How to write a farce (gulp!)

I have been thinking a lot about farce recently.  We need a script for our adults’ theatre workshop next summer and comedy seems the way to go (it being the summer and all that). But how do you write a funny play? Now there’s a question (and a half).
In the name of research, I’ve been re- watching some of the episodes from “Fawlty Towers” in the hope that some of the genius will rub off on me. So things I have gleaned about a good farce:

• it revolves around a simple central idea - in "Fawlty Towers" the central theme is usually summed up in the title ("The Kipper and the Corpse", "The Hotel Inspectors", "Basil, the Rat") - and that simple idea is worked and re-worked in all it's permutations throughout.
•  the plot itself is serious (tragic even?); it is the audience that finds it funny
• similarly, the characters are funny (to us) because they are out-of-their-depth in unusual situations, not because they are comic in themselves (in fact, they ring very true-to-life)
• there is something at stake (which is very important to the characters - move that body! find that rat! - even if it is ridiculous to the audience); the more that's at stake, the crazier they act.
• much of the comedy comes from lies the characters tell (usually Basil to his wife Sybil, but John Cleese's character also lies to guests and employees alike as the need arises). The lies pile up and contradict each other and the tension escalates (all of which is painful to the characters involved but hilarious to the audience)
• pace is vital: the pressure builds continually and never lets up (this leads to panic in the characters but is key to the comedy for the audience)

So, all in all, a doddle! 

Prop-making IV: lava!

For the play we were preparing in this summer's workshop, we needed to represent a lava-filled planet as part of a journey through space. We wanted to find something the children could hold and move in time to Holst's "Mars the bringer of war" but we had to take into account the limited stage space we had available (with 22 kids taking part in the workshop). We looked at many different possibilities: giant flags, pool noodles, fans... and decided to use strips of lining material in different shades of red, orange and yellow.

We used a big black bin as a recipient for the "lava". Having drilled holes in the side,  we threaded strips of silky, shiny cloth through the holes:

The older kids took turns to slowly pull out the lava strips:

The smaller kids stood round the edges with lava flags, swirled in time to the music:

The lava strips were flapped up and down in time to the music. The children also moved round in a circle.

The scene really needed the outer circle of kids moving round the inner "volcano". The music (and the setting - a swirling, volatile lava planet) seemed to cry out for more movement, but the scene worked (if not completely perfectly) and, if nothing else, there was a lot of visual impact in having 22 kids of all ages on stage at once.

See the whole play here.

Starting from scratch III. From lyrics to plot

A song can be an excellent place to start when you're looking to write a theatre script for kids. Songs that tell stories (eg. ballads, traditional children's songs) are particularly good, as most of the work - at least in terms of the plot - has been done for you (!) and the structure of most songs - separated neatly into verses as they are - lends itself to breaking up the plot into scenes. We're in the process of looking at how we might turn "The Ugly Bug Ball" into a theatre production for kids, and  - using the song to give a rough, overall 'shape' to our script - is precisely what we need to do next.

The first step is to analyse our material, so we get the lyrics and we see what we've got. We need to focus on:

• its potential for characters (is it suitable for our group?)
• any clues or ideas we can glean  from the language to help us with mood/atmosphere/dramatisation
• the bare bones of the narrative (does the song give us the whole plot or is it just a starting point?) 

So what do the lyrics of "The Ugly Bug Ball" tell us?

Image via Wikipedia In terms of characters, it's clear that there's huge scope for any number of creepy crawlies of all shapes and sizes, over and above the named "characters" in the song (caterpillar, beetle, dragon fly, fleas, worms etc). This, for me, is a major point in its favour. The sheer range of characters makes it ideal for larger groups (but flexible for smaller ones) and means character choice can be easily tailored to children's taste (not everyone finds spiders appealing, after all). I love the possibilities for costumes that this gives rise to. It's immediately obvious that there's scope for vibrant, colourful and varied costumes. The sky is really the limit (sign of a good song choice!).

From the lyrics, we also get clues that can help us set the tone of the overall play - providing us with a kind of verbal moodboard, if you like. In this case, we have words like "glorious", "happy", "glad" (so we've already got a great feel-good vibe going). Also, phrases like "crickets clicked their tricky melodies" or "the ants were fancy-dancing with the fleas" can give us useful staging ideas. We might have a trio of crickets with castañetas perhaps? Or is this the perfect opportunity for any budding tap dancers in the group?? We may have the ants and the fleas dance in some kind if unusual way: a jig perhaps? Or a spontaneous street dance (depending on the talents and tastes of our group).


