Telling the Truth: How to Make Verbatim Theatre

Introduction

What is Verbatim Theatre?

It’s a bit like asking, ‘what is theatre?’ Theatre can be so many different things, encompassing so many different genres and styles. It can also be created in a multitude of different ways, a vast spectrum of techniques and processes that suit the practitioner and the work. It’s hard to define verbatim as a genre or a type; some people refer to it as ‘documentary theatre’, which in many circumstances it is, but that does slightly reduce its potential. Instead, if we must categorise it, it would seem to fit more comfortably under the banner of ‘techniques and processes’.

Verbatim theatre refers to the way a piece is created and, more specifically, the materials used to create it. Verbatim theatre is a play constructed with words that were actually spoken by real people, rather than created via the imagination of a playwright or devised by theatre-makers. It is this double layer (actual words and real people) that gives verbatim theatre its authority, perhaps more so than other imagined plays, because it can claim to present reality in a way that the imagination cannot. An imagined play, exploring real events or real people, however well researched, still relies on some semblance of dramatic licence. This of course can still present a truth, but it is seen through the filter of the playwright’s imagination. With verbatim plays the opposite is true; there the practitioner still acts as a filter, but is guided by the authenticity of the actual words spoken in the original context.

About This Book

There are several books available that explore the concept of verbatim theatre, its history, its values and its limitations as a theatrical form. But that is not the aim of this book. This is, as the title suggests, a handbook and a practical guide through the processes of making theatre using verbatim material.

Having seen many verbatim plays previously, and having created my own, in 2009 I was given the opportunity to assist director Angus Jackson as he worked on The Power of Yes – a new verbatim play by David Hare exploring the financial crisis that had hit the world’s banks the year before. Watching both Angus and David go through a process of collecting, editing, shaping and eventually presenting the information and opinions given by those ‘in-the-know’ was a fascinating and inspiring experience. Following this I became more and more interested in the process of making verbatim theatre, and increasingly aware that (as with all theatre) there are as many different practices as there are practitioners. I am grateful to the National Theatre Studio, Sussex Actors Studio and also the Danish National School of Playwriting, who all invited me to lead various short courses for drama teachers and emerging theatre-makers, these opportunities allowed me to consolidate my own approach to this work.

This handbook is that process explained and explored, step by step. It is also an opportunity to compare the processes of other practitioners (actors, writers and so on), taking a closer look at specific examples of their work and how they went about making it. As you will see there is no one single approach, but a spectrum, depending on how dogmatically you apply the rules or whether you choose to bend them a little.

The process of using verbatim material to create a piece of theatre will require you to ask lots of questions in order to make the right decisions (‘right’ for you and the particular piece), and also to ask questions about the decisions you’ve made. Through my conversations with leading practitioners and developing my own practice I have found that to make verbatim theatre you will need the following four qualities:

•Rigour

•Accuracy

•Clarity

•Patience

As a verbatim theatre-maker you are (or will soon become) part playwright, part director, part practitioner and facilitator, part journalist, part detective – and in all that, these four qualities emerge time and time again, at every stage of the process and throughout this book. If you are not prepared to apply them all, I suggest you read no further!

How to Use This Book

Each of the following chapters takes a closer look at each of the steps in the process of making verbatim theatre and will serve as an introduction for those embarking on this journey for the very first time, but also as a reference guide for those returning to verbatim. Included along the way are case studies that put different examples of verbatim plays under the spotlight; interviews with different practitioners on their approaches; hints and tips; and activities and practical exercises to help you deepen or investigate your own practice.

It may be worth noting from the outset that most of the activities laid out in this book are based on the assumption that you aren’t working alone, but that you have other company members (actors, students or collaborators) who will be working with you to create this piece. Working with an ensemble will give you an array of perspectives and critical thinking which will be of real value throughout the process. However, if you are working alone, these activities will still be a useful guide to assist you in the early stages before you assemble a company together to perform your work.

So whatever your previous experience and your current circumstances, I hope this book will prove a useful guide to assist you as you navigate through the various challenges you might face at each stage of the process, enabling you to consolidate these methods into techniques and practices of your own.

1▪The Subject

How to choose a subject

Verbatim theatre isn’t restricted to one particular category or genre of performance. The techniques used when creating verbatim theatre can apply to any genre; but the decision about what style and form your piece will take must begin and end with the subject you want to explore.

One of the first questions any playwright must ask as they embark on creating a play is: ‘what is the story I need to tell?’ The same is true of the verbatim practitioner, although I would argue that finding the ‘story’ is part of the process, rather than the catalyst for the process. Your catalyst is the subject. The subject is what you set out to explore; it may be to investigate a broad theme, or indeed take a microscope to something much more specific. Either way, this process is about asking questions and being open to the answers, rather than approaching it with a preformed ‘story’. If you know the answers, write a play. Plenty of plays are based on real events, written to present a particular angle or point of view. But verbatim is different. The material you will need has not been collected or collated yet, some of it won’t even exist yet, so it is impossible to come to any definitive conclusions until you have asked your questions and begun your investigations. You may of course have an idea of what the ‘story’ will be; all I’m suggesting, and will continue to remind you, is that you need to remain open to surprise.

