On this project, I worked as a book writer, co-director and as admin. Throughout this process, I learnt a lot about devising theatre and working alongside other creatives. To reflect on this process and evaluate how successful our end result was, I will analyse key components of this project.
Writing
The project initially began with just the concept of vampires, which meant the co-writer and I could start from scratch in creating a plot. We wanted to create a plot that was marketable, interesting, and that hadn’t been explored before. However, we realised this would be a challenge as “vampire” lore has been depicted in theatre and media in numerous ways before. Nevertheless, we aimed to bring a fresh take to the storyline, whilst still including some classic vampire tropes that could play to the nostalgia of already popular vampire depictions. Appendix 1 shows some of our initial ideas.
The next step was to discuss who our target demographic would be; we decided on a young adult audience aged 16-25. Subsequently, we wanted to explore the morals that would resonate with this target audience. As our creatives fit into this demographic, we discussed the appeal of vampires for us and which themes we’d be interested in seeing explored. From this, we chose to focus the moral on the feeling of being othered and the longing to find community, as we believe this is a universally relevant theme that would particularly resonate with a young adult audience.
Next I researched pre-existing successful shows with a similar demographic and genre to our ideas. For example, Little Shop of Horrors (1982) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1973), which were both produced on a low-budget, according to Playbill (2020) and Studio Theatre (n.d.). We decided that, since our concept catered to a fairly niche market, a lower-budget production would be more realistic to produce the show. In the book, Staging Musicals: An Essential Guide, I discovered ways to reduce the budget. White (2019) advised having a small cast, using minimal props and sets to minimise the costs of actors and staging.
Now we’d established the moral, demographic and basic themes we wanted to explore. Next I discussed with the music team the sound world they wanted to create. They were inspired by gothic rock, so to juxtapose this darkness I decided to write the script to be quite comedic. We all agreed this would help keep the piece playful whilst tackling the emotional themes.
In exploring some plot ideas we began running into some issues, the vampires either became secondary to the main plot or antagonists, neither of which were our intention. So we restarted with a vampire protagonist and wrote a first full draft. During this process, we’d attempted to create a collaborative environment and take on other creatives’ ideas. However, this became a challenge because it was hard to satisfy everyone’s wants simultaneously. As I tried to fill plot holes and incorporate everyone’s ideas, the storyline became increasingly convoluted and failed to convey the moral we’d intended. From this, I learned that whilst it’s good to be open to other creatives’ ideas, trying to incorporate them all isn’t possible.
Another issue that arose was from my eagerness to write the script. With each plot line we explored, I’d jump into writing scenes before story arcs and main characters had been fully established. But, without a strong foundation, they lacked depth or direction. Subsequently, I spent a lot of time writing material that was ultimately scrapped. In future, I’d definitely ensure I have a strong story arc and a clear protagonist before jumping into writing scenes and focus on quality over quantity in my writing.
Reflecting on these issues, I decided to start fresh and look at which elements had worked in previous iterations. Once we’d settled on a final storyline, I focused on laying a solid foundation before beginning the script. To discuss our ideas, we met with our teacher, Matt Bugg. He gave us guidance on ensuring the main characters aren’t passive and on including high stakes to increase audience interest. Once we made adjustments with this in mind, the plotline felt strong enough to begin writing. This is advice I will definitely take forward into any future projects.
I hadn’t anticipated the hardest part of writing to be creating the plot and story arc. Once we had a good understanding of these elements, writing the actual scenes felt much easier when I had a clear sense of the show’s overall shape. This emphasised to me the importance of establishing a strong foundation, with high-stakes and active protagonists
Directing
I began my directorial process by reading Directing in Musical Theatre: An Essential Guide by Joe Deer (2014). Key takeaways from this research was learning about the role of a director, the importance of understanding the script thoroughly and most crucially, working collaboratively with fellow creatives. Having the opportunity to direct this piece was extremely beneficial, as it also allowed me to continue editing and evolving the script as we workshopped the scenes throughout our Research and Development week. Another unexpected learning outcome was how integral it is to consider the financial costs.
Our cast consisted primarily of the creatives in our group to maximise our rehearsal time. But we also cast a couple of first years, so our choreographer had more dancers to work with. However, this compromised the earlier budget goal of having a smaller cast, as I then had to write more ensemble characters into the script. This was a necessary addition for choreography. However, if we wanted to produce this show in the future, we’d have to evaluate whether the larger cast needed for such dances is worth the additional costs.
Leading up to our Research and Development week, we did some table reads to help the cast familiarise themselves with their roles and the material. This was really beneficial as a director, as I had the opportunity to see the actors’ instinctive choices. Which helped me grasp what was and wasn’t working.
