Audio Script Formatting

We are lucky enough to recieve a very high number of script submissions. We don’t have a large reading team, so scripts which are set out with correct audio formatting will be read first.

Example of Audio Formatting

Submissions electronically to scripts@wirelesstheatrecompany.co.uk

Please include full contact details AND a short synopsis of the play as well.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

In an age where our TV stations make us choose the same pop star year after year, our magazines tell us to look and dress a certain way and where we’re allowed to be individual, just as long as it’s the same as everyone else, a story of controlling regimes churning out homogenised human beings is as relevant today as it was in the 1960s when the novel One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest was written.

An institution that has the right to issue shock therapy or lobotomies as both therapy and punishment is a powerful setting for an allegory of individuality against the system. Here we meet the inmates like Bradly Rhys Williams’ Harding that fall short of society’s expectations have submitted themselves willingly to ‘correction’ while others like Dwayne Washington’s native American Chief Bromden are being crushed forcefully into compliance.

But when the iconoclastic Randle P McMurphy (Sean Buchanan) enters the fray that system starts to buckle as he teaches the patients to discover their own strengths beyond the narrow framework set by the domineering Nurse Rached (Annabel Capper) and her hoard of orderlies. Whether he is acting out of altruism, greed or his own brand of exploitation, we never quite know for sure.

Now let me confess right here and now- I have never seen the film nor read the book. So shoot me. It does however allow me to judge this play on its own merits.

And it has merits aplenty including one of the best ensemble casts I’ve seen in a long time with everyone pulling in the same direction and not one of them pulling focus. This confident and effective kind of performance allows the audience to spot each actor individually, not least in the first patient group meeting where each character is on show and you instantly see their individual quirks, ticks and neuroses. It’s a credit to each actor that a lot of homework has been done here and it’s very gratifying to see, particularly Bobby Bulloch as the lobotomised Ruckly who stumbles and dribbles his way through the show barely uttering a single word.

Buchanan as the lead role oozes charisma but doesn’t steal the show, generous and confident enough to not overshadow his fellow cast members. Even for a cultural ignoramus such as myself, it’s hard not to compare him to Jack Nicholson and whether consciously or not there are twinkles of Big Jack whenever Mr Buchanan talks through his gritted smile. He manages to be more likeable however than dangerous and even though we’re constantly reminded of his potential violence, it’s shocking when it does actually come to the fore before being swiftly curtailed.

More than adequately playing his nemesis Nurse Ratched is the wonderful Annabel Capper, all seething self control and steely composure, channelling Kathryn Hepburn and Kathleen Turner in equal measure. Quite how this prim and proper nurse can still ooze a burning sexuality is down to the skill of this fabulous actress. She and Buchanan spark off each other perfectly, creating a battle of titans where she has all the power and certainly deals the final blow but we are left in no doubt that she is scarred and wounded by the conflict.

McMurphy’s shocking fate notwithstanding, the play ends on an upbeat hopeful note that maybe you can beat the system after all.

Paul Taylor Mills’ direction is crisp and precise, with not a single beat missed and use of projection that thankfully isn’t gimmicky or intrusive and in fact adds to the story telling with some wonderfully evocative animation.

David Shields has done an amazing job on the staging, recreating a very credible hospital setting with far more detailing that one would expect outside of the National Theatre and no doubt with a far smaller budget. This could have been lifted from a film set. Only the fading edges melting into a dark sky of origami paper birds remind us that this place is just fantasy.

The birds incidentally match the ones flying across our programs and fliers. This is one coherent production from start to finish. Apart from a couple of dips in the American accents here and there Paul Taylor Mills and Amy Anzell have created something very slick and polished.

Whether this production has managed to distinguish itself and do something original beyond the iconic movie is up to other audience members to decide. For this viewer, it was highly professional, utterly relevant and a pleasure to experience.

