Comments on "Orchids in June"

This bleak realism is almost too painful to read.


Mod note: I split this from the main topic to encourage Sparacus to finish his play. You can read the bleak realism here.

spara, at what market are you trying to pitch this work? Also, the scenes are iuncredibly short, with a distinct lack of character background, let alone development.

Whilst I would never question the genius of you fanfic, I feel you may be trying to branch out into a field that is not your natural habitat.

C=O, you're wrong. I believe this work has a future. I, for one, am agog to know what happens next.

But The Emperor has crossed over into my domain now.........

The Co=Ordinator wrote:But The Emperor has crossed over into my domain now.........

You might think that, Ed, but I'm detecting a bit of Sarah Kane and even some elements of The Bed Sitting Room. I'm torn over whether to describe this as post-modern or neo-absurdist and, although there are moments where the structure of the play veers around like a drunk driver on an icy road; moment to moment it subverts the audience expectations. They'll have come in expecting a play, they'll leave having witnessed something entirely different.

ETA: Oh, and I would totally kill for a fondant fancy right now. Evil Sparacus and his product placement!

Dave Webb wrote:[N]eo-absurdist...

Like the last two Matrix films?

i'm already considering casting possibilities for this. so far i have sarah parish as rosemary, john simm as pc wold and justin lee collins as jethro.

To see this in the theatre would certainly be a unique experience.

barnaby salton wrote:i'm already considering casting possibilities for this. so far i have sarah parish as rosemary, john simm as pc wold and justin lee collins as jethro.

PC Wold? Is that a play on PC World? Very clever.

The Co=Ordinator wrote:spara, at what market are you trying to pitch this work? Also, the scenes are iuncredibly short, with a distinct lack of character background, let alone development.

Whilst I would never question the genius of you fanfic, I feel you may be trying to branch out into a field that is not your natural habitat.

This work is designed for the general public as well as the educated. Character development will occur as the play develops.

Rich Flair wrote:PC Wold? Is that a play on PC World? Very clever.

It also symbolises his status as a horny-handed son of toil.

sparacus wrote: Character development will occur as the play develops.

Thank the Tin Vagabond for that.

Lucy McGough wrote:

Rich Flair wrote:PC Wold? Is that a play on PC World? Very clever.

It also symbolises his status as a horny-handed son of toil.

Indeed. It's quite a piece of nomenclature, since a Wold is a sort of field or area of rolling hills. I think Lucy nails it when she refers to the PC as a son of toil, and this also gives a clear insight into how the playwright wants us to see the copper.

Could Sparacus be about to redeem a cliche? I shall await character development.

sparacus wrote:This work is designed for the general public as well as the educated. Character development will occur as the play develops.

Far be it from me to doubt you, but within the context of a stage production (with rare exception) my experiences has shown me that character development & exposition has to be rapid. Soliloquys or double headers are the best way to perform this function.

It's no good waiting until Act 2, perhaps with the exception of the dramatic unveiling of a surprise villain or, equally, someone having an Epiphany. Personally speaking, I have always liked the latter.

And redemption. Which is awesome, 10/10.

I find that this combines the brutal realism of Pinter* with the bleak absurdity of Beckett**, while also mixing in the structural experimentation of Priestley*** to create something utterly unexpected and quite stunning in its rejection of the conventions of traditional drama. Indeed, surely the use of the phrase 'a play for the theatre' in the title is part of the way the author subverts the form, forcing us to question the entire purpose of a play - for if a play is not for the theatre, what use may it have. Might it be as fragile as one of the orchids in the greenhouse?

* Dave Pinter, recipient of 74 rejection letters from the Palace Theatre, Redditch
** Fred Beckett, whose works were so avant garde he never wrote them down, insisting that any true actor had to be capable of telepathy
*** Jim Bob Priestley, legendary creator of the Inverted Theatre, in which the actors beat the audience with sticks while demanding that they be entertained

Nick Barlow wrote:
** Fred Beckett, whose works were so avant garde he never wrote them down, insisting that any true actor had to be capable of telepathy

Did you know that Fred Beckett did lead vocals for a band called ..cough..? (to pronounce that, pick a room. Turn all the lights out to allow only natural illumination, stand in the middle and clutch your groin. Silently count to three, cough, silently count to three, put your hands on your hips and exit the room).

I understand his first gig was something of a triumph. Only Fred Beckett actually made it on stage and sat for half an hour smoking cigarettes and drinking tap water from an ornate german beer stein. Eventually, he sang alternating lines of "Danny Boy" and kicked a guitar.

It's on the live LP "Liminal bins".

That's uncanny, Nick. I was going to mention Jim Bob Priestley myself. I'm reminded of the experience for some reason.

Could Sparacus be a contender for the Nobel Prize? He has done things that I didn't think the theatrical form was capable of.

I have tears in my eyes and strange squeaking noises are emerging from me. I find myself in the grip of a very strong emotion.

sparacus wrote:Rosemary: Oh that this too too solid flesh would melt,
thaw and resolve itself into a dew.
To be or not to be a respectable middle-class person,
that is the question.
Whether it is nobler in the mind to put up with the rising tide of crime in Brown's Britain,
or to slash your wrists up and die

It's Shakespeare, Jim, but not as we know it!

Arise Sir William Sparacus.

Are you seriously implying that one of us fiddled with my son's fondant fancies?

Awesome. 10/10.

I find that the whole of modern existence can be encapsulated in the question: "What is to stop all decent people having mounds of cow dung dumped on their doorsteps?"

What indeed? I only hope that this play will show us that there is an answer to this question, or I fear civilisation as we know it may be doomed.

Like Lucy, I too am in the grip of some very powerful sensations in my brain and body.

I want to see this performed. I may even have to arrange that myself.

Could we manage a performance at a future Wrinkly Drinklies, or would we get banned from the pub as a result?

If we were banned, it would surely be a price worth paying

Nick Barlow wrote:Could we manage a performance at a future Wrinkly Drinklies

That is one of the best ideas I have heard in years.

The Co=Ordinator wrote:That is one of the best ideas I have heard in years.

Same here. I say we TOTALLY go for it.