STEPHEN KIN G ’ S MISERY By William Goldman DIRECTED BY DAN BAIN

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EDUCATIOPACK

PRINCIPAL SPONSOR SEASON SPONSOR CORE FUNDER STEPHEN KIN G ’ S MISERY B y W i l l i a m G o l d m a n DIRECTED BY DAN BAIN

CONTENTS 3. Cast and Creatives 4. About the Play 5. Characters 6. Themes 7. The Writer 8. The Director’s Vision 9. Production Technologies - Set Design 10. Production Technologies - Special Effects 11. Production Technologies - Costume Design 12. Production Technologies - Sound Design 13. Production Technologies - Lighting Design 14. Rehearsal Room Diaries 16. Ask an Actor 17. Reflecting on the Play 20. Audience Reactions

2 CAST AND CREATIVES

CAST Annie Wilkes...... Lara Macgregor Paul Sheldon...... Gavin Rutherford Buster...... Adam Brookfield

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director...... Dan Bain Set Designer...... Harold Moot Costume Designer...... Hayley Douglas Lighting Designer/Head Technician...... Giles Tanner Sound Designer/Composer...... Andy Manning Stage Manager...... Jo Bunce Assistant Stage Manager...... Rachel Pugh Operator...... Matt Short Construction & Premises Manager...... Bryce Goddard Workshop Supervisor...... Henri Kerr Set Construction...... Richard Daem, Robert Hood, Nigel Kerr Acting Costume Manager...... Deborah Moor Costume Construction...... Hayley Douglas, Louise Galloway Properties Manager...... Christy Lassen Properties Construction...... Wendy Burton, Julian Southgate Production Manager...... Flore Charbonnier 3 ABOUT THE PLAY

When romance novelist Paul Sheldon wakes from a car crash somewhere in rural Colorado, he finds the kind smile of Annie Wilkes beaming down at him.

She is his number one fan.

Having rescued Paul from the accident that’s left him with broken legs, Annie is now nursing Paul back to health. The storm that led to Paul’s accident has caused road closures and power cuts, but Annie has promised to get him to hospital and to call his agent as soon as she can.

But if that’s the truth... then why is his bedroom door locked?

As Paul tests the boundaries of his confinement, he pulls a thread which rapidly unravels Annie’s lies. We see just how far a super fan will go to hold onto their hero.

ADAPTED FROM A NOVEL AND A FILM

Known across the world for his hit novels such as It, The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, Stephen King is the master of psychological horror- thriller novels. Misery was written in 1987 by Stephen King and went on to become one of his best sellers and was later made into a Hollywood film in 1990.

William Goldman, who adapted the script for the film, also adapted the book for the theatre. The debut performance of his play premiered in 2012. As a genre It is rare that we see a psychological thriller performed in live theatre.

DISCUSS What do you think the challenges would be in adapting a psychological thriller for the stage?

HAVE A GO In groups think about a scary story or movie you know that you could adapt into a stage play. How would you go about this? What would be the biggest challenges you would face and what could you do to overcome these?

4 THE CHARACTERS

PAUL SHELDON Paul Sheldon is the main protagonist of Misery. He is the author of the Misery Chastain novel series and is imprisoned by Annie Wilkes (his self-described “number one fan”) after a devastating car crash. Paul is subject to (and terrified of) Annie’s fits of rage and physical abuse including the breaking of both of his legs.

ANNIE WILKES Annie Wilkes is a former nurse and the main antagonist of Misery. She is the perfect example of a mentally unstable obsessed fan, who kidnaps her favourite writer and holds him hostage. A reclusive individual who lives by herself, she is obsessed with the Misery Chastain novels by Paul Sheldon and has difficulty distinguishing between them and reality.

BUSTER Buster is the local sheriff investigating the disappearance of Paul Sheldon. He visits Annie three times and is shot by her on his final visit when he hears Paul making noise.

DISCUSS: For most of the show there are only two actors on stage. What is the effect of having such a small cast?

What do you think would be a challenge being one of the main actors in this show?

This show is hugely focused on the relationship dynamic between Paul and Annie.

DISCUSS: Working in pairs consider the relationship between Paul and Annie and discuss how you think their relationship changes throughout the play.