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST by Dale Wasserman

LOST THEATRE

7.30pm until 31st March

http://www.losttheatre.co.uk/whatson/whatson

What Makes a Good WTC Script? By Fran Kirkham

I had a call from a very pleasant gentleman this week regarding script submission, which got me to thinking (in a very late 90s sex and the city style way) about writing, and more specifically, reading potential audio plays. Now, this person may wish to remain nameless (I haven’t asked him) so let’s just call him Man. Man was asking the same types of questions we get a lot from writers looking to work with us – what do we look for in a script, do I have any tips on how to make it stand out, do we only read the first ten pages, are there any big no-nos which he should avoid?  – so I thought it might be a nice idea to immortalise this in the electronic ether and write some general points about scripts for the Wireless Theatre Company.

Now you are probably thinking this seems rather redundant, as the art of writing and the process of reading are so subjective that there can surely be no overarching notion of what constitutes a ‘good’ script. Well if you’re thinking that, you’re wrong. Ignoramus. Taste of course, is subjective. I for one am willing to admit that I do not like Hamlet. At all. A terrible thing for a theatrically inclined individual (with a degree in English literature no less!) to admit. I do, on the other hand, think that Titus Andronicus is great and much underrated and underproduced. These are opinions and I recognise them as such, but that’s not to suggest I wouldn’t include Hamlet in the category of a ‘good’ script. Whether or not a play suits my personal taste is beside the point, there are certain ground rules we can establish concerning the types of play I would put forward to my WTC colleagues as a possible yes.

1. First, and I’m a little embarrassed on your part if you don’t know this, but think about the blooming format. We are an AUDIO theatre company. We produce AUDIO plays. If you haven’t bothered to format your script for audio theatre then we certainly aren’t going to consider it, and you are quite frankly either moronic or lazy and probably both. I do not want to work with moronic, lazy writers. So if the first page of your script is a beautifully crafted set of stage directions detailing the scenery, the set, the way the curtain is to be drawn, then it’s going in the bin, and the rest of your play is going with it. We don’t have time to repurpose your writing for our audience, that’s your job. We can send you an ‘ideal’ example of how to format a script, just follow that. Sorry to be strict but it’s along the same lines as sending out CVs. If you send our your CV and cover letter to 20 companies and send the exact same thing every time, you’re most likely going to get 20 big fat nos. Unless you have insanely good experience or a lot of money to buy your way in. And if that’s the case why are you job hunting in the first place, don’t be so selfish, there’s many, many unemployed, impoverished people out there why are you stealing their job? Shame on you. So that’s the first bit of advice – tailor the script to the format or you’re going to get nowhere. For the record, the Wireless Theatre Company does not accept bribes. Unless they’re really substantial. Send me an email and we can talk…
2. Next, and this also goes with the audio theme, think about what is suitable for radio drama. Not just in terms of plot and themes (i.e. car chases don’t work quite so well in audio form and sex scenes can be pretty cringey to listen to) but also the smaller details. If you have a lot of characters, it can get confusing to remember who is talking, especially if some of the actors have similar tone or pitch of their voices. So write in a way that suits the style, make it clear who is speaking, and yes it’s ok to have characters say ‘thanks BOB’ and ‘hi SUSAN’ every so often, even if you think it’s a bit obvious. It does help, and will keep your audience engaged with the story. FYI Bob and Susan are in no way affiliated with the Wireless Theatre Company.
3. Think about the practicalities. Sad to say, but we are a small company working with miniscule budgets and so there will sometimes be limits to things we can do. We probably can’t pay the royalties to play Thriller in the background of your nightclub scene, so don’t make It a pivotal part of the plot where it’s the key clue in determining who the murderer was. It’s not impossible to produce plays with a huge ensemble cast of 30 actors, but it’s certainly tricky so think about how necessary the Postman, Waitress, Girl in Park, etc are and if the roles can be easily doubled up. If they can, then say it on your characters page – get us thinking about how we can make your play happen.
4. One of the most frequent questions I get asked is whether we only read the first 10 pages. Now, this is a difficult one, because there are a number of us who read the scripts and we all work differently. Usually, more than one person will read a script so you can be pretty confident that it’ll get a fair trial. Admittedly, there will be occasions where a play that doesn’t grab you doesn’t get finished. That’s life. We’re busy and very important people and we need it to have some kind of spark that makes us read on. BUT that does not mean that your first ten pages need to be laced with spectacular events or over the top intrigue. I read a lot of novels and plays and most of them don’t have a major incident, murder, hilarious farce or dramatic conclusion in the first few chapters, but I still persevere. Getting our interest is not about packing the action into the first ten pages. More often than not, it’s about the quality of the writing, the sharpness of the dialogue and whether we think the play is going somewhere that interests us. If your play is well-written and the plot begins to show signs of developing in the first ten pages, we will most likely keep going. Of course, if you have ten pages of small talk between the two central characters discussing the weather and the traffic, you might want to reconsider, unless you’re uber-confident in the power of your Pinter-esque subtext. A little extra helping hand can be including a synopsis in your cover note. And I mean a proper synopsis not just ‘this is a dark tale of passion and deception between two emotionally imbalanced plumbers.’ Actually tell us the plot and give us a reason to get to the end. It’s not going to spoil it for us, I promise.
5. Be obvious. It will help us to get a feel for the kind of production we’re looking at if the tone of your play is clear. Most of our plays are under an hour and that’s not really long enough to cram too many different styles/formats/emotions. We’re probably not recreating Ulysses here. Although maybe we should. I reckon that would totally work in audio form. If your play is a comedy, it does sort of need to be funny, if it’s a drama, we need a dramatic hook, etc etc. We do have to get through a lot of scripts in a relatively short amount of time so you can’t afford to be so subtle that we miss it. You don’t have to categorise it to death, but if you’re not clear what type of play you’re writing, how are we supposed to know?
6. For pity’s sake, don’t be obvious. This isn’t My Family, there doesn’t have to be a slapstick joke every two lines followed by inane canned laughter. We do appreciate that subtlety can be very effective and not every script falls neatly into a pre-formed category tied up in a little bow. Push the boundaries. If you think it’s too out there or too kooky, send it to us. If there’s things we think need changing, we’ll be honest, but originality is the best way to stand out and again, being original doesn’t mean it has to be set on a sunken oil rig in the atlantic ocean or concern the story of three folk-dancing lepers. You can be original in your characterisation, your dialogue, the way you drive the plot forward, how your characters interact, it’s not all about plot.

