged, post-apocalyptic wasteland East of Berlin, Ten Days explores the nature of despair, loneliness, sacrifice, and eventually, redemption, over the course of the ten holiest days of the Jewish calendar; from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur. Our window into this harsh world is Sarah, the 15 year old rabbi of Europe's last Jewish congregation, and it is on her shoulders alone to help Athens and Jerusalem unite once again, and create the West anew.
Heather Wilmot: It's about a cleaner in a cocktail bar haunted by the knights of the round table who claim he's their king. Caught up in the events are the young waitress and the owner/manager. The knights try to recreate their lost kingdom in the real world but find out along the way that other people have lost a lot too. Er, basically "Four knights walk into a bar..."
James Ball: Red Snow is a musical about a group of people who sell-out their village in rural Russia to be promoted within the communist system. They then have to try to come to terms with that. It questions whether the end justifies the means, and, perhaps inevitably, answers its own question with 'yes and no'. It's dark, but also it's by no means a Les-Mis-style slaughter-fest; no-one dies until at least the second act! Ultimately Red Snow is about communism itself; with the painful transition from the village to the city, blind patriotism which masks autocratic rule, and the dehumanizing power of a faceless government.
Where did your initial inspiration come from?
QS: Years ago, I watched the music video, "Black and White Town" by Doves on MTV, and it was just a documentary style look at how kids on a working-class estate were living. Not one adult was ever in shot, so from then on I mused on the idea of a society ran by children. Different ideas became integrated into the story as the years went on, including the thought of Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, and Foucault, and even certain parts of the Bible. I was inspired by the sculptures of Bernini and Caravaggio's paintings, and so it's only now am I bringing it all together - the setting, ideologies, and visual style - under the character of Sarah and her peers.
HW: A friend last year was listening to the RENT soundtrack (having just been involved in the CHMS production) and was saying how happy it made them but how sad because they knew it was never going to happen again with that group of people. I really wanted to capture that feeling because I think it's integral to everyone's experience at uni. And then Casablanca and King Arthur got mixed in too...
JB: Haha, I remember in GCSE year at high school, my friend and I were relaxing before an exam and we were improvising songs and scenes for what was to become 'Communism! the Musical'. This was a hugely camp and tongue-in-cheek show a-la 'Springtime for Hitler' in The Producers, and we were careful not to make any lead roles, because all the cast was equal! During A-levels, I developed the story and the songs to become more serious, and actually began writing them down. Much has changed from Communism! to Red Snow, but they both share a dark humour, a couple of characters, and the over-all story arc.
How did you get into writing? Is this your first production? QS: When you're moved by great stories, when you're left musing on the meaning of a story days afterwards or wipe away a rogue tear from your cheek, it's a hell of a special feeling. I simply want to be able to recreate that. I just want to make people feel something. So I've written film scripts, attempted novels, and even poetry. While I'm comfortable with prose, I'm most at home on the stage, where one strikes the perfect balance between the cerebral and visceral. Hence, this is my third written play so far, and my second to be performed.
HW: This is my second as a writer/director. My first was Howling Moon in the Drama Barn last summer term, which was really fun. I've always loved stories. It started as a hobby and turned into something I'm really passionate about. Writing and then seeing people bring it to life is one of the most amazing things.
JB: This is indeed the first show I've written, and Red Snow is how I got into writing. The process has taken a long time due to my developing writing style which demanded re-writes of out-dated sections, because of other commitments (like my education!) and also just because I've grown up with the show, which means that I sometimes looked back at a song or a scene and realised how childish it was. The show hasn't entirely stopped being childish (for example, the potato song...) but it has developed into something that can be silly and scary at the same time.
Tell us a bit about you - what course/year are you on, career aspirations, inspirations, Drama Barn (or other theatrical) experiences?
QS: Yikes. I'm a 2nd year Physics and Astrophsyics BSc student - about as unrelated to amateur dramatics as you can get. I can't say much about potential careers, though a career in academia is appealing, as is, say, working with international aid organisations. If, however, magic happens and I'm in the enviable position to live off my playwriting, then that'd be amazing - if unlikely!
HW: I'm a third year Writing, Directing and Performance student. I'd love to be able to continue all of the wonderful things I've discovered at university - creating in a group. I'd love to write and make stories happen in any capacity.
