DNA By Dennis Kelly.

SuTCo Autumn Semester Proposal.

Director: Amy WellsProducer: Aislinn Walsh

Stage Manager: Ellie BeechamSynopsis:

‘Dead?’‘Yeah.’‘Dead. Dead.’

The action takes place in a street, a field and a wood.

A group of teenagers do something bad, really bad, then panic and cover the whole thing up. But when they find that the cover-up unites them and brings harmony to their once fractious lives, where’s the incentive to put things right?

The play is in an indeterminate place and time, though the language infers a contempory setting. As a group of young teenagers deliberate over how best to detach themselves from the assumed death of school peer Adam,

they are faced with a sense of individual and collective guilt. A violent power struggle ensues, which provokes a battle for leadership between John Tate and Richard. The quiet, yet sinister Phil steps up, controlling the situation as a catastrophic turn of events sees the group faced with a tragic dilemma which questions their own morality.

DNA was first performed at the Cottesole Theatre of the National Theatre, on 16th February 2008.

Characters:

Cast of 11. 3 Female Parts.

8 Male parts .

(Though this is subject to change, as either gender can play some of the characters i.e. Mark, Jan and Danny).

The name and genders of the characters are suggestions only, and can be changed to suit the performers.

Dennis Kelly has provided a rough framework of characters in the play. It is a blank canvas that will require a group of enthusiastic and skilled actors to put the flesh on the bones.

Mark and Jan: You can’t really mention one without the other, as these two come as a pair. We are entertaining the idea of making these two characters females, which would be possible and up the ratio of girls to boys. These two characters narrate the story as it develops. It is clear the have a moral compass and realise the seriousness of the situation, yet they still go along with the cover-up plan.

Leah: Undeniably one of the most interesting parts in the play. Leah is smart, sassy and altogether bolshie. Her

monologue punctuates the narrative, and offers an existential insight into the action of the play.

Phil: A quasi-mute that is either a child genius or psychopathic mastermind. The ambiguity that surrounds the character of Phil makes him a highly complex character for an actor to get his teeth into and immerse himself in Phil’s world, which is warped to say the least.

Lou: Straight-talking Lou is not afraid to say what she thinks. Quietly confident and perceptively astute, Lou tries to extract herself from the chaotic stream of events but to no avail; she is well and truly in the thick of the action.

John Tate: Again, a wonderfully complex character who goes way beyond the classroom bully stereotype. John-Tate is natural born leader, who cracks underneath the pressure of the situation. Tragically, John Tate ends the play a recluse, unable to cope with the consequences of his actions.

Danny: Aspiring dentist Danny can’t quite fathom how he has ended up involved in such a tragic turn of events. Danny displays a sweet sense of vulnerability; this makes him an easy target for the likes of John Tate.

Richard: Loves to project a charade of overtly masculine confidence, yet through the course of the play Richard reveals he is in fact a mess of insecurities.

Cathy: Sadistic Cathy, who takes the cover-up plan a step too far by framing the non-existent post-man who has supposedly killed Adam. Not, in any shape or form, a nice piece of work. Sadistic sicko!

Brian: The emotional weight of the situation destroys Brian. He enters the first scene crying, and ends the play on medication. Vulnerable, and always wanting to please, Brian’s good-natured disposition is also his biggest downfall.

Boy (Adam): Victim of a school bullying. Adam has supposedly been murdered by the group who have been consistently bullying throughout his school life…however he turns up later in the play, a little worse for wear.

Royalty Fees:

The rights are available for £48 per performance from Samuel French. Preferably we would like to have the week 2 slot. This is mainly due to the lengthy character work that will need to be developed over the summer period. We also believe it would be a fantastic show to open the SuTCo season and set the tone as being a theatre company which recognises the importance of comtempory plays and new writing.

Technical Aspects:

DNA is a creative teams’ dream. Dennis Kelly’s rather vague setting notes will allow a design team to have complete creative freedom. The Director’s notes includes sparse set indications such as a street, a field and a wood means that a creative team could really explore representing this on stage in either an abstract or naturalistic manner. Previous productions have maximized the use of projections and stylised lighting design to indicate setting. Our initial thoughts have been to set the production on a thrust stage, as this will ensure the audience is as close as possible to the intensity of the action. Furthermore, due to the low costs of the rights we would be able to afford this decision. We would like to propose creating a den-like set with the use of real leaves coating the Drama Studio floor, so the crunch of every footstep cements the piece well and truly in a realist

setting. This will include a burnt-out fire in the center of the stage, complete with burnt crisp packets and white embers. Ideally, we would like to use wicker to create an enclosed backdrop, which will cover the back of the whole stage, although we realise the difficulty this may pose. We welcome the expertise of set designer to help hone and develop our initial ideas….or come up with something entirely new.

Photos from previous performances.

Technical Aspects:

We will need a Set Designer to help mark this production of DNA apart from previous productions. Personally, I believe the vagueness of the play’s setting is its best quality, as this will allow a design team a place to play. This will be a fantastic opportunity for a Set Designer to really utilise their skills.

We propose getting out assistant stage managers involved from near the beginning of the process to help source the set and props etc. This will maximize involvement and make them feel really included.

A lighting designer to implement the dark and sinister tone of the piece, and really amplify the disturbing subject matter. Our initial ideas regarding the lighting are is that it needs to be atmospheric, moody to really complement the slickness of the dialogue. A lot of creativity will be required, as the lighting may be key to the setting.

