Old stories, New plays: developing a new work for the stage, inspired by the formative tale ‘$Little$ $Red$ $Cap$’

Abstract

This thesis analyses the process involved in crafting a new play for the stage inspired by a formative tale. $Red$ (2013) is a play driven by an artistic desire to write a coming of age story whilst simultaneously critiquing the formative tales of childhood. Issues explored within the script are those of: gender imbalance, abuse of power and female repression. Furthermore, it seeks to explore the approach taken when attempting to write a coherent play for the stage. Formed and grounded in the critical teachings of playwright’s Edgar, Waters and Smiley. $Red$ took inspiration from Grimm’s version of $Little$ $Red$ $Cap$. This paper explores the new play which seeks to violate the very conventions of such tales. The play involves a soldier from a seemingly ordinary world, arriving injured in a non-naturalistic dark world of fairytale. The characters in $Red$ drive the plot forward by breaking the conventions of the stock characters found in the formative tale. The play relies upon familiarity. It places itself within the tradition of other female playwrights who have taken oppressive themes found in formative tales and critiqued them. Hence, $Red$ is a new play worthy of the contemporary stage