Interview With Paul Makeham, Original 'Aftershocks' Cast Member

Abstract

I was one of eight researchers who were part of the Worker' Cultural Action Committee (WCAC), an arts and cultural organisation affiliated with Newcastle Workers' Club. Our job was to work with writer Paul Brown, and co-directors Brent McGregor and David Watt, to plan and carry out the creative development of the "Aftershocks" project. The particular type of documentary drama we decided to work with is called Verbatim Theatre. We recorded interviews with various people associated with the Workers' Club employees, patrons, the Club Manager and others. All but one or two of these people had been in the Club when the earthquake struck. Once we tape-recorded our interviews, we transcribed each one. Paul Brown then edited the interviews, shaping them into a dramatic text designed for performance. His task was to 'sculpt' the language, but unlike a conventional playwright, not to write it. No dialogue was invented for "Aftershocks"