HAVE A GO: The power constantly shifts between the characters. At times Annie is in complete control (she has the key, she can leave, she has the drugs) however there are moments where Paul gains more control (he decides what happens to Misery and plots to escape on several occasions). Using the table below list as many examples of specific moments where the power shift changes and explain how this is supported by the choices made by the production team and the actors.

POWER HELD BY PAUL POWER HELD BY ANNIE

5 THEMES

Who owns the work? Who owns the artistry? (Dan Bain, Director)

DISCUSS: What do you think are the major themes in Misery?In what ways do these themes relate to today’s society?

HAVE A GO: As an audience member what does this play make you think about? Using the theme headings as a starting point explore how the play made you feel about these topics and what choices the production team made to get you thinking this way.

OWNERSHIP Audience response What made you feel this?

FANDOM Audience response What made you feel this?

LONELINESS Audience response What made you feel this?

FREEDOM Audience response What made you feel this?

TRUST Audience response What made you feel this?

6 THE WRITER

Since his teenage years King had been dependent able to. But if he couldn’t, it was a sacrifice King was on alcohol, but things escalated in the late ‘70 s when willing to make. It was, of course, an unfounded fear, he began an almost decade-long battle with cocaine, but it did take time for the skill to come as easily as a battle that only ended when his family gave him it used to for King’s now-sober mind. Slowly, Tabitha an ultimatum – get clean or get out. In his memoir coaxed King into working through his writer’s block in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, King wrote that the same way she did back in the early ‘70s when he wife Tabitha told him “she and the kids loved me, was just starting his career. In 1973 the couple lived and for that very reason none of them wanted to in a trailer, struggling to make ends meet. Tabitha witness my suicide.” In the depths of addiction King worked at Dunkin’ Donuts while King taught English, bargained two weeks to think about his options and trying to kick-start his career by writing on Tabitha’s the decision he had to make. “What finally decided Olivetti typewriter in the evenings. King managed to me was Annie Wilkes, the psycho nurse in Misery. sell a few stories here and there to men’s magazines Annie was coke, Annie was booze and I decided like Playboy and Penthouse, while Tabitha finished her that I was tired of being Annie’s pet writer. I was so first poetry collection that was subsequently rejected afraid that I wouldn’t be able to work anymore if I by publishers. Neither found substantial success with quit drinking and drugging, but I decided (so far as their writing – until Tabitha found the first three pages I was able to decide anything in my distraught and of what would become Carrie abandoned in their depressed state of mind) that I would trade writing rubbish bin. Rescuing the writing, Tabitha placed the for staying married and watching the kids grow up.” pages back under King’s nose and told him that he Inspiration for Misery came from several sources, but had to keep going. He listened and Carrie became is commonly attributed to fan rejection of his novel a hit, dedicated to Tabitha herself. “This is for Tabby, The Eyes of the Dragon that dared to step away from who got me into it – and then bailed me out of it.” horror and into fantasy. This wasn’t the only factor, With that same determination and faith, Tabitha though, with Evelyn Waugh’s short story The Man Who pushed her husband to carry on after he became Liked Dickens stimulating King’s ideas around literary sober, their efforts resulting in King’s bestselling imprisonment, followed by a dream where Annie novel, 1991’s Needful Things. He hasn’t looked back appeared to King mid-flight talking about naming since. Now 70, King has written over 50 novels; more her pig Misery. Annie grew with characteristics taken than 10 collections of short stories; 5 non-fiction book from real-life nurse and suspected serial killer Genene s as well as a handful of screenplays, graphic novels Jones, but the main inspiration for Annie Wilkes and even a children’s picture book. His most recent was King’s addiction to cocaine. “Misery is a book novel, The Outsider, was published earlier this year. about cocaine. Annie Wilkes is cocaine. She was my Despite his net-worth (over 400 million U.S. dollars), number-one fan,” King stated in a 2014 interview with King’s extraordinary output isn’t about the money. Rolling Stone. In the eight years he spent beholden to He’s happy so long as he has enough to take care of his cocaine, King reportedly only spent three hours a day family, buy a few books and see a movie once a week. sober. Cocaine kept King prisoner in the same way For King, the appeal of what he does comes from the that Annie does Paul. He barely remembers writing writing itself. “I’d say that what I do is like a crack in psychological horror Cujo and would have to plug his the mirror. In every life you get to a point where you nose with cotton pads to stop the blood from dripping have to deal with something that ’s inexplicable to onto his typewriter and ruining his freshly written you, whether it’s the Doctor saying you have cancer pages. Although subconsciously acknowledging or a prank phone call. So, whether you talk about disdain for his intoxicated lifestyle through Annie and ghosts or vampires or Nazi war criminals living down the Misery story, King’s decision to get clean wasn’t the block, we’re still talking about the same thing, an easy one. He hadn’t written anything fully sober which is an intrusion of the extraordinary into ordinary since he was a teenager. It wasn’t simply about giving life and how we deal with it. What that shows about up his dependency on drugs and alcohol; it was our character and our interactions with others and about whether or not he’d ever be able to write again. the society we live in interests me a lot more than King’s wife Tabitha, a writer herself, was sure he’d be monsters and vampires and ghouls and ghosts.” 7 THE DIRECTOR’S VISION