JB: I'm a 3rd year music student, and my aim in life is to become a professional Musical Theatre writer/composer. The only real 'hero' I've had in my life is composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, and I'm certainly inspired by his choice of harmonies and off-beat lyrics which are often conflicted. I'm also a big fan of Jason Robert Brown, and Alan Menken, who wrote the music to loads of Disney stuff - the Pocahontas songs are fantastic! I've musically directed Sondheim's Company in the barn, and also High School Musical and RENT in Central Hall. This academic year I directed Bernstein's Wonderful Town in the music department.
What’s your writing technique?
QS: I find an impulse, a spark, a moment in time that just felt right, and I write, without thinking, from that. I write what I see or do or feel, and then with what's left, I pick out what I see are the ideas, the dialects, the character traits, everything that could set off a play. I build the structure around that by developing the characters not as standalone beings, but as interdependent entities. After that, the story simply spills onto the page, and then it's in with the rewriting scalpel to tweak.
HW: Listening to music and gathering pictures and ideas. I like to create a world with a definite atmosphere and build the story around it. I also love creating groups of characters that contrast and compliment each other. I think if you start by really knowing your characters and how they relate to each other, the story follows.
JB: Haha, I find my technique is to happen to be in a bad mood, brood all evening then stay up all night writing stuff. Perhaps that's why Red Snow isn't exactly Rogers & Hammerstein... Bouts of writing come in fits and starts for me, usually when I've got something else I should be doing like an essay or sleeping. Most recently I've been filling in gaps in the script, so I've looked at where the characters are at the start of the hole and at the end of said hole, and then sewn them together. It takes an hour or so of staring blindly into space before starting (my housemates think I'm weird) but it gets the job done.
Why should people come and audition/be involved/come and see the final product?
QS: Because at heart, it's a deeply, deeply, personal project and something that I believe as many people should be involved in as possible, whether acting or watching. And while the existentialist and theological framework may seem daunting, it is first and foremost a play about people, in all their endless fragility, complexity, and dignity, and how faced with an unknown and desolate future, are able to take control of their own lives and transcend our obsessions with aggrandising material goods and securing a genetic legacy.
HW: We'll have something for everyone - laughs, sadness, friendship, romance and where else can you audition for the part of a magical hand? Hopefully the theme of saying goodbye is one third year students can relate to. I like to think uni is like our Camelot - life's never going to be quite the same anywhere else.
JB: Red Snow, like Knightingale and Ten Days, presents auditionees with the opportunity to 'create' a role on stage; to bring their own creativity into the equation and to be involved in initiating pieces which may go out into the 'real' world and onto greater stages. People should be excited about Red Snow in particular because of it's rare nature of being an original musical - the vast majority of musicals in the last hundred years have been adaptations of books, plays and films. Just look at the West End at the moment: Billy Elliot, Dirty Dancing, Legally Blonde, even Les Miserables. Come and be part of something new and vibrant, with optimum production values and a stellar team!
Finally, what advice would you give to other students trying to write their own work for the stage?
QS: Do it, do it, do it. Simple. The sheer number of opportunities for one to get their written work performed on stage by a talented group of actors is astounding. I doubt many other universities are able to pull off nearly 50 shows a year, many of which are penned by our own Yorkie pals.
HW: Always show your work to someone you trust - I'm really bad at editing mine and it really helps to have someone else's outside view. And have fun - write what you'd like to see become possible!
JB: It feels odd giving advice when I'm not very far down my own road of writing for stage, so I'll transmit other people's words. Sondheim repeats his three doctrines again and again; 'God is in the details', 'Less is more', and most famously 'Content dictates form'. 'Less is more' is the hardest one for me to follow, but it's vital in a musical not to waffle; every word must be for the furtherment of the atmosphere. I also agree with Brown's call for songwriters to use more interesting time signatures and song structures; it's not very engaging to listen to a show's-worth of songs in 4/4 going verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-chorus. My one bit of personal advice is to just do it! Writing and staging, I mean. I've learned so much from Red Snow already, and by putting it on in the barn that's going to double as we discover what works and what doesn't.
AUDITIONS!
Ten Days Monday - Thursday 6pm - 10pm: Room W/035a
Knightingale Monday: 10-12am: Room L/201 Tuesday: 6-10.30pm : Room W/222 Wednesday: 2.30-5pm: Room L/119 Thursday: 3.15-5.00pm: Room L/036
Red Snow Monday - Thursday 6pm - 10pm: Music Block
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