Comments for Dave Burton's Blog

Comment on Off the buds by Sophie Benjamin

Sophie Benjamin — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:08:59 +0000

My phone was stolen earlier this week, which means I’ve had a couple of days without all the apps, music and convenience that a smartphone can bring.
I’ve also “felt my brain stretching” without the distractions. It was really peaceful. I have a replacement phone now, but I think I’ll turn off all push notifications.

Comment on Teach me how to write a play by admin

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:38:50 +0000

Thanks so much Ben – yes Emerge were important in many careers and offered a great model for supporting that specialised skill. More please!

Comment on The next step by admin

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:36:56 +0000

Hi Kieran – yes, I’m with you on everything. I’ve said publicly, and often – THANK GOD FOR METRO ARTS. Many artists forget how lucky we are to have that building in our city, and how supportive it is of all theatrical performance at all levels. So thank you Metro for all that you do. However – I do believe Metro has a role to play with directly supporting Queensland writers and curating a diversity of work. It’s something that Metro is no doubt achieving, but I’d personally love to see more works that place a focus on narrative for all the reasons I’ve talked about. I’m glad that the artistic community is continuing to have that conversation with its cultural institutions.

Quotas aren’t the best model, and I understand that. But I think concrete goals help. It’s something that I’d hope the industry could talk about more.

I love this:

We can’t labour under the illusion that because we – regardless of what we call ourselves – are not being supported to the extent that we feel we want or need, other types of creative are. It shouldn’t be an internal battle; our industry as a whole, and all members of it, are yearning for and deserving of more support. Let’s figure out how to help each other advocate for more.

Agree entirely. Internal debate is crucial, however, to hi-lighting issues and steering ourselves. Support is difficult to define, of course – financial, artistic, developmental, educationally? We’re all looking at the overall sustainability and health of our entire sector, I think, we just get muddy when we’re asked to define what our priorities are.

Thanks for the continued conversation Kieran.

Comment on (Un)fashionable Television and the New Golden Age by Shooting People and Art | Dave Burton's Blog

Shooting People and Art | Dave Burton's Blog — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:22:57 +0000

[...] not to anymore. The video game industry is in danger of falling into the same trap film is (I blogged about that a while ago), and producing bankable pieces of fluff without innovation or risk – [...]

Comment on #prayforboston – balancing despair and hope by Lewis Jones

Lewis Jones — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:26:10 +0000

Thanks, David. I was interested in this. Yes, it is senseless but not less senseless than the slaughter in Syria or Afghanistan or Iraq, but to be provocative these are people ‘like us’.
This does not take away from the tragedy of it any less, but that has been on my mind. The news cycle depends on footage. The news cycle is not about reporting but about ratings.
And of course these are people like ‘us’ … we could feasibly attending the Boston Marathon. We are unlikely to be in a market in Iraq.
Yes, we are so lucky to live the life we live.
On the weekend I went to Redcliffe and had breakfast by the sea.
This weekend Toowoomba.
And as I say to friends on such occasions: We’re not in Browns Plains [no slur on Browns Plains] . . . and this is the pity of our politics, where Labor has lost its heart, its reason for being.
Sigh.
Good night.

Comment on Teach me how to write a play by Ben Cornfoot

Ben Cornfoot — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:03:54 +0000

Hi Dave,
I just found your blog! Looking forward to having more of a read. I would like to remind people of the Emerge Project which was run by Errol Bray with in-kind support from Judith Wright Centre. However grass roots and humble it was, it serves I think as a very good model for whatever group or body might want to take up the cause of nurturing playwrights in the future. It’s premise was that if you nurture playwrights you nurture the entire industry because actors, directors, lighting designers – they all need scripts. It was also open to anyone regardless of age or experience. It offered peer mentoring and feedback, rehearsed readings and full-scale productions (albeit with short seasons). Many current local playwrights of note took advantage of it and I’m sure benefitted. It also provided actors with a chance to show their skills and form networks. Some would say it was prejudiced towards ‘traditional’ playwrighting, and it was – it was reacting to this specialised skill being lost or diminished.

Good luck with your wrighting!

Comment on Teach me how to write a play by admin

admin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:09:13 +0000

Awesome questions Jamie and I get your point. Writing can take multiple forms of course, but I’m just pointing to a lack of education around specialised knowledge. Writing is quite a specific skill, as opposed to inventing or creating, and involves extensive craft. Devising is also a skill, an impressive one with its own craft, but writing narrative is something, from my point of view, that is getting lost in the tide.

Comment on Teach me how to write a play by admin

admin — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:06:15 +0000

My sincerest apologies Tim, we’re obviously looking in different spots. I’ll amend the blog tomorrow.

Comment on Teach me how to write a play by Tim

Tim — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 06:41:43 +0000

It says “by Tim Spencer”. Just like it says “by Tennessee Williams”.

Comment on Teach me how to write a play by Jamie Lewis

Jamie Lewis — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 06:12:15 +0000

Hi Dave,

I wished we had more time to chat when you spent time at Metro Arts last week. But this conversation has definitely piqued my interest and I’d like to offer my thoughts on this.

I share your sentiment on mentoring. I believe that is how we get better at what we do, when we spend time with the “masters” of the crafts we pursue. And it is a valid question: where in Queensland can one go learn to be a better playwright? A broader question then, is Queensland doing enough for any/every other stream? What does Queensland have to offer? (Being new to Queensland, I find this question really pertinent for me to unpack.)

But I don’t think I have enough ground knowledge to continue on that thread of conversation

But for the things that I know a bit more of, I think to begin with, I need to clarify if you’re referring to writing for a well-made play? As Kieran pointed out in the earlier comment, there are many who are writing. Perhaps the question is how are they writing? And what are they writing?

There was this article earlier this year which I think can add to the discussion.
http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/theatre/theatre-insulating-itself-says-director-20130227-2f67f.html

Referring to your earlier blog post about “free-form devising of work” – I think “devised work” has too casually over the years become a “genre” or a “form.” There is some sort of umbrella or blanket over all devised work, as if they are one and the same.

In the spirit of language though, I like to come back to the word itself. To devise, as a verb – is an action – to invent; devised work being a process.

Do we devise from the starting point of a ready-written play? Or perhaps other forms of text – essays, research notes…Perhaps we are led by design elements. Perhaps we are led by physical movement? Is writing not an invention?

Out of devising, a play could well be born. Can the first read of a play at the table considered part of the devising process as a whole?