For example, I asked a couple of actors to experiment with a stereotypical Dracula-inspired accent to lean into the comedic tone of my writing. As a director I thought the accent elevated the comedy and also leaned into the vampire tropes we’d wanted to emulate. However, the actors fedback that they felt more comfortable performing in their own accents. Thinking back to the research I’d done, Deer (2014) emphasised the importance of making sure the actors are comfortable with your direction. Therefore, I decided to prioritise the actor’s comfort and allowed them to perform in their own accents. This was a valuable exploration opportunity that taught me the importance of respecting actors’ boundaries whilst directing, so they can perform to the best of their abilities.
In the first couple of days of the Research and Development week, we aimed to explore as much material as possible to decide which sections to prioritise. During this process, a couple of casting changes were made due to attendance issues. This was a tough call to make as a director. However, to use the time effectively it was essential to have reliable actors in the leading roles. This is definitely a factor I’ll heavily take into consideration if I do any casting for projects in the future.
During this week, we chose to hold open rehearsals. Meaning, whilst actors/creatives were only “called” for scenes they were involved in, if they were available they were welcome to observe. This proved extremely beneficial, as I gained plenty of insight from the other creatives. In particular, our Dramaturg Monique helped by sharing her world-building and research. This information added further depth to the characters, which, from a directorial perspective, I found really useful. I’d never worked with a dramaturg previously; however, I’d certainly consider working with one or doing my own dramaturgical research in the future.
My group decided to showcase most of the material written at the end of the week. This was a great experience for learning to direct on a tight schedule and quickly put together a piece for a showing. However, I think for my own learning in the future I’d prioritise the time spent on research and development over the quantity of material produced for a showing. If I had more time, I’d have liked to experiment more with actions and objectives in each scene and explore the vampires’ physicality more. Another issue that arose from working on so much material, was that the actors didn’t have much time to learn their lines. As a director, I found this a hindrance, since actors weren’t able to be fully present in a scene, and it restricted what they could do physically. For these reasons, in future projects I’d prioritise the quality of the material to further my exploration of learning to direct.
Admin
Due to unforeseen circumstances, I had to take over the admin role from the start of the Research and Development week. This was challenging since I hadn’t anticipated taking on this role and was preoccupied with Writing and Directing. However, without a schedule and itinerary, we wouldn’t have been able to workshop any material. Therefore, I took on this role to enable us to move forward and utilise the time we had to workshop the piece.
As admin, I became much more aware of the additional production costs, particularly because I had to schedule at the last minute. For example, on short notice, I struggled to get room bookings in time or to secure appropriate rooms for what we wanted to explore. Seeking guidance from my teacher, Matt Bugg, he made me aware of the financial implications of this circumstance if it occurred outside of university. Costs would be incurred from hiring rehearsal spaces on short notice or hiring actors for days of work that couldn’t proceed without rehearsal space. This was a big lesson learned for me. Although I didn’t anticipate to have this role, I learnt the importance of being prepared to take over extra responsibilities when creating your own work.
As the week progressed, I settled into this role, learning to adapt to constantly changing itineraries. I also improved my scheduling formatting so the team could easily see the details of the rehearsals. Appendix 2 shows the schedule I produced on the Monday, and Appendix 3 shows the schedule I produced on Thursday.
Working with first years was an added challenge, since I had to schedule around 4 different timetables. This pushed my organisational skills and required a lot of time and focus to ensure I correctly scheduled everybody. Another important factor in this role for me was making sure everyone had adequate breaks and felt comfortable speaking to me if they didn’t. This was a really good experience as I’ve never had to do something like that before, and I wouldn’t have thought I was capable of this level of organisation. However, now I’ve had some experience, I’d be open to doing it again. It was even more beneficial for me as a director, as I could plan my own itinerary and work closely with the music team to help them book any rehearsals they needed.
Conclusion
During this project, I learned invaluable lessons across many areas of creation. I am proud of the work I contributed and the material we produced as a group, but I also learned a lot about what I’d do differently in the future. As a writer, I’d focus on creating a strong foundation, with high stakes within the narrative and strong, active main characters. As a director, I’d cast my project with a clearer idea of what I’m looking for and consider factors such as the reliability and availability of the actors. I’d also focus more on the quality of the work I’m presenting rather than the quantity. Becoming admin taught me always to be ready and open to taking on more responsibilities. I’d always had an interest in creating my own work, but didn’t think I’d be able to. Although I found this process challenging at times, it was also very rewarding, and I pleasantly surprised myself with my capabilities.
Bibliography
Deer, J. (2014) Directing in Musical Theatre: An Essential Guide. Routledge.
Playbill. (2020) How Has Little Shop of Horrors Changed Over the Years? https://playbill.com/article/how-has-little-shop-of-horrors-changed-over-the-years [Accessed 14 April 2026]
Studio Theatre. (n.d.) The Original of the Rocky Horror Show. https://www.studiotheatre.org/plays/play-detail/2012-2013-rocky-horror/the-origins-of-the-rocky-horror-show [Accessed 14 April 2026]
White, M. (2019) Staging Musicals: An Essential Guide, 2nd edition. Bloomsbury Publishing.
