Push Physical Theatre presents an adaptation of Bram Stokers 1897 horror novel, Dracula. It is like nothing audiences have ever seen before.
By combining the companys speechless artistry with traditional dialogue-driven theatre, the collaborators have created a groundbreaking, thrilling and unforgettable ride into the warped world of one of literatures most famous villains.
Writer/Actor Danny Hoskins plays Renfield, the tortured soul from whose point of view the classic story of seduction, desire and madness is told. PUSH plays everything else: all of the other characters, including the incomparable Darren Stevenson as Dracula himself; all of the set pieces tables, chairs, lamps; even bringing to life the impossible imaginings of twisted minds. Stunning lighting and sound design complete the spellbinding, cinematic-like masterpiece.
Matilda The Musicalis written by playwrightDennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by the anarchic Australian comedian, musician and composerTim Minchin, and direction byMatthew Warchus. The production is designed byRob Howell, with choreography byPeter Darling, orchestrations additional music and musical supervision byChristopher Nightingale, lighting byHugh Vanstone, sound bySimon Bakerand the special effects and illusions are byPaul Kieve.
Matilda The Musical is produced in the West End by the Royal Shakespeare Company with André Ptaszynski as Executive Producer and Denise Wood as Lead Producer. This production was developed with the support of Company Dramaturg Jeanie O’Hare and the RSC Literary Department.
Watch from 31 minutes - discuss alongside the script extract
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is based on Mark Haddon’s award-winning novel, adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott. The production won 7 Olivier Awards in 2013 and 5 Tony awards in 2015 including Best Play.
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
This Christmas, our much-loved family musical returns after taking Bristol by storm in 2010, a highly-acclaimed national tour and a season in London's West End.
Swallows and Amazons is a story of an idyllic era, of endless summer evenings and the beauty of youthful imagination. Follow Captain John and his able crew as they set sail to Wildcat Island on an exotic adventure packed full of piracy, adventure and fun!
From a creative team including Artistic Director Tom Morris (War Horse, A Midsummer Night's Dream), writer Helen Edmundson (Coram Boy) and with music by Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy), Bristol Old Vic presents another unforgettable Christmas treat.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne
Based on the best-selling novel by John Boyne, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a heart-wrenching tale of an unlikely friendship between two innocent boys.
Set during World War II, the story is seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and devastating consequences.
Brought to you by The Children’s Touring Partnership who have previously produced Swallows and Amazons and Goodnight Mister Tom, this world premiere of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamason stage, promises to be a deeply moving and thought provoking production.
1. Do your research - Find out why your story was written, what is it about, themes explored, key characters etc. Has it previously been adapted? 2. Create clear purpose and aims for your production and for each scene (once you start to create.) 3. Decide on yourstaging and setting, this can have a dramatic impact on how the audience receive your work.
4. Get up and work practically as soon as possible. Start by improvising and be patient, you may need to try lots of ideas before you find ones you want to keep-
Get on your feet. Try things out, adapt and refine. Remember that you don’t have to create scenes in their chronological order even if you aim to present the finished piece that way. Improvise in role around a theme or scenario and keep what works. Don’t rehearse the same scene over and over again until it’s perfect during these early stages, however tempting it is. Only rehearse in detail properly when you can view the whole drama as a piece in its own right.
The plot of the drama is shown in the 'through-line' of the drama - its beginning, middle and end - although it doesn't have to be presented in a linear structure The characters in a play are also part of the plot.
The action of the drama consists on the events that the characters take part in as they act the play.
The content of the drama lies in the themes it deals with, eg bullying, the responsibilities of power, the bravery of ordinary people etc.
Click here to read The Guardian's interesting and insightful article about adapting adult texts for stage.
Page to Stage: Turning Children's Books into Theatre Productions
What does it take to translate a literary work into a play or musical? Step one: find the right source material
A great article on Turning children's books into theatre productions explaining why authors such as Roald Dahl and Michael Morpurgo write such great material to put on stage and how directors choose what texts to adapt for stage.
Creative Adaptation Examples
Creative adaptations are not just plainly putting the book on stage.
Groups should take the book and adapt it CREATIVELY to make an engaging performance, whilst not losing the story.
The story could be told from a particular perspective or you could transpose it some way.
A good text for creative adaptation should have good amounts of action or 'events'.
Make the most of important parts of the story and edit out the bits that are not needed for your adaptation.
You do not need to use the dialogue straight from the book.
Below are some examples of Creative Adaptations. If you know the books you will see that they have been interpreted and made into something new.
Today I watched a really good video from National Theatre Discover, which shows you how to create choreographed chorus work . Check it out and comment below to let me know your thoughts.
