Relatively Speaking
Today I'd like to introduce you to the 3rd show in our summer season, and the first offering at the Belwood Summer Theatre, Relatively Speaking.
You may not have heard of this particular play before, but chances are you've heard of the playwright, Alan Ayckbourn, and you've most likely heard of the genre of theatre that he has helped to make famous, The British Farce.
For some reason the Brits are a funny people. You wouldn't think it to look at the stereotypes, but British Farce is a style of theatre that has evolved to be one of the most hilarious evenings of theatre that it is possible to take in. Alan Ayckbourn has taken the witty banter, suggestive situations and social ironies inherent in the genre and has added elements of magical realism, with his trademark being penchant for several scenes overlapping each other, taking place all at once, often on the same set, with the characters oblivious to each other's actions. This has made Ayckbourn an undisputed master, and shows like The Norman Conquests, How the Other Half Loves and Bedroom Farce have become instant classics, beloved by summer and community theatres the world over.
In Relatively Speaking Ayckbourn set out to something he has rarely tried to do - write a "well-made play," one penned according to the "rules" of the stage. What exactly constitutes a "well-made play" and what exactly are the "rules" of the stage has been the subject of much debate since Aristotle opened the can of worms in his Poetics, but it was Ayckbourn's belief that before you go breaking the rules you should understand what they are, and Relatively Speaking is the result of his exploration.
For you theatre hacks out there, upon seeing the play you will notice that it does hold true to the concept of the "three unities" the way that the Enlightenment scholars thought a "well-made play" should be. It holds true to the unity of time in that it takes place over the course of a single day. It holds true to the unity of place by not making the characters travel further or faster in that one day than would be physically possible with the technology of the day. It holds true to the unity of action in that it is only about one idea, starting with a conflict, developing the conflict through rising actions, resolving the conflict at the climax, and ending off with a denoument.
For you theatre fans out there - it's a British Farce!
See you there
You may not have heard of this particular play before, but chances are you've heard of the playwright, Alan Ayckbourn, and you've most likely heard of the genre of theatre that he has helped to make famous, The British Farce.
For some reason the Brits are a funny people. You wouldn't think it to look at the stereotypes, but British Farce is a style of theatre that has evolved to be one of the most hilarious evenings of theatre that it is possible to take in. Alan Ayckbourn has taken the witty banter, suggestive situations and social ironies inherent in the genre and has added elements of magical realism, with his trademark being penchant for several scenes overlapping each other, taking place all at once, often on the same set, with the characters oblivious to each other's actions. This has made Ayckbourn an undisputed master, and shows like The Norman Conquests, How the Other Half Loves and Bedroom Farce have become instant classics, beloved by summer and community theatres the world over.
In Relatively Speaking Ayckbourn set out to something he has rarely tried to do - write a "well-made play," one penned according to the "rules" of the stage. What exactly constitutes a "well-made play" and what exactly are the "rules" of the stage has been the subject of much debate since Aristotle opened the can of worms in his Poetics, but it was Ayckbourn's belief that before you go breaking the rules you should understand what they are, and Relatively Speaking is the result of his exploration.
For you theatre hacks out there, upon seeing the play you will notice that it does hold true to the concept of the "three unities" the way that the Enlightenment scholars thought a "well-made play" should be. It holds true to the unity of time in that it takes place over the course of a single day. It holds true to the unity of place by not making the characters travel further or faster in that one day than would be physically possible with the technology of the day. It holds true to the unity of action in that it is only about one idea, starting with a conflict, developing the conflict through rising actions, resolving the conflict at the climax, and ending off with a denoument.
For you theatre fans out there - it's a British Farce!
See you there
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