I love reading scripts for WTC and I think we have produced some absolute crackers in our time. We want to encourage new writers and we don’t care how many scripts you’ve written before, if it’s good, we’ll do it, if it’s shit, we’ll lie and pretend we’re too busy. That’s a joke. We’ll probably give you some constructive feedback, because that’s what people ask for, even if they then scream at you in shouty capital letter emails about your lack of taste and how you will definitely regret this decision when they’re a super-famous Oscar-winning writer. Yeh, how’s that going? Still waiting for that big break huh?

So keep sending them through, and I hope this helps to answer some of the more basic questions about how our script-reading process works. To sum up – write good and we will read it good.

Exposure, Review by Philip Lawrence

The cult of celebrity, fame for the sake of fame and manipulation by the media is something that has been dealt with a lot by TV and theatre lately so it was with some excitement that I went to the Lost Theatre to see what new angle Patrick Wilde’s new play Exposure could bring to the mix. 

For the first few minutes, a back and forth about a footballer in a sex scandal we are quickly introduced to newspaper mogul Scott (Luke Stevenson as a sleazy James May) and PR supremo Rebecca (Georgina Morrell, all power dressing and pouting) So far so cliché. 

But we soon get to the ordinary people of Danny and Sal, a young couple forced by economics to still live in a student-like flat share whilst dreaming of a better life and it’s here that the play takes off.

Thus begins an exploration of fame and the power of the media as Rebecca and Scott make a bet: that with just the magic of PR Rebecca can make anyone famous. And Danny with his dreams of being a comedy writer has just enough stars in his eyes to be her perfect victim. 

Charlie Cussons plays the likeable but flawed Danny with an awkward charm while Robyn Hoedemaker is instantly likeable as the down to earth Sal, both of them unwitting victims as Danny is sold a dream and a poisoned chalice in one go, becoming a commodity to be bought and sold with no regard for the effect on his real personal life. Or regard for any talent, as he’s mis-sold as a ‘personality’ rather than for his writing, which is completely ignored. 

Rounding out the cast and providing other perspectives are Yoko (played by Lisa Berry) a young hippy that doesn’t buy into the celeb thing and Ravi (George Lester) a young overly gay guy who definitely does. Here Wilde cleverly plays with our expectations and assumptions as the final betrayal, pleasingly comes from an unexpected source.

