‘What do you mean by ‘workshop’?’by Mike James

We are so used to this expression in theatrical circles that it might seem strange to those not initiated into the jargon of various performances labelled as: - ‘script in hand’, ‘devised’, ‘rehearsed reading’ and indeed ‘workshop’. So at the risk of teaching many grandmothers to suck eggs, some explanation of what we are trying to do is probably a good idea. Firstly, ‘Ok Boomer’ is advertised as ‘a community piece using humour and music to produce accessible theatre’. Lofty ambitions! The aim of our workshop will be to assess how successfully these claims have been achieved. Taken in order then: 1) Humour. In many ways, the easiest element to assess. All the writer needs to do is sit at the back of the auditorium and bask in the audience’s reaction to his /her hilarious lines of dialogue - or cringe in horror as each scene is received in disbelieving silence. Certainly, there is little need for further discussion afterwards. They either laughed or they didn’t! 2) Music. The songs (and parts of songs) chosen to complement the dialogue should be chosen for their relevance to the action/characters. But music is such a subjective thing, and it may not resonate in the way intended for every member of the audience. Of course, the skills demonstrated by the actors moving effortlessly (hopefully) in and out of song always adds to the accessibly of a piece and to the enjoyment of it as a whole. But it can also be distracting or even downright annoying. The workshop performance is a chance to find out how it’s been received.

3) Entertaining. And by that, I mean not only did the play hold the audience’s attention (‘boredom’ is surely enemy number one in all theatrical performances) but also, more importantly, did the audience follow what was going on? Leaving aside the obviously disastrous question of ‘what the heck was that all about?’, minor questions along the way can be very irritating to an audience. Especially in a performance like this one, where a minimum of set is used to depict many and various locations, and where actors are swapping roles and hats as they go. So questions like ‘where was that scene supposed to be?’, ‘who was that character that suddenly popped up? ‘or even ‘what are they talking about now?’ all distract from an audience’s ability to stay with the narrative. Clarity is paramount but, surprisingly, it is the very devil to maintain throughout. Workshopping gives the writer (and director) a unique opportunity to ask directly if it all made sense. And, of course, all of the above in some way contributes to the overriding question: ‘Did you like it?’ In the short discussion afterwards - with the cast and myself - I hope you won’t be shy about telling us your personal answer to that question! One note of caution, however: In the four days we have to assemble this performance, there won’t be enough time to present the whole two-hour piece. So what you are going to see is ‘part one’ only, I’m afraid. Of course, I am aware that, in that case, the actual answer

to ‘did you like it?’ may well be ‘it depends on what happens next!’ Fair enough. But in my defence, what happens next could change radically according to your comments on Saturday! So fingers crossed you’ll have seen enough of the play to be able to assess its potential. Anyway, you can catch the results of our workshop on Saturday 9th May 2.00 pm. I hope you enjoy watching us hammering all the pieces of the machine together. With luck, the whole thing will be roadworthy soon enough - and coming to a community venue near you!