So the first question for us is: what is the subject of your story? Once we know the answer to this, we can then begin to move through the process. You may not have a clue, in which case this chapter will enable you to explore different options and take you through a process of selection. It may be that you have a small inkling, a germ of an idea perhaps, or indeed may already have a pretty clear answer to the question. In these cases this chapter becomes a sort of health check for your thinking. And that’s something we are going to have to get used to – checking and rechecking our decision-making.

Subject Categories

In the broadest possible terms, I would say that most verbatim plays fall into two categories – those based on events and those based on a particular theme.

Events

It is not surprising that many of the most famous verbatim plays are inspired by a singular event, or series of events. Be it a natural disaster or a more personal event, the verbatim play allows an audience to hear the testimony of those eyewitnesses – the people who were there, who saw it happen and felt (or feel) its consequences. Often an event might warrant further exploration, investigation or perhaps just simply the recognition that there is a story that needs to be told.

It would be safe to say that most event-based verbatim plays are in fact responding to a current event, rather than an historical one. The immediacy of verbatim theatre makes it an ideal forum to explore an event that is current and relevant to its audience. It may be that you are spurred on by an event that has happened in the last few days; it might also be true that although the event is in the past (perhaps still within living memory), the consequences are still keenly felt.

The Colour of Justice by Richard Norton-Taylor Tricycle Theatre, London (1999)

Stephen Lawrence was a young black man who, in 1993, was murdered in a racially motivated attack while he waited for a bus in London. This high-profile case was prominent in the news for a several years after, as the authorities failed to secure a conviction. In 1998 a public inquiry was held, led by retired High Court judge Sir William Macpherson, and in 1999 his report accused the Metropolitan Police of institutional racism.

That same year Nicolas Kent, then Artistic Director of the Tricycle Theatre in London, produced The Colour of Justice. This verbatim play was based on the transcripts from the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry. In an article published in the Guardian, Norton-Taylor described the power of the piece:

We could expose the racism – institutional, the judge called it, and of the Metropolitan Police – in a single piece for the theatre, something more powerful, and with a much greater impact, than any number of shorter, inevitably intermittent, articles in newspapers, or short clips on the radio or television news.¹

Following its run at the Tricycle, The Colour of Justice transferred to the West End and was also turned into a television drama. Interestingly, the ‘event’ on which the play is based is the Inquiry led by Macpherson – the murder itself happened some years earlier. The subject is of course the brutal murder of Stephen Lawrence, but the story is something quite different. The story aimed to shed light on the investigation and the conduct of the Metropolitan Police in the wake of a huge public outcry at the failure and apparent racism of the police force. The subject remained extremely topical and raised wider questions about modern society, making it both important and urgent.

Activity: The Search

∘News sources We have to start somewhere, so why not with the news? What are the stories that are perhaps dominating the media, or perhaps those that are hidden away in the middle pages? In small groups or individually, take one of the following news sources:

•Local newspaper

•National newspaper (broadsheet)

•National newspaper (tabloid)

•Television news (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, etc.)

•Internet news site (Buzzfeed, Associated Press, etc.)

∘Speed-read Set a time limit to go through the source, relatively quickly, and highlight or bookmark all the stories that spark your attention.

∘Review Read back over your selection of stories and choose just one to investigate further. Keep the other stories to hand; you are allowed to change your mind, or indeed may want to revisit them another time .

∘Read in detail Now focus on the one story you have selected. Read and re-read, making notes of any key information.

∘Share your findings Have two or more people/groups chosen the same story? Is there a link between them? If so, discuss why you might have been drawn to the same or similar stories? Discoveries will be made in the debate, whether it’s with collaborators, students or critical friends, so share your ideas and test your thinking.

∘Ask ‘why verbatim?’ Finally, ask each group to summarise in a few points why their chosen story needs to be told using verbatim theatre, instead of using any other theatrical form.

HINT: This, like other activities in this handbook, is best undertaken with strict time limits. If you are working with a group of actors or students, being able to process information quickly and accurately will be an extremely useful skill to develop as you continue this process of making verbatim theatre.

Historical Events

You may prefer to investigate an historical event. A huge number of plays take on historical subjects, and an audience permits the playwright a certain amount of licence to invent the missing pieces – the dialogue behind closed doors or the moments before and after a significant moment in history. But even though an audience gives this licence, they remain knowledgeable of the fact that it is in part a work of fiction and are satisfied to accept that in the cases where we just never know ‘what really happened’ at that particular time and place. So, offered the opportunity of real verbatim material and eyewitness testimony that opens a window into the past, an audience is able to get closer to ‘what really happened’ and, perhaps more importantly, what it was really like to be there.

The range of historical subjects is so vast it could be quite daunting just thinking about where to start! The activities below (here) will facilitate a thorough questioning of whether your suggested subject is relevant or important – or ideally both! It is essential to ask yourself, why is it of interest or necessary to explore something historical? It could be a personal interest in the life of a particular person, or a major historical event. Equally it may have a wider relevance – a local or even national interest. Next you should answer the question: why verbatim theatre? Why not just write a play? Do you have the amount of material needed to create a piece of theatre, and what do you gain in presenting this material verbatim, rather than using it as research to feed your imagination?

On the face of it these questions may seem pedantic, but the point