Hello everyone,
Here's a little showreel that I have put together with TEAfilms of some of the work that I have directed. More vids coming soon. Enjoy and share!
http://youtu.be/zfXygE_4CrI
R. A. W.
Wednesday, 24 July 2013
Monday, 22 July 2013
Dark Stranger - my first screenplay
One of the first plays that I wrote was called The Unfortunate Love of the British Empire which I had written with Zephryn Taitte, with whom I co-founded Sketchbook Productions. The last story was called Dark Stranger and was about immigration, home and about the rut that a young man Jelani finds himself in trying to provide for his elderly, poorly mother, back home in Guyana.
We are planning to expand on it. The house is supposed to represent home and in fact none of the characters feel a sense of home. After two years its surprising what you can learn in terms of skill and in terms of an understanding of human psychology.
Have a look at the trailer and a short doc of the first screening.
Here are some links:
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpQo5IbmB1Q
Event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtS6sCBD5S0
We are planning to expand on it. The house is supposed to represent home and in fact none of the characters feel a sense of home. After two years its surprising what you can learn in terms of skill and in terms of an understanding of human psychology.
Have a look at the trailer and a short doc of the first screening.
Here are some links:
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpQo5IbmB1Q
Event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtS6sCBD5S0
My journey so far...
I wrote a blog for the Young Vic whilst I was Trainee Assistant Director on Richard Jones' production of Public Enemy earlier this year. I thought it might be nice to repost it on here too...
My life as a director began at the age of 15 when I took charge of my group’s GCSE practical exam. We had all chosen drama for fun (myself included) and our exam piece was in an embarrassing state as we spent our rehearsal time clowning about (not in a good way) and enjoying the freedom to do whatever the hell we wanted.
It was 2 days before the exam and our teacher held us back after class (as usual – to be shouted at, given a detention or some other punishment – nothing new). But after this particular talk I was vexed. She had basically informed us that we were all going to fail and that we weren’t going to get anywhere in life with our “attitudes” and “behaviour”. I was furious. And sadly, I can’t say this was the first time I’d heard such prophesies from my teacher.
That very night I went straight home, came up with a proper narrative, scripted it, compiled a soundtrack, choreographed the blocking, borrowed costume from wardrobes around my house and drew pictures of all the lighting states and specials. I was ready to prove her and all the others wrong. And we did. We all achieved grades B and above (thank God for external examiners). But in all honesty I didn’t care about getting a B grade or about school in general because I had plans to pursue a career as a singer-stroke-rapper-stroke-celebrity chef (Don’t ask!).
4 years later (and much to my surprise) I am starting the BA Hons Directing course at Rose Bruford College. A further 3 years on and I am graduating and starting a work placement at the Young Vic which Annie Castledine had helped me to organise. Another 2 years and 4 projects on I’m the Boris Karloff Trainee Assistant Director on Public Enemy.
This is the largest production that I have been a part of and one of the biggest learning opportunities I’ve ever had in my professional life. The revelations are happening every day; with pennies dropping by the hour. My confidence is building and the need to trial the latest model of ‘Roy The Director’ is becoming more and more intense. I’m greatly anticipating the lessons of the tech next week and witnessing the growth of the production in previews. I’ve also been invited to assist on workshops with Laura Farnworth as part of her Jerwood award, giving further insight into other ways that the Young Vic engage with the wider community through theatre. It’s increasingly difficult in this time to get into the rehearsal room of great directors without a certain level of experience or a strong recommendation. Not everybody can take the risks that were being taken before when hiring assistants but Young Vic has given me a great credit which gives my CV a boost but more importantly the opportunity to learn from a great master.
This process has really helped me to recognise my growth as a director and as a person. I hope that in a few years I can blog about directing a production of this scale on the Young Vic’s main stage. Perhaps my old drama teacher will come along and be pleasantly surprised.
Roy Weise is Boris Karloff Trainee Assistant Director on Public Enemy, now playing at the Young Vic. Learn more and book tickets at youngvic.org.
My life as a director – Roy Weise
My life as a director began at the age of 15 when I took charge of my group’s GCSE practical exam. We had all chosen drama for fun (myself included) and our exam piece was in an embarrassing state as we spent our rehearsal time clowning about (not in a good way) and enjoying the freedom to do whatever the hell we wanted.It was 2 days before the exam and our teacher held us back after class (as usual – to be shouted at, given a detention or some other punishment – nothing new). But after this particular talk I was vexed. She had basically informed us that we were all going to fail and that we weren’t going to get anywhere in life with our “attitudes” and “behaviour”. I was furious. And sadly, I can’t say this was the first time I’d heard such prophesies from my teacher.