I say final. For Wilde loads a gun early in the piece that delivers a powerful end tableux. 

Overlaying Danny’s struggle with fame, is the bet between Scott and Rebecca, a pact between two devils. But unfortunately there’s no real sense of what’s at stake for either of them. When the two actors have scenes together their dialogue is heightened and guarded. A definite acting choice one supposes but it creates a barrier that stops us understanding the humanity of the characters and thus feeling anything for them.

A shame since Georgina Morrell as Rebecca underpins the entire production and with a glimmer of humanity beneath the façade, she has the potential to win our hearts and tread all over them at once.

Director Oliver Jack’s staging is imaginative with stark white furniture and bare walls. A blank canvas onto which he projects images various celebs throughout. This back projection is inventively used several times during the production, showing us newspaper headlines, paparazzi shots of the characters and a touching photo album of Sal and Danny in less complicated times. It’s a relatively simple device that adds to what’s on stage, making the whole thing feel more televisual and accessible to a twitter age where all our information comes from a screen.

Some of the scene changes with their complex moving of blocks and chairs were a little over long and laboured but maybe with time these would become more slick and speedy.

The script is sharp and witty with plenty of one liners, but some of the cast may have been a little young to realistically deliver what was required. With more experienced hands in certain roles, there might be more balance in the story telling about whether our current media is a good or bad thing and still allow the script to have its voice.

That aside and whatever one’s own opinion of the ‘cult of celebrity’, Exposure is at its heart a very pleasing character piece that has a highly engaging story to tell.

 

EXPOSURE by Patrick Wilde

Lost Theatre 14th-18th Feb

Tickets £10

Sleeping With Straight Men, a review by Philip Lawrence

Today, a review by Philip Lawrence….

Sleeping With Straight Men by Ronnie Larsen

The relationship between gay and straight men can be a complex one. There is a undeniably a section of the gay community for whom seducing a hot straight guy is something of a fantasy, while there are some straight men for whom such attention would be deemed a threat to their manhood. By the same token there are many hetero fellas who would be willing to secretly dabble if the offer came along. And which of us when faced with a flattering advance from someone even of an opposite sexual persuasion wouldn’t be tempted? 

It’s an area that’s ripe for theatrical exploration, something attempted by Ronnie Larsen’s Sleeping With Straight Men at The Above The Stag Theatre with varying degrees of success. 

Larsen’s play takes its inspiration from a real life event where a young gay guy confessed his undying love for a straight man on a national TV talk show with fatal results, but doesn’t really go much beyond that to adequately explore the characters or the consequences. 

Having said that, the cast without exception work well with what they have. We are quickly introduced to Stanley, an optimistic trailer park gay boy with big city dreams- played by Wesley Dow with all the bounding energy of a loveable Avenue Q puppet – and the local waiter and object of Stanley’s misguided affection Lee played by a suitably hunky Adam Isdale. 

Amy Anzel is deliciously juicy as the dispassionate and botoxed TV talk show host Jill Johnson but stealing the show is Andrew Beckett’s Brian, the TV show’s make up artist, lighting up the stage with every appearance, ever ready with a comedic swish of a brush or sptritz of hairspray. 

The rest of the cast are all note worthy and have potential to shine, particularly Julie Ross (Mom) and Jill Regan (Lee’s girlfriend, Karen) if only they were given more meaty stuff to do.

David Sheild’s inventive design makes great use of the space with the slide out glitter curtain and lights that appear from nowhere while Paul Taylor-Mills’ direction is seamless, particularly on the obligatory sex scene which, with its tasteful dimming of the lights, was the most electric part of the show. 

Where Larsen is clever is in remaining impartial as to who the real victim is here and who is to blame for the resulting situation. We are left to consider if it’s Stanley with his inappropriate affections, the proud and ultimately bigoted Lee or the exploitative TV execs that thought this mismatch would be a ratings winner regardless of the fallout for those involved? 

But given the potential of this story, it’s a crime that the script fails to go beyond the superficial. Dealing with a serious incident in a light and frothy way doesn’t automatically make a dark comedy. The fatal gunshot comes out of nowhere and leads to a rushed conclusion and sentimental ending which should have had more weight than the previous sixty minutes had earned it. 

