Blog # 5 To Workshop or not to Worshop, that is the question. By Valerie Herrera

For those of you who may be wondering by now, starting a production company is quite an undertaking.  But for those that have the fortune to have a playwright on staff, who is dedicated to producing fresh original plays for the company, there is an additional concern.  How does the company ensure that the script is as polished as humanly possible before it is performed before a paying audience? 

One answer is to conduct a workshop.  A theatrical workshop basically consists of taking the rehearsal and performance process, which normally takes several months and boiling it down into a few days.  Auditions are held and talented actors are cast into roles, then a very the intense rehearsal process is held culminating in a bare-bones performance in front of a limited audience.

In the case of HTP’s original play Shadows of the Mind, the workshop lasted 10 hours over the course of 3 days.  During this time, the playwright was present to watch and listen to the manner-in-which his script was translated on stage and to take down any notes.  Also, any staging issues arising from the script that affected an actor’s entrances, exits, and blocking were addressed. In a workshop, time is of the essence, so all of this was done as quickly as possible. Anything that couldn’t be solved at the moment was written down for future discussion. 

The workshop culminated in the performance where the actors were encouraged to invite friends and family.  Although actors and crew alike were quite nervous to perform something with so few rehearsals, it exceeded expectations.  Afterward, the audience was given a questionnaire so they could anonymously critique the play, which turned into the proverbial cherry-on-top, as their feedback was quite illuminating and useful.

So the question remains; to workshop or not to workshop?  Although it certainly depends on the situation, our company discovered that it is an invaluable tool that can hone a good play into a great one.