Alistair's Monologue
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Kent Academic Repository Full text document (pdf) Citation for published version Vient, Aimee (2021) A Case Study in Playwriting: Laura Wade's Posh. Master of Arts by Research (MARes) thesis, University of Kent,. DOI Link to record in KAR https://kar.kent.ac.uk/88083/ Document Version UNSPECIFIED Copyright & reuse Content in the Kent Academic Repository is made available for research purposes. Unless otherwise stated all content is protected by copyright and in the absence of an open licence (eg Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher, author or other copyright holder. Versions of research The version in the Kent Academic Repository may differ from the final published version. Users are advised to check http://kar.kent.ac.uk for the status of the paper. Users should always cite the published version of record. Enquiries For any further enquiries regarding the licence status of this document, please contact: [email protected] If you believe this document infringes copyright then please contact the KAR admin team with the take-down information provided at http://kar.kent.ac.uk/contact.html A Case Study in Playwriting Laura Wade’s Posh Aimee E. Vient Submitted in fulfillment of the degree of Master of Arts by Research in Drama School of Arts University of Kent June 2020 84 pages Word Count: 35351 2 Acknowledgements: First, I must recognize Laura Wade, her agent Rhia Douty and Adam Narat, Literary Assistant at the Royal Court Theatre. Without the access to the different draft of Posh, this dissertation could not have happened. Then, thank you to the University of Kent the School of Arts for this amazing opportunity. To Robert Shaughnessy and Margherita Laera, who started this path with me, then Shaun May who helped to complete it with me. To Jo Pearman and Nate Davis for proof reading. To Student Support and Wellbeing, particularly Miriam Wood, whom I own a huge amount of gratitude. I could not have done this without the loving support of my family and friends. Finally, to Ollie for keeping up with the cleaning: “I love you to the moon and back!” Warning: Because of the context of the research using a 21st century script, this dissertation does use profanity, description of a sexual nature, sexual assault and violence. 2 3 Abstract: This dissertation is a case study focusing on how a play is developed during the production process. By breaking down the changes that took place in the six years (2007- 2012) of edits in Laura Wade’s Posh, one can see that a script is only finished once it begins production. The adjustments Wade made reflects the change in the British political, financial and sociological environment, which affects the scripts. This illustrates that theatre is an organic medium, and should evolve throughout the production process. Writing a complete script is just the beginning in theatre though there are classes, books and workshops one can take to write a play, the final product is not complete until it moves into production. Knowing Wade’s projection as a playwright, how she writes, as well as her theatre history, one concludes that theatre is a group effort and that writing a play is only the first step in a complicated, multifaceted medium when working in the theatre. 3 4 Table of Contents Abbreviation Key .................................................................................................................................. 5 Character Key ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Introduction: ......................................................................................................................................... 8 History of Wade & Cooke ................................................................................................................. 9 Laura Wade ....................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Dominic Cooke ............................................................................................................................................................... 11 Posh (The Plays): ............................................................................................................................... 12 Introduction: .................................................................................................................................................. 12 2005-2007 In British History: .............................................................................................................................................. 13 Rough Cuts Draft (July 2007) .................................................................................................................................. 14 2007-2009 in British History ................................................................................................................................................ 17 Draft Three (Oct 2009) ............................................................................................................................................... 18 2010 in British History ............................................................................................................................................................ 23 Draft Four (Rehearsal Draft, Feb 2010) .............................................................................................................. 24 Royal Court Production (April 2010) .................................................................................................................. 25 2010-2012 in British History ................................................................................................................................................ 27 Duke of York Production (May, 2012) ................................................................................................................. 30 The Riot Club (Film, 2014) ........................................................................................................................................ 34 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................... 36 Minor Characters .............................................................................................................................. 36 Character of the Bullingdon Club ........................................................................................................................... 37 Creating and Developing Characters ...................................................................................................... 39 Harry Villers .................................................................................................................................................................... 41 Hugo Fraser-Tyrwhitt ................................................................................................................................................. 43 The Study of Jeremy: .................................................................................................................................... 46 Rough Cuts: ...................................................................................................................................................................... 46 Draft Three ...................................................................................................................................................................... 47 Draft Four ......................................................................................................................................................................... 50 Royal Court Production .............................................................................................................................................. 53 Duke of York Production ........................................................................................................................................... 54 Conclusion ....................................................................................................................................................... 58 Alistair’s Monologue ....................................................................................................................... 59 Introduction ................................................................................................................................................... 59 Rough Cuts ....................................................................................................................................................................... 59 Draft Three ...................................................................................................................................................................... 60 Draft Four ......................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Royal Court Production .............................................................................................................................................. 62 Duke of York Production ..........................................................................................................................................