Every piece of theatrical advice and instruction that I have ever come across always begins with
the same three words – read the play.
It seems so obvious – how can you possibly act, direct, produce or stage manage a play that you
haven’t read? Yet there are a great many people who call themselves theatre professionals who
don’t bother to read a play before they begin rehearsals or start working on some technical
element. These are often the people who are tearing their hair out in frustration and exhaustion
weeks later.
So our first task will be to read the play. But what play?
Years ago I found a show that I used for my 3rd year directing class project in university, and I
produced it again a few years later with my own company (though I didn’t direct it the second
time). Being unsatisfied with my efforts on both previous occasions, and in the belief that the
third time is the charm, I’ve decided to once again take a comprehensive look at a play called
"The Constant Lover" by St. John Hankin.
This is a fairly short one-act play, written sometime around the start of the 20th century, and first
produced in 1912, three years after the author’s suicide by drowning. Hankin was a
contemporary of George Bernard Shaw, and his plays do have Shavian echoes, though the
humour is slightly more esoteric – I know it’s there but it will take some effort to bring it to the
surface.
I will use this play as the basis for building all future articles. You can download the play here
(don’t worry – it’s long since passed into the public domain) if you’d like to study alongside me
on my journey.
The first step is to read the play. I will read it right through, from beginning to end, without
interruption. I won’t make any notes, or attempt to come up with any ideas for any area of the
production. My goal is to read the play, to find out what happens.
the same three words – read the play.
It seems so obvious – how can you possibly act, direct, produce or stage manage a play that you
haven’t read? Yet there are a great many people who call themselves theatre professionals who
don’t bother to read a play before they begin rehearsals or start working on some technical
element. These are often the people who are tearing their hair out in frustration and exhaustion
weeks later.
So our first task will be to read the play. But what play?
Years ago I found a show that I used for my 3rd year directing class project in university, and I
produced it again a few years later with my own company (though I didn’t direct it the second
time). Being unsatisfied with my efforts on both previous occasions, and in the belief that the
third time is the charm, I’ve decided to once again take a comprehensive look at a play called
"The Constant Lover" by St. John Hankin.
This is a fairly short one-act play, written sometime around the start of the 20th century, and first
produced in 1912, three years after the author’s suicide by drowning. Hankin was a
contemporary of George Bernard Shaw, and his plays do have Shavian echoes, though the
humour is slightly more esoteric – I know it’s there but it will take some effort to bring it to the
surface.
I will use this play as the basis for building all future articles. You can download the play here
(don’t worry – it’s long since passed into the public domain) if you’d like to study alongside me
on my journey.
The first step is to read the play. I will read it right through, from beginning to end, without
interruption. I won’t make any notes, or attempt to come up with any ideas for any area of the
production. My goal is to read the play, to find out what happens.
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