Acting at Playwriting MA Creative Project – Marie Cooper

Acting at Playwriting MA Creative Project

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MA Creative Project: Stopping and Starting Again…

Writing is difficult and amorphous. It has been feeling as if I am trying to stick a pin in a river to stop ideas flowing away. I have had coursework looming over me whilst I tried to simultaneously juggle little projects. My mind struggled to control all the brain squirrels skittering about inside it.

But now, I have eight out of ten pieces of uni written work submitted. I have just one paper to go before I can finally put all of my focus on my creative project. If I can concentrate without worrying about how I am going to keep my roof over my head and eat, in the last few months of my degree, that is. Currently I’m at least two months short of financially making it to the end of the course in September. But I can’t worry about that, because if I worry about that, I can’t think and I can’t write. ‘Rent’ donations gratefully received via PayPal… joking (not joking).

About Turn!

My ambitious initial project plan was to write, perform and record a one person show by September. However, after courses, workshops, discussions, ideas, and too much thinking later and I have changed my mind. Initially, I thought, I can’t include more actors because I can’t afford to pay them.  I’m restricted by my MA September deadline and by lack of resources (of the financial kind). I can’t… I can’t… I can’t… And then I decided that this was a little pathetic. This is my life. My course. My future. Like hell I can’t! If James Graham can have 19 parliamentary members of 1970’s House of Commons dancing on stage, I can do whatever I want.

From one Person Show to Stage Play

I am going to research and write a full stage play for my MA creative project. It will have as many characters as the story wants. If I don’t know something I will find out. I am just going to write it. It will take as long as it takes. If I don’t finish it on time, I don’t finish it in time. I will hand in what I have written, at the time the coursework is due. I can’t put a deadline on my creativity. I will have, what I have, on the date that I have to submit it. And that is that!

I can continue writing, refining and editing after the deadline. Constraints be damned!
I will write it. Let creativity run amok. Then, I will start prodding and poking it and trying to figure out how it will work on stage and whether I can get the appropriate funding and/or sponsorship to make it happen.

Exiting times, but scary times. Off to the library later to grab some books to start the initial stage of my research…


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