What was your vision for the play?

I really wanted to make something that was frightening. I’ve done a little bit of work in that kind of area, but there’s a difference between the violence in Titus Andronicus and the violence in Stephen King’s Misery.

Who will enjoy Stephen King’s Misery?

Obviously, fans of Stephen King and fans of the Misery film, but also… in a weird way there’s a connection between this play and something like, say, Educating Rita in that it’s the purest kind of theatrical experience. Two characters in the space, each trying to convince the other of their point of view. And that’s what all drama is, essentially. It’s rendered down to a very pure form.

Why were you excited to direct this play?

One of the early, big gigs that I had was designing and running the Ghost Tour at the Arts Centre. I learnt a lot about frightening people and how much you should frighten people – and how much you shouldn’t. The control of that is really fascinating and so interesting - the science of fear and panic. It gets to a point where you can be very systemic about how much to push things.

What do you hope to achieve with this play?

I think this is kind of a maligned genre of work. Thrillers used to be a big mainstay of people’s theatre experience; it was kind of a thing, but it’s not really anymore. I think there’s a thrill to be found in Misery which I hope audiences will enjoy.

COMEDY AND HORROR

Dan Bain (Director) has talked about the similarities between the horror and comedy genres, in many ways they both rely hugely on timing, relationships and tension. In Misery we understand that this is his story, but it is really her show, similar to the funny guy/straight guy dynamic of comedy – except it isn’t funny. It could be argued that horror is comedy wearing a different hat; both built on the building and releasing tension.

DISCUSS: What do you think about this analogy - can you list other similarities/differences between these two genres? Think more about the ingredients that make them rather than the affect they have on the audience.

8 PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES - SET

The house is Annie – the outside is prim and proper, and the inside is chaotic. (Dan Bain, Director)

The set design represents the idea of order to disorder.

Focus – Imagine a focal point in the centre of the stage that blurs outward. In the centre it is crisp and in focus and as we get further to the extremes it becomes blurrier. Replace crispness with realism and blurriness with abstraction.

Revolve – the revolve allows the action to occupy four distinctly different spaces. It also creates quite a small and claustrophobic playing space; mirroring how trapped Paul feels as the play progresses. This feeling creeps into the audience more when we can see the bedroom, it hangs over the edge of the stage bringing the audience closer to the action.

9 PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES - SPECIAL EFFECTS!

HOW DO THEY DO THAT? Fire on stage We don’t usually have open flame on our stage at The Court Theatre. If you spot a candle or a roaring fire it is likely to be a lighting affect. This is the case when Paul burns the manuscript in the bin, but in Misery there are real flames, which requires the expertise of a pyrotechnic engineer.

Buster gets shot Buster is shot from behind and is wearing a rigged jacket loaded with blood packets which explode. He has a handle at the bottom of his sleeve which he presses to release the compressed air and blood packets when he gets shot.

Breaking of Paul’s legs These are fake legs hidden in the bed and were made using moulds of the actor’s actual legs! The actor also wears a variety of stockings to show the gradual healing of his actual legs over time.

Typewriter smash There are two identical typewriters. One works and one is a soft prop that is an exact replica with blood bags hidden inside.

Drinking dirty water The bucket contains two compartments and when Annie cleans the floor she only ever rinses the rag on one side of the bucket. Then when she dunks the glass in, she uses the other side of the bucket which has clean water that has been coloured.

