An A to Z of how to make brilliant theatre...

Richard Gregory, 5 September 2012

By the end of the day everybody present, including volunteers, was part of this group.

All of the people, all of the time are more than can be pleased

Begin anywhere (John Cage was/is right)

Challenge your creative process - don't always go to the same well for inspiration

Don't be afraid of being literal (the everyday and the obvious are often overlooked)

Enjoy the complexity: endure both the good days and the bad days (both are essential)

Follow the process/ check in to reality/ whatever happens should happen

Got to be a back-and-forth between the performance and the audience

Honesty is vital to help make theatre visceral - keep the honesty in the process (even if in the content you need to be honest about being artificial)

Imagination is nothing to be scared of - but don't feel that you have to do it all of the time

Jump around and dance like an idiot and shout and sing on a regular basis/when you get stuck

Keep in mind that there's going to be an audience one day

Love what you do and don't be afraid to hate what you do

Make use of everything you see and find

Never do the expected - and if you do, acknowledge that you have and do something with it

Open your mind to unexpected inspiration - let accidents happen and make use of them

Prepared minds are favoured by serendipity - rigour allows for accidents to happen

Quote from other brilliant things (but don't try to pass it off as your own)

Remember the audience when you're on stage

Spontaneity has to be present

Try to create the circumstances where accidents can happen

U-turns are ok: change your mind in the process if you want to/need to

Vitality and (a)liveness are vital

Work hard; work well; work together; work less (sometimes)

X marks the spot to avoid

Yes is a state of being (but ‘no’ isn't always wrong) - the congruence of ‘no’

Zero tolerance of mediocrity is the key

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Comments: 1

Phelim McDermott, 8 September 2012

I love this. There should be one for everywhere we go.