With more depth this would be a heart rending and thought provoking piece of theatre. As is stands it’s like we’re being told the headlines and not given proper access to the human story beneath. 

 

SLEEPING WITH STRAIGHT MEN

Above The Stag Theatre

January 11 – February 12, 2012

Tues- Sat 7,30pm; Sun 6pm

Tickets £15

www.abovethestag.com

My Experience, By Gareth Brown (WTC Live Lighting Designer)

“I’m lighting a radio play”.

This is a line I’ve used a few times when being asked what I’ll be doing when I’m going to be  working with The Wireless Theatre Company.

“I’m lighting the live recording of a radio play in a theatre with a live audience”

..Is a lot closer to the truth, but it’s a bit of a mouthful and doesn’t get people questioning my sanity.

Last weekend was a little different.  It wasn’t in a theatre, it was in a circular brick room under the Camden Roundhouse with none of the facilities that a theatre comes with.  When we arrived there were no seats, no sound system, no lights, nowhere to hang lights and the only power being standard domestic 13A sockets.  On top of which, over the course of 3 days we didn’t do one play, we did six plays, with six different script writers, six different directors and about 45 actors.

All in all; a challenge way beyond anything we’ve attempted before.  As a company we’ve never done more than one play in a day, we’ve never worked in a venue that wasn’t already a theatre, we’ve never done back to back days of different shows and we’ve never collaborated with another producer (Roundhouse Radio).
I suppose, from my point of view it started a few months ago, when this was originally meant to be a Halloween project.  We got the actual dates early in September and it seemed like 3 months was plenty of time for such a huge undertaking.  Then suddenly it was six weeks later casting began and we didn’t have all the scripts or all the directors or even a sound team on board (I’d love to tell you how important lighting is for the shows, but when you’re talking about radio plays the sound team really are important).

Suddenly, about a month before the shows the sound team came on board (fortunately it was TK (Tshari King) and Matt (Blair) who between them have done sound for all of Wireless’ live shows for longer than I’ve been around), the shows had all been cast and the end of the scripts were coming in.  We didn’t have three months any longer, we only had three weeks.

I put together a lighting design, watched a few rehearsals and tried to make my design fit with 6 different plays, all with quite different styles.  On the third attempt I managed to meet with someone from the technical team at the Roundhouse and among other things discovered that after each show I’d have a few minutes to remove everything so that the Underground Cinema Club could show a film each night.  Time for a rethink, so the design was simplified as far as I possibly could and resubmitted.  I got cue lists to the directors with a few days to spare, and fortunately they trusted me to make those cue lists into something that worked.

Last Saturday we got into the venue at 9.30am with 10 hours until our first play went on stage.  The lights didn’t turn up for over an hour because the technician being provided by the Roundhouse was stuck somewhere on a train (not with the lights, but there wasn’t anyone else available at the time to get them from where they were locked up elsewhere in the venue)   So I spent an hour sorting out the chairs, kindly borrowed from the Underground Cinema Club, trying to find the one’s that creaked the least so the our recording wasn’t interrupted every time a member of the audience moved in their seat.

Eventually my lights turned up and with the assistance of two Roundhouse technicians my rig went up in double time, suddenly I was glad that I’d simplified to a mere 9 lights.  We started our first technical rehearsal late and I’d love to tell you how it went, but my memory is a total blur.  We were supposed to rehearse one play in the morning, break for lunch and then rehearse the 2nd play in the afternoon.  Somehow on that first day we didn’t get much of a break between rehearsals as we tried to make up time.  Around 6pm we got a break in which to grab dinner before the shows went on.

I’m not going to tell you about the shows, all six were incredible in different ways and in about a week you’ll be able to download them from the websites of Wireless Theatre, Roundhouse Radio and Timeout.  Then you’ll be able to make up your own mind.  The one thing I would say is that most of the stuff I’ve done with Wireless has been comedy so at the end of a hard day’s work the performance is quite light, but these were somewhat darker. Though there were a few laughs we also had murdered prostitutes, demons, incest, paedophilia, cannibalism and all manner of other evils.  A lot of this material was as dark as it comes, which is pretty draining at the end of a hard day.