10 PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES - COSTUME DESIGN

ANNIE

Annie is conservative. The play is set in the ‘80s but Annie is not wearing the latest fashion. She wears earthy greens and browns.

PAUL

Paul starts in blue clothing and as he spends time in Annie’s company he starts to wear more browns and greens, picking up her colour palate. In the epilogue Paul has escaped but the colour palate remains, which shows how his experience with Annie has become part of him forever.

11 PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES - SOUND DESIGN

DIEGETIC AND NON-DIEGETIC SOUND DIEGETIC SOUND - is any sound presented as originated from source within the story’s world. NON-DIEGETIC SOUND - Sound whose source is neither visible nor has been implied to be present in the action. An example of this that you can watch online can be seen in opening scene of the film The Shawshank Redemption - the opening scene is an example of both diegetic and non-diegetic sound setting the tone. The opening titles of the film display non-diegetic sound as we hear the song “If I Didn’t Care” by the Ink Spots. Without an accompanying image to support where it’s coming from, the sound is ambiguous and non-diegetic in nature. The sound then turns diegetic as the camera shot of Andy’s radio comes into view, as this shows the source of the sound and marks it as diegetic. Both non-diegetic and diegetic sounds can create an ambience and feeling of tension, in this example although cheerfully sounding, the lyrics of the song tell more than the melody. IN MISERY Sound design is a crucial component in horror and so we will be trying to find the balance between what helps making the choice to through compose the entire show and underscore everything. (Dan Bain, Director) There are three main types of sound in this production of Misery: diegetic music, non-diegetic music and diegetic sound effects. HAVE A GO: How many examples of these types of sound can you list? Do you think there are any other types of sound in the play?

Diegetic Music Non Diegetic Music Diegetic Sound Effects

- The sound design in Misery uses a classical horror string palate, aiming to be conservative with the use of sound, trying to use it when it is really needed to add tension. The diegetic sound from the TV is at times slightly distorted, this adds to the presentation that Annie’s world is slightly off. DISCUSS: How effective do you think the use of sound was in the show? What was effective and what do you think could have been done differently? 12 PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES - LIGHTING DESIGN

There is a very strong forth wall within this show – this is necessary to ensure we believe in Paul’s entrapment. This is supported by lighting to create the shadow of the window from the missing walls of the bedroom. This effect is created using a gobo lights in the rig.

GOBO - A gobo is a stencil or template placed inside or in front of a light source to control the shape of the emitted light. Lighting designers typically use them with stage lighting instruments to manipulate the shape of the light cast over a space or object—for example to produce a pattern of leaves on a stage floor.

Lighting in Misery also supports the passing of time, the time of day and the changing of the seasons – it also helps create the two thunderstorms we experience within the play. The sets revolve, which allows for four different playing spaces, creates a challenge for the lighting designer; rather than rigging lights for one set design this show essentially requires four different designs.

In the production light is used to change the space for the final epilogue, to transform the stage and present Paul in a new situation.

DISCUSS: How do you think lighting supports the telling of the story in Misery? How do you feel the lighting choices support the portrayal of violence and add to the atmosphere in the theatre?

13 REHEARSAL ROOM DIARIES

Adam Brookfield, who plays Buster the Sheriff kept a weekly rehearsal diary to give an insight into the rehearsal process for Misery.