Music: we would love to get some of the budding musicians from Sheffield University to produce a soundtrack to the play. We have already complied a list of songs and artists that reflect the initial tone of the piece, which we could share and develop.

Costume. We would like to propose something a little ad-hoc in regards to the costume. As the play is a piece of realism, and the characters will be developed fully by the actors playing them, we would like to propose that the actors are given a budget of 10-15 pounds and asked to source their own costume. If you don’t know your costume, you don’t know your character.

Amy Wells-Director.

This academic year I consciously decided to increase my involvement with SuTCo. Having acted as Cissy in Punk Rock in the spring term, and produced Boys during the autumn, I hope my enthusiasm and excitement for the theatre is evident. Having always loved new writing I believe directing a contempory play for SuTCo would be my next logical step, and my commitment to previous SuTCo plays demonstrates my vigorous working ethic. Dennis Kelly has been one of my favourite writers for sometime. His British sensibility combined with an undeniable love of black comedy places him in the cannon of celebrated British writers. In terms of experience and suitability, I spent two years prior to University gaining theatre training, in both professional and amateur settings. This included Stage Managing for a touring theatre company, a year of acting training, and a three-month internship at a Media Arts Collective in Nepal. I am committed to all projects I undertake, opting for a methodical and creative approach to ensure that all tasks are completed to the best of my ability. Recently, I worked as a Stage Manager for Sheffield Doc/Fest, which meant I oversaw and managed a whole team of volunteers. Additionally, I worked at Warp Film’s Ten-Year Anniversary which I again Stage Managed, making sure the backstage area was run efficiently. I am confident in managing a considerable workload along side my degree and a job, and can’t wait to test my abilities with a new play.

Ellie Beecham-Stage Manager

In the past year I’ve become involved in SuTco, acting in the 24 hour musical and assistant stage managing for

Boys and A Clockwork Orange. I’ve also been a committed member of SUPAS since my very first week at

university, acting in the full scale show and smaller projects. Next year I’m fortunate enough to be head of creativity and content for platform committee. I feel my experience as assistant stage manager will prepare me

well for the role of stage manager as I’ve had a first-hand insight in to the demands of the role by working closely

with the production team. I would love the opportunity to use the skills I’ve learnt from the shows this year by

taking the next step to stage manager and feel ready to take on the commitment this entails. As part of my GCSE and A-Level theatre projects we were responsible for our own tech so I have understanding of how this aspect of a

performance works so can fully support my lighting / sound designers.

Similarly I worked part time in a Wakefield Theatre Royal for a year where I gained a good understanding of the

workings of a professional theatre. All these experiences will be beneficial in preparing me for the role of stage

manager I am super organised, methodical and feel confident in leading a team to share the exciting vision we have for

‘DNA’

Aislinn Walsh-Producer.

I have really enjoyed being part of SuTco this year. Although I have only become involved at the beginning of this semester, I have assistant stage managed for Boys, A Clockwork Orange and Fame already and have loved the experience. By helping on these productions I feel I have gained a good idea regarding how SuTco works and the responsibility involved with each role including producer. I would love the opportunity to produce a show for SuTco and as I am fairly new to the society I think it would be a great way for me to get more involved and see what I can

contribute. Being able to produce would also be an amazing opportunity for me to pursue my interests in a career within the theatre and I would do my best to make DNA an amazing success! I'm conscientious and would really care about doing the best job I can for the rest of my team as I know the role requires me to be as reliable and organised as possible. I have been involved with dance and theatre from a young age and as well as SuTco. I am used to being backstage at larger theatres such as the Manchester Palace. I've also experienced managing small events before, including a charity music festival.

Selling the Show:

As we are opting for week 2 this will mean we can entice the masses of freshers who will be milling around next term on the concourse. We were thinking that it would be a prime time to put on a play that may not be known among the general public. This is why we are looking to cash-in on naïve freshers, who may be more willing to see something they haven’t heard of…and hopefully it will be a pleasant surprise and they will be hooked on SuTCo shows for life! We also had the idea of staging a missing person campaign at the Union, complete with police tape and a mega phone…this could also be conducted during the City Rally, though we may have to check with the Police and local authorities.

In regards to the publicity of the play the creative team can go crazy with inventive and imaginative ideas. We were thinking of visiting school assemblies and showing a snippet of the play, which will really get the play out to the people who need to see it. Amy’s friend who has recently graduated from Art School is also willing to help produce the poster. Again, the trailer leaves considerable artistic scope; we were thinking of asking Seven Hills Media or Marios to lend us their creative media skills.

Why should SuTCo put on this play?

A cast of 11! All the parts are evenly weighted, apart from Adam, which is still an intriguing character to play.

Great female parts. Getting more of the talented females involved in SuTCo.

Fantastic male roles too. A really diverse collection of characters which will allow the actors to develop and make their own

It is a modern play. The term ‘it’s relevant’ is always used rather flippantly, and I will refrain from using it, though I am a little tempted. It is modern though, and addresses current socio-political issues concerning the education system and gang culture.

The vagueness of the setting and stage directions will mean a creative team can have a riot designing a superb set.

It’s relatively cheap. Only £47 per show...cheap as chips.

The team includes relatively new members to SuTCo, always good, as the legacy needs to be continued…