In terms of plot, we certainly get the 'bare bones' of a narrative: a lonely caterpillar gets taken to a ball by his sympathetic friends where he meets the love of his life and lives happily ever after. It would be perfectly possible to develop a script entirely around this narrative, but, in my opinion at least, I think it will make a more interesting play with a bit of tweaking. As such, for me it's a song that falls into the second category - it makes a great starting point for a script but doesn't provide us with an off-the-peg plot. (An example of a song in this category would be "Puff The Magic Dragon" where it is possible to base a scene on every verse and you've got a play).
Image by david anderson : da-photography via Flickr
In terms of how we would develop the storyline, off the top of my head, I would say it lends itself to an ugly duckling scenario (especially as caterpillars - as future butterflies - undergo a similar transformation as a baby swan). Perhaps we will have the caterpillar suffer a series of rejections as he tries to befriend various 'glamourous' bugs before getting invited to the ball? Or maybe we can dramatise his loneliness at the beginning in some way. A choreography or scene that shows his lonely lifestyle perhaps? Once we get to part about the ball, our story can slot neatly into the song's narrative (dancing, boy meets girl, happily ever after) but we can draw this out, enjoy the details, as it were: a lively dance scene is surely a must? And we might want some kind of presentation scene (perhaps the insects arriving at the ball?) to showcase all our gorgeous costumes? There is also scope for a feel good finale once we get safely to the happy ending.

There are obviously any number of other ways that the plot of this song could be developed into a storyline for a theatre production - I've just touched on one possibility - but for the time being at least, we know that if we use "The Ugly Bug Ball" as as starting point for a play, we're going to have plenty to get our theatrical teeth into!

Starting from scratch. Turning a song into a play

All this thinking about inspiration and finding the right idea recently has got me thinking about the "Ugly Bug Ball". The more I think about this song, the more perfect I think it would be as a starting point for a children's play - and I thought I'd use it over the next few weeks to show how I would go about transforming the song into a theatre production.

The first thing we need to do is look hard at (or in our case, listen to) our material to make sure:

• it inspires us
• it has enough potential (we need enough 'room to manoeuvre': does it have scope to take themes further? does it have enough theatrical potential?)
• it has appeal (will the kids enjoy working on the project? will the audience relate to it?)

So, for anyone who needs a refresher, here's the song. Have a listen and see whether it fits the bill for you:

Lyrics | Summer Magic - The Ugly Bug Ball lyrics

At first glance, as a base for a play, it would seem to have a lot going for it:

•  the central theme is appealing to kids - all those creepy crawlies! (and there are always the butterflies to satisfy any would-be princesses in the group)
• there is an underlying theme that can be developed - think an insect world take on the age-old story of the ugly duckling - which should appeal to a wider audience and also gives you something to 'get your teeth into' educationally during the workshop
• it has loads of dramatic potential - vibrant costumes, dancing (it's a ball after all!)...

So far so good. But it's really important to choose the right idea - you're going to be living and breathing this song for the next goodness knows how long, so it's better to take a bit longer over choosing the central theme - and be 100% certain - than dive straight in and repent at your leisure.

So, just to make absolutely sure this song really does have enough potential, I always spend a few days on google, testing out various ideas and seeing how it stands the test.

The questions: does a play about creepy crawlies have enough dramatic - and visual - potential? Is there enough scope for costumes, for example?

The results:

As soon as I see these images, visions of insect masks, satin capes, bright colours, gigantic, larger-than-life flowers start racing through my mind and I know, deep down, I can do something with this song. First step done and dusted. We're on  our way!

What do you think? Is this song a good choice for a children's play? Does it inspire you?

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Getting going... finding the right idea

While I'm on the subject of inspiration, I thought it might be a good idea to start making a list of songs, poems and stories that would make good children's theatre scripts. I'll get the ball rolling (but please chip in!).

So, based on our own personal experience, I can thoroughly recommend:

• Maurice Sendak's short story Where the Wild Things Are
• Larry Lipton and Peter Yarrow's ballad Puff The Magic Dragon (sung by Peter, Paul and Mary)

Both have:

• a clear structure
• the possibility for varied scenes/settings
• lots of visual potentia
• underlying messages that are relevant to young people but which adults can also relate to (they have universal appeal)

Other sources for theatre scripts that occur to me:
 Image via Wikipedia

• Still on a Maurice Sendak theme, In the Night Kitchen. Tthough this has always been a controversial book, I loved it as a child and it has that same magical feel to it as Where The Wild Things Are (though perhaps best to avoid the nudity issue!)
• The Owl and the Pussycat (Edward Lear)

• Storybooks like Simon Bartram's Man on the Moon (a day in the life of Bob)

• Modern classics like Michael Rosen's We're Going on a Bear Hunt (perhaps changing the objective of the hunt - ghost, monster, treasure...?)

In terms of songs, perhaps:

• Space Oddity (David Bowie)
• Pierre (Carol King, but sung by The Dresden Dolls)
• The Fox, the Crow and the Cookie (Mewithoutyou)

..... I'm open to suggestions! So fire away......