WEEK ONE WEEK TWO

First day of rehearsals are always exciting. It’s always More blocking. fascinating to see what other people have come up with that will inform what we do as actors. One of This seemingly simple “two people in a bedroom” play the great things about working at The Court is the is deceptive in its complexity. Thankfully we have one incredible team of designers that work here. The extra of the best Stage Managers in NZ in Jo Bunce, who elements that they bring support us as performers has not only mapped the entire four-room revolving and are always really helpful and inspiring. With this set on the rehearsal room floor in gaffer tape, but has play we are all really excited to learn about the set wrangled “slave” versions of all props and costumes design, by Harold Moot, as the entire play takes from the relevant departments for us to use day to place at Annie’s house and the set informs what the day. This means Gavin (Paul) essentially spends four audience feels about Annie and may reflect Annie’s weeks in bed, as Lara (Annie) runs around after him! state throughout the play - clean and formal in parts, skanky, dark and filthy in others...and getting dirtier as the play, and Annie’s deterioration continues. WEEK THREE Day 1 continues with the first read through of the Finish blocking, start detailing the play. play with all cast and creatives in the room together. Always lots of nervous laughter, the occasional raised Once we finish mapping the play, the movement eyebrows as technical elements are revealed or required, the basic shape and feel has started to highlighted, and a sense of excitement and sometimes emerge. Actors have largely settled on playable awe as we realise collectively what a beast this will be accents, and the real nitty gritty begins. it’s slow to pull off... fire on stage (twice), blood effects, fights, going on a play like this but here’s where we really pull guns, and (spoiler alert!) the hobbling... apart each scene - sometimes each line of dialogue - to try to find what the writer wanted to get across; The Week continues with blocking. Dan Bain, our why one word may have been chosen over another; director, is a great one for getting a play onto the floor what a character’s intention really is in any given quickly, out of a chair and moving. A lot of the physical moment. This is my favourite part of the process and action in a play is prescribed by the script but moving the leaps and progress at this point, from day to day; it around reveals any “sticky” bits, complex moves or morning till afternoon, is always staggering. Watching prop action that will need care. In this play, there’s a lot! “eureka” moments for other actors is always a joy, and the collective brainpower and creative imagination in that room is kinda awesome. On this play we have our sound designer Andy in the room most of this week too, as he’s got some test music that really adds a new flavour to proceedings. 14 WEEK FOUR WEEK FIVE

Finish detailing, start running. Production week.

This week is all about putting it together again. We’ve Here’s where we move into the theatre, onto the spent ages pulling it apart, so now we reassemble. set, with all technical elements falling into place. Rather than work scene by scene we start to run The first three days aren’t really about the actors, or bigger chunks, then eventually whole acts, until we performance as such. It’s making sure, testing, and get, at the end of the week, to running the play as an retesting that all the technical stuff works. Lights, entire piece. sound, props, effects, fire, makeup, wardrobe and set are all introduced to the mixture. Daunting, scary, This gives Dan a sense of the flow and energy overall complex and very, very busy. and lets us actors know the energy required to drive this play along. During this week our run throughs are By Thursday it’s about the actors again, and we get to watched at various stages by all heads of department, run the entire show four more times before opening and artistic director Ross Gumbley. night. It’s a strange feeling. All the elements are now in place for the show, except one. We are still missing the ingredient that transforms this from an exercise into a piece of theatre. Until we have this element, it’s all just guesswork. Now we need an audience.

15 ASK AN ACTOR

An interview with actor Lara Macgregor who plays Annie Wilkes in Misery. How are you finding it, playing such a terrifying (yet curiously prim) woman? I’m absolutely loving the challenge. Strangely enough I find there is much to feel for her. So, a little bit of understanding and empathy goes a long way with digging to the not-so-nice places I have to go with her. Are you a fan of Stephen King? I wouldn’t have said I was a conscious Stephen King fan but, looking back, I’ve collided with more of his work than I realise. He’s such a prolific writer, you’d be hard pressed not to have been introduced to his work in some way, shape or form over the last three or four decades. My brother was a huge fan of the Misery book and movie when they came out in the 80’s, and he was the one who got me reading it back then. Then there’s The Shining! And, I have always loved his short stories - Apt Pupil and, most notably, the one the movie The Shawshank Redemption is adapted from. According to our props genius, Julian Southgate, The Shawshank Redeption remains the most popular movie ever for New Zealanders. How do you get into the mindset for playing Annie? Annie has been a lot of work. As Gavin Rutherford, who plays Paul Sheldon, most astutely pointed out a week into rehearsal, it’s really a one-woman show. Aside from sinking into her character - which I’m still in the process of doing - about two months out from starting rehearsal I worked with a personal trainer, as I knew she would be physically taxing. Hell - I gotta lug two grown men about the place. At the same time, I also began accent work so it wouldn’t have to be something I was thinking about by the time we opened, and I started learning lines, which I don’t normally do... and still that proved not enough in advance. There’s 82 pages of dialogue... gulp. I’ve nearly got them all in. Do you see Annie as an evil character? Annie doesn’t see herself as evil. Quite the opposite. She believes she’s doing God’s work – therefore I cannot judge her as evil, or else I’d be sitting outside of her looking in. The audience will be the judge of that. What’s thrilling about this production? The script. It has been adapted by William Goldman who penned the screen play. He knows every element of this story inside out. Then there’s Harold Moot’s fantastic set. The props. The music and sound effects composed by Andy Manning are marvellous and so incredibly helpful as an actor transitioning through 28 scenes. Sometimes, when I have no idea what’s coming next, the sound comes in and it’s all I need to get me into the moment. The story has a lot to say about obsession and the redemptive power of writing – what do you think the main messages within Misery are? Main messages? Well, that’s a tough one. I’m just hoping the audience have a fun (yes fun!) night at the theatre - edge of their seat stuff - and come away going “we hardly see that happen on the stage EVER and it really worked”. Who do you think will enjoy this production? What I find interesting, is that fifty of my close friends and family are coming from around the country to see this production. I’ve done a lot of shows in the last ten years, and nowhere near that many people have ever come to any one show. (This is unsolicited, by the way.) I think a lot of that has to do with the character of Annie Wilkes. Let’s face it, this role is pretty iconic. Kathy Bates won an Oscar for her portrayal. A lot of people, when they think of Misery, all they remember is her. So for some, it will be that which draws them in. For others - the love of the genre that is Stephen King. Others - a love of all things theatrical. What’s the most fun thing about working on Misery? There’s a few things. Delving into the mind of a rather delusional person... makes me feel more sane than I have in years. Director Dan Bain set up an incredibly relaxed rehearsal room. I have loved that. I’ve thoroughly admired him and our Stage Manager Jo Bunce in their attempts to figure how the moving pieces of the puzzle all fit together. And Hayley and Debs in costume have been a dream, kindly furnishing my dressing room with a couch for snoozing between shows... icing on the cake.

