Red Phoenix, Storytelling and Productions

What is a Dramaturg?

Dramaturgy is still relatively new to the British theatre world, only being used here for the past thirty years. It all started in Germany by Bertolt Brecht. Even now most people in theatre still have little idea what a dramaturg does and after studying to be a dramaturg it is still hard to perfectly define what it is they do, a dramaturg needs to know a little of everyone’s job; the playwright, director, actor, designer, producer, and stage manager, in order to support and if necessary step into their roles. They tend to be the peacemakers and mediators of the theatre world. Being ever present in the background recording and researching as much as possible so audience, company and crew are free to get on with the theatre. Just like a Phoenix, rare but marvellous!

More about Storytelling

Storytelling is widely regarded as one of the earliest form of performance, with a long history of bards and minstrels as well as family and friends telling tales. Storytelling has enjoyed resurgence in popularity since the late 1960s, and since then many story organisations and professional tellers have spread the interest and enjoyment of original and traditional tales. Most believe that storytelling comes under the realm of theatre, which in some ways is quite logical, but just like singing and dancing, storytelling is an art form in its own right. There are many tellers and organisations that fight tirelessly to promote the independence of the story community. Storytelling has advantages over theatre, without scripts and usually working as an individual, a teller can adapt to each and every audience, giving a truly unique experience.
However, there is a balance of story and theatre, and combining my theatre and story backgrounds I regularly produce story/theatre productions which takes the costumes and drama of theatre and places into the freedom and adventure of storytelling.

What extra supplements?

Well all stories are always created and performed to sympathise with whatever theme or historical period theme chosen, but what else can Red Phoenix provide? It doesn't just have to be basic storytelling; there is also story/theatre (which is a blend of the two art forms, sometimes including other performers, set, props and costume) and theatrical performances.
To supplement any of these (or aid other peoples events and performances) Red Phoenix offers:

• Programmes: a thin booklet which gives more info about the subject matter being performed and those performing it, can also include advertising.
• Information/ Education/Press Packs: these packs are aimed at specific readers and can take the form of hard copies (paper booklets) or CD ROM.
  • Information Packs are aimed at the general audience and gives more in-depth information relating to the performers and performance subject matter than a programme (such as history, social and culture context and contemporary comparisons).
  • Education Packs are intended to aid and support students and teachers in their studies based around the performance. The pack contains similar content to the information pack, but focuses on student and/or teacher lead projects, educational puzzles and reading lists so the students can do their own research.
  • Press Packs are only normally used if the performance will be attained by members of the press. Designed to attract journalists and improve likelihood of review, it includes all the information the journalist needs to about the performance such as: a brief history of the performance, publicity pictures, performer backgrounds, a synopsis of the show, any advertisement to be used, and favourable quotes from past reviews.
• Marketing: This is the advertisement, how to get audiences to attend the performance. From creating posters and fliers to placing adverts in the local press and radio stations. Even looking at getting coverage from local TV or inviting the press along, and how to look for sponsors or local business which can be collaborated with.
• Script development or Adaptation: Script development is a process by which a writer sometimes needs a little help to attain the best from their work. By breaking down the writing process and looking in-depth to the separate elements (such as plot, sub-plot, characters, world of the story, and dialogue) each part can be refined and reviewed to produce a higher standard script. Adaptation is taking anything from a song, picture or already existing story and recreating it in the form of performance.
• Workshops: These can be educational or recreational and can centre around a particular performance (usually happening immediately pre or post show), theme or subject matter. Usually these can last between 30mins to all day, depending on class size, age and subject of workshop.

For any more information on any of the items listed on this page or how Red Phoenix can provide any of these services for your event, please just contact redphoenix@tallstory.co.uk