The 2nd play finished and I removed my lights and the stands they were on.  We’d finished our first day and survived, I may have managed a pint or two to celebrate.

The next two days were similarly hard work, but I believe the shows we put on were worth it.  After three days we were all a lot more tired, a few of us myself included had  picked up a really unpleasant cold with a vicious sore throat, we had somehow managed to do 3 sold out shows each including two different plays back to back and I still can’t quite navigate the circular labyrinth that is the Roundhouse Studios.  Though after those 3 days I’m finished, the sound team who had more work than me to do in the venue are still working on the plays, editing the recordings to make them ready for download.

Every show I’ve done with Wireless has been challenging in some way (venues where you can’t see the stage, directors who arrive on the day with an entirely new set of cues or an entirely new edit of the script and a show with 20 minutes in the venue before performance), but this was tougher than anything.  When in a few years we’re talking about these shows I might end up like the stereotypical Vietnam veteran telling people “You don’t know, you weren’t there”.

Despite all that, I am so glad I did it, or at least I will be once I’ve caught up on my sleep.

Stuart Price, Writer of Several Wireless Theatre Shows

We just finished the mammoth task of recording six adaptations of the Grimm stories (A Very Grimm Christmas at The Roundhouse).  One thing that really struck me about the project was how it wouldn’t have worked without teamwork.  Sharing of tasks, clean and courteous communication and a lot of pleasant hard work.  I learned a lot personally in this very area.  As a tragic control freak I have always taken it upon myself to try and do absolutely everything involved in getting a show together – radio play,  theatre,  short film.  Allowing others to do their jobs unhindered is the only way to move on and grow as a director.  This project has fully demonstrated this to me.  The team of TK, Matt (sound) and Gareth (lighting) were phenomenal in their workload and unflappable at all times. 

This made me think of the people I rely on an a writer and director and made me want to share with you who they are,  how they contribute and how important it is to me.  Firstly there is David Beck.  Many Wireless Theatre Company downloaders will recognise him as an actor – The Youth Of Old Age and 2010 Space Commander spring to mind as well doing an amazing job as George the Dog in The Piper And Musicians of Bremen. David does an incredible and totally thankless job behind the scenes for me.  He is always the first person to hear a potential idea for a script, and the first to read it and tell me what’s wrong with it.  I trust him completely to say what he thinks.  This is so valuable for any writer.  He’s also brilliant to have in a rehearsal situation as well, because at times when directing I may lose my way, or not be fully confident in a decision and it’s great to have someone to bounce off.  Plus, he knows so much about theatre and has a keen eye for directing himself, as demonstrated in his version of The Robber Bridegroom. 

A close second would be Mariele Runacre Temple.  She wears many hats and it would be fair to say that our relationship over the years working on projects for Wireless has been constantly exciting, challenging and close to life threatening.  She consistently demonstrates a focus and passion for the pushing of the company and the art form of radio drama that can be quite terrifying.  It’s so easy to feed off this enthusiasm and it makes the experience tense and the stakes high because she won’t settle for mediocre which means I can’t.  Again the point of what I’m writing here is to drive home the idea of teamwork and what can be achieved with it.  I remember one night sneaking out of the roundhouse during a break to smoke and looking at the bricks that hold it together.  For every single brick laid in that building there was a passing of the brick from one rough workers hand to another’s, probably with a joke, laugh or enquiry about the builders coming weekend.  This brick was laid and checked, then another was began.  From hand to hand.  Smiles from the workers and a spirit of pending achievement as each circular layer was grown from the ground to create the facility, from architect to plumber, smiles and handshakes, cooperation, communication, respect, teamwork and massive achievement little by little.  Then I looked around and saw another building, and another, and another, and was nearly flattened by the overwhelming thought of just how much vital and beautiful friendship had to be invested in to the world to make it what it is and that is so easy to take for granted, and it’s a lesson I will take in to the next project I am privileged to be able to help create. 

I hope you enjoy the shows.

(All six ‘A Very Grimm Christmas’ productions will be available to download from www.wirelesstheatrecompany.co.uk, www.roundhouse.org.uk/radio and www.timeout.com from the 15th December. Tag your tweets with #nohappyendings)