16 REFLECTING ON THE PLAY

HAVE A GO: In groups work to complete the tables below. Use the information in this pack and add your own ideas and thoughts on how The Court Theatre’s production of Misery used drama elements, techniques, conventions and technologies within this performance. Remember to consider why the director/designer/actor made these choices and what impact this had on your interpretation of the play.

DRAMA ELEMENTS AND HOW THEY IMPACT THE MEANING AND UNDERSTANDING

ELEMENT HOW IT WAS USED THE IMPACT

Writer Paul Sheldon is being We start to feel scared held captive and tortured and uncomfortable. We TENSION until he finishes a book for sympathise with Paul and fear Annie. Annie’s erratic behaviour.

SITUATION

MOOD

CONTRAST

The play is not done in real TIME time as Paul is captive for weeks.

The show consists of mainly CAST just two actors on stage.

Annie uses more traditional almost childlike language LANGUAGE and hated profanity. Paul’s language is more modern.

17 REFLECTING ON THE PLAY

DRAMA TECHNIQUES AND HOW THEY IMPACT THE MEANING AND UNDERSTANDING

TECHNIQUE HOW IT WAS USED THE IMPACT

USE OF SPACE

For most of the show one of We feel this character’s the characters is in a bed. struggle and we believe he BODY At some stages this character is unable to escape or have is in a wheelchair and injured. much physical energy

MOVEMENT

VOICE

EPILOGUE

18 REFLECTING ON THE PLAY

PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES AND HOW THEY IMPACT THE MEANING AND UNDERSTANDING

TECHNOLOGY HOW IT WAS USED THE IMPACT

Feels claustrophobic for the The set is on a revolve so we actors. The house gets dirtier SET can see different rooms of the and more chaotic the more of house at different times. it we see.

LIGHTING

PROPS

SOUND

COSTUME

Manuscript gets burned with fire on stage. The sheriff has EFFECTS an exploding jacket to mimic a gunshot.

19 REACTION

One of the main aims of the play Misery is to create a strong feeling and reaction from the audience.

Director Dan Bain said “If you’ve got an idea of what plays The Court does, this is the play that breaks those assumptions. Thrillers used to be a really big mainstay of people’s theatre experience, but not so much anymore. It’s a genre that is really easy to make a value judgement on by saying, ‘that’s not for me,’ or, ‘I certainly wouldn’t enjoy that,’ but there are things to enjoy in Misery that people will be surprised by. To go through the experience of being afraid – in a clearly safe environment – is good for you. It’s thrilling and cathartic and you get an adrenaline rush off the back of it.”

DISCUSS What did you experience as an audience member watching this show? What conventions and effects were used to create this feeling? What was the outcome of having this experience?

20