The Plot Thickens

So last Saturday we looked at a number of things:

1. The stage.

You saw how a simple platform, slightly raised above floor level, can be transformed into ... well, into any space you wish.

2. How an actor uses the stage.

How to stand, walk, sit and ... above all, how to make your voice heard. We'll come back to all those in due course.

3. How to devise a play.

The hard part! However, you now have the basis of what could be a great comedy. It's modern but with an old-fashioned setting.

4. How to plot a play.

The plotting is the challenging part. It's very like plotting a novel or short story, the difference being that it's the players on stage who tell the story.

This is why each character has to be very well drawn. But more on that later.

Okay, here are my thoughts on what we did on Saturday. They're in no particular order. I simply wrote them down as they occurred to me.

I love the idea of the ghost who's come to take revenge on her killer! This has great potential. It's a traditional idea going back centuries. Shakespeare had the ghost of Hamlet's father returning to tell how he'd been murdered.

Katie wants to play the ghost of Lady Elora. Good. However, I see a logistical problem, and by that I mean that timing could be an issue.

I'll explain. We didn't see it on Saturday because Katie wasn't in costume but here's the thing. If she's going to go from Lady Violet to the ghost then she's going to have to do a very quick change, and whoever's doing her make-up is going to have to be pretty fast as well.

So here's what I propose. The ghost doesn't appear until very late in the play. In fact, her appearance will be the climax. I think there should be a scene towards the end of Act Two when the paranormal investigation team have set up their equipment, and the ghost appears very unexpectedly.

This way, Katie and others have ample time to prepare her for the scene. In fact, Lady Violet could put in an appearance at the beginning of Act Two and go off again after a couple of minutes. But we'll see.

The Title

This should be really strong. Maybe we need to invent another big house and not use the name Anaverna. Something spooky like Wuthering Heights. There should be some reference to the paranormal in there too. Ghost, Apparition, Spectre, Haunting, that sort of thing.

The Unfolding

Similar to a book or short story, a play will have a backstory. In this case we have a murder that's occurred some time before the curtain rises.

Let's think about that some more. Lady Amelia has murdered her sister Elora. She's the only person who knows this: none of the cast knows it; the audience doesn't know it.

But Lady Violet suspects foul play, and that's why she's brought in the PIG team* to investigate. The team arrive and set up their equipment. They have no reason to believe that Lady Amelia killed her sister.

However, it soon becomes apparent that the PIG team are on the scent. Lady Amelia will try to discourage them - leaving the audience wondering why.

Towards the end of the play the ghost will appear. And all will be revealed.

The Characters and their Motivation

Motivation is crucially important to your play. The character you invent should be truly believable. There's no use inventing a stereotype: nobody will take that seriously. You need to give your character a personality and a life of their own. They must have their wants and needs, their emotions. Real feelings.

Everybody wants something. What does your character want? Love, success, riches, revenge?

Take the character of Millie, the maid. What does she want? Does she like or loathe her mistress, Lady Amelia? Her words and actions should tell the audience this.

What are the relationships of the characters to one another? What about the PIG team members? Is there rivalry there? If so, let's see it and hear it. Rivalries and jealousies make a play more interesting.

What about Lady Amelia and her sister? Or is Lady Violet her sister? It occurs to me that it would perhaps be better if the dead woman, Lady Elora, were Violet's sister. This would account for their striking resemblance to each other :0)

* Check out the PIG website for the sort of equipment they use!