Friday, March 22, 2002 :::
 

Hearing Our Own Voices?

This is a very important post from Lionel:

In searching for interviewees, I have been thinking, deliberating and considering who/what I should/could be seeing... and then I realised that a lot of it depends on who we come into contact with.. If we now go out and 'meet' the people we would like to interview, how sure are we to say that they will tell us what they want to tell us simply because we are collecting information? On the other hand, if we know some people well enough - we know their inner thoughts, their unheard frustrations, their perverse ideas - then are we then right to say: "Let's uncover their inner voices" - i.e. hearing inner voices?

And through us - the interviewer and ultimately the playwright who takes in all the info and sifts thru them - and presents - are we then hearing our own voice - i.e. filtering thru what's subjective? I have been hearing too many voices...

From Tarn How: Anyone want to post on this - or reply via yahoogroups?

::: posted by tarnhow tan at 9:42 AM



Thursday, March 21, 2002 :::
 

Joke

A writer died and was given the option of going to heaven or hell.

She decided to check out each place first. As the writer descended into the fiery pits, she saw row upon row of writers chained to their desks in a steaming sweatshop. As they worked, they were repeatedly whipped with thorny lashes.

"Oh my," said the writer. "Let me see heaven now."

A few moments later, as she ascended into heaven, she saw rows of writers, chained to their desks in a steaming sweatshop. As they worked, they, too, were whipped with thorny lashes.

"Wait a minute," said the writer. "This is just as bad as hell!"

"Oh no, it's not," replied an unseen voice. "Here, your work gets published."


::: posted by tarnhow tan at 9:18 AM



Wednesday, March 20, 2002 :::
 

Journal

Keep a journal. You should record summaries of your interviews there. Record also your thoughts on the interviews and interviewees. Take particular note of things which disquiet you about the interviews, or questions which rise in your mind about them. Carry the journal along with you. Jot down thoughts which come to you about the interviews and the project. Record interesting snippets of conversations, ideas, thoughts.

Writing things down helps the mind shelf - you may not be thinking about them, but they will be doing stuff in the background that you won't realise until later.

::: posted by tarnhow tan at 10:13 PM


 

Circle

I would like to do a "circle" the next time we meet. This means each one of us will do a few minutes of 'sharing' - how I hate that word - with the rest of the group. So think of something to say (personal stuff which you have seen, felt, experienced, read). This way we get to know one another better, and also your item may spark off thoughts and ideas in other people.

Need more clarification? E-mail me.

Thanks.

::: posted by tarnhow tan at 10:09 PM


 

Must it be real?

As you think about your interviewees and interviews, do not be hemmed in by the realism of the whole process of interviewing real people.

Think of other possibilities, in the unreal and surreal dimensions, when you eventually come to write the play. But you need to do a certain amount of preparation now. If thoughts like this note them in your journal.

>>>''She calls the dolls and they come''' � this is from a Necessary Stage pamphlet. Do your characters inhabit such spaces too? Can they?

>>> A pregnant grandfather � is it possible?

>>> Spirits from another world. Or from an earlier life past? Does it feature in your characters' world?

>>> How about a talking alarm clock? (not sure if I am kidding here!) Or just a play talking cock. (heh, got you there � the movie is coming out.)

This cannot be forced.

But at the end of it all, you may still want to keep everything rooted in reality though � but your characters would have been enriched by another mental, psychological life which you as a creator has grafted onto them using your imagination.

::: posted by tarnhow tan at 9:46 PM


 

Terms of Understanding

At the meeting on Monday, 18 March, Tarn How said that he preferred not to have a contract and but he preferred that participants understood the basis on which Hearing Voices is being organised, and the moral and other obligations that both sides should be bound to by mutual, oral consent. Verena suggested that I lay out these terms in written and send it out to everyone, so they know what is expected. The rest agreed. Hence this post:

1) Hearing Voices is a joint project between Theatreworks and the writers. TW invests time, money and other resources into nurturing the playwrights. The playwrights put in their time and creativity. Both have moral rights to the product and responsibilities to one another and the project. TW has first rights of performance and publication for the first two years after the end of HV for any work which derives from it. Copyright belongs to the playwright. If the work is not performed or published by TW but performed and published partly or wholly by someone else after TW waives its first-look rights, credit must be given to TW in the form of 'This work was developed (with 'partly' possibly added) under the Hearing Voices Project of Theatreworks.' In the first two years, if the playwright gets any payment from the work from other than TW, that should be shared with TW.

2) Playwrights must be committed to the project. It should not be just a way to 'pass the time'. They undertake to be see their project to the end � meaning to produce a finished work and not abandon it midway.

3) Playwrights are also committed to give time and effort to administrative things like attending press conferences related to the project or to be interviewed, or to putting up their work in the role of writer and creator.

4) Confidentially of should be observed about what happens at HV.

Tarn How

::: posted by tarnhow tan at 7:57 AM



Tuesday, March 19, 2002 :::
 

Last Night's Meeting: Meeting Dates Fixed

We had a good meeting last night. Besides Pei and I, Suet Lee, Bee Leng, Lucy, Edwin, Swee San and Taufiq turned up. Verena made it though she had a cold running. It was the first time for Bee Leng, Daphne and Taufiq They introduced themselves. Daphne has decided to pull out because of her masters course commitments. Good luck for her exams next month!

Some important and some interesting stuff were discussed, including dates for the next meetings. Taufiq told us an inspirational story he read in Chicken Soup For The Writer's Soul (I think that's the title), which he highly recommends.

The dates are: April 1 (Monday), April 12 Friday, and April 26 Monday. All at 8pm. Rule of thumb is we meet once a forthnight on Mondays - unless I am away, which I happened to be on the Monday right after April 12.

Each one will take turns presenting something inspirational, reflective, personal -- related to themselves or to writing (though don't brief us on your project, because that's what you are supposed to do anyway.) We will learn as we go along. I kicked it off last night by asking everyone to do mind maps of their projects. Edwin gets the first arrow, we are looking forward to his 15-minutes to half an hour two weeks from now.

Will post other stuff that happened at the meeting as the week goes along.

Happy interviewing (subtle pressure here...)


::: posted by tarnhow tan at 8:24 AM