I am a huge fan of good writing, as I imagine everyone to be and it is important for me that not only are the monologues that I will be writing be truthful but also have my own individual voice and style. That being said, I am not opposed to influences, as I think we all subconsciously create our own voices using the influence of others.
So I have been looking at some of my favourite writers and their work and why they influence me so much –
PHILIP RIDLEY:
(Ridley, 1991)
I first discovered Philip Ridley whilst at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2014 where I saw productions of his plays Mercury Fur and Tender Napalm. After being taken aback by the writing and the stories I bought the first Volume of his plays. Although the three plays in this Volume are impressive, it is the three monologues in the Appendix of the book that strike me. Due to being one of the pioneers of the In-Yer-Face theatre movement which included Sarah Kane, and was about an anger in youth, usually set in a dystopian George Orwell-esque Britain, his stories and their tones, are as further from my own personal style as possible, but the way he describes his characters surroundings and their situations come off the page as (This’ll sound pretentious) if painting on a canvas. really vibrant and strong imagery. Particularly in Tender Napalm which was written and is performed as a Physical Theatre piece, and the writing certainly works perfectly with the movement.
What I would take from Ridley –The way in which he paints a picture with his words and helps the audience member/reader to see beyond the page or the artificiality of a stage set.
ELLA HICKSON:
(Hickson, 2012)
Boys is the only Ella Hickson play that I know, I found it when looking online for Drama School monologues, and decided to buy it without any knowing of what it was about. The fact that I didn’t use any of the play’s monologues is besides the point. The play itself left me feeling both a bit sad and a bit uplifted, she has a way of making the bleakest of situations uplifting and light in a way. The comedy in Boys is subtle and very much character based.
What I would take from Hickson – Bringing the comedy out of how her characters react to situations rather than the situation itself. I have already planned to do this with my show by making my Persona a certain off-beat way.
NOAH BAUMBACH :
(The Movie Channel, 2009)
Noah Baumbach has been one of my favourite directors/writers for a very long time ever since I saw his 2007 movie Margot at the Wedding starring Nicole Kidman. His off-beat humour and slightly unlike-able characters add a realism to his stories that help you feel connected to them.
What I would take from Baumbach – The sense of voyeurism although fascinating, wouldn’t work on stage, but the realism and the awkwardness of the characters he writes have a quality that I see in myself and that I think could fit in the tone of the piece I want to create.
WORK CITED
Hickson, E. (2012) Boys. UK: Nick Hern Books. Available from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13592142-boys
Ridley, P. (1991) The Pitchfork Disney. UK: Bloomsbury Publishing. Available from https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Pitchfork_Disney.html?id=L77YBgAAQBAJ&source=kp_cover&redir_esc=y&hl=en
The Movie Channel (2009) Greenberg – Trailer [HD] . Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjV2GXxrEMI [accessed 18 March 2016]
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