That very night I went straight home, came up with a proper narrative, scripted it, compiled a soundtrack, choreographed the blocking, borrowed costume from wardrobes around my house and drew pictures of all the lighting states and specials. I was ready to prove her and all the others wrong. And we did. We all achieved grades B and above (thank God for external examiners). But in all honesty I didn’t care about getting a B grade or about school in general because I had plans to pursue a career as a singer-stroke-rapper-stroke-celebrity chef (Don’t ask!).
4 years later (and much to my surprise) I am starting the BA Hons Directing course at Rose Bruford College. A further 3 years on and I am graduating and starting a work placement at the Young Vic which Annie Castledine had helped me to organise. Another 2 years and 4 projects on I’m the Boris Karloff Trainee Assistant Director on Public Enemy.
This is the largest production that I have been a part of and one of the biggest learning opportunities I’ve ever had in my professional life. The revelations are happening every day; with pennies dropping by the hour. My confidence is building and the need to trial the latest model of ‘Roy The Director’ is becoming more and more intense. I’m greatly anticipating the lessons of the tech next week and witnessing the growth of the production in previews. I’ve also been invited to assist on workshops with Laura Farnworth as part of her Jerwood award, giving further insight into other ways that the Young Vic engage with the wider community through theatre. It’s increasingly difficult in this time to get into the rehearsal room of great directors without a certain level of experience or a strong recommendation. Not everybody can take the risks that were being taken before when hiring assistants but Young Vic has given me a great credit which gives my CV a boost but more importantly the opportunity to learn from a great master.
This process has really helped me to recognise my growth as a director and as a person. I hope that in a few years I can blog about directing a production of this scale on the Young Vic’s main stage. Perhaps my old drama teacher will come along and be pleasantly surprised.
Roy Weise is Boris Karloff Trainee Assistant Director on Public Enemy, now playing at the Young Vic. Learn more and book tickets at youngvic.org.
"SKEEN!" - My first professional production
"SKEEN!" was a play written by a young writer called Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu about a group of young people people on a show for their school. It's the day of the show and they can't seem to get it together because they are beginning to discover who they really are in the play. A piece about the complications of being young and needing love (in all senses of the word).
The trailer directed by Adam Hipkin & Dan Patrick (of TEAfilms) and I
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| David Ajao, Seraphina Beh and Cory Hippolyte |
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| Joseph Adelakun, David Ajao and Cory Hippolyte |
Seventeen by Ben Ockrent (Barn Theatre, Sidcup)
Seventeen was the last production that I directed whilst training as a director at Rose Bruford College.
It was a mythical dark comedy about the Seventeenth birthday party of the Seventh son of the Seventh son of a family of Spanish lineage.
The boys are tormented by a so-called myth that their youngest brother Esteban is about to become a werewolf at midnight. It's quarter to and things are becoming unbeareable. They prepare for the worst.
Phaedra's Love by Sarah Kane
This was the second production that I directed at Rose Bruford College. This play is beautiful and disturbing and so is Love. I can only find one pic at the moment but will post more when I find the rest.
R.A.W.
Phaedra instructing her servants to attend to Hippolytus, her stepson, for whom she is lovesick.
R.A.W.
Phaedra instructing her servants to attend to Hippolytus, her stepson, for whom she is lovesick.
Welcome one and all
Dear everybody,
I am very delighted to welcome you all to my first post on Blogger. I am new to this but find the medium quite fascinating. I personally will be using it as an easy way to let you people know what I'm doing as a director and writer and also to share things that inspire me, move me, hurt me, disgust me, thrill me and tickle me. Because it's good to share these things, I think.
Anyhow, I hope you look forward to seeing some of my work. If you're on Blogger send me an invitation or a link to your blog page. I've heard we can stay connected somehow like on other social networking sites but I'm not sure how to invite people yet. Anyway, I'm gonna get uploading.
Blessings
R.A.W.
ps. The track I've posted is what I was listening to as I wrote the blog. Thought it might be interesting seeing as its a Brain on a page...lol
I am very delighted to welcome you all to my first post on Blogger. I am new to this but find the medium quite fascinating. I personally will be using it as an easy way to let you people know what I'm doing as a director and writer and also to share things that inspire me, move me, hurt me, disgust me, thrill me and tickle me. Because it's good to share these things, I think.
Anyhow, I hope you look forward to seeing some of my work. If you're on Blogger send me an invitation or a link to your blog page. I've heard we can stay connected somehow like on other social networking sites but I'm not sure how to invite people yet. Anyway, I'm gonna get uploading.
Blessings
R.A.W.
ps. The track I've posted is what I was listening to as I wrote the blog. Thought it might be interesting seeing as its a Brain on a page...lol
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