The Cutting of 'The Adding Machine'

Although today's title sounds like that of a cryptic Sherlock Holmes story, actually it refers to this week's big project. After passing the 70,000 word mark, I spent just a couple of hours a day on the Book and devoted a majority of my time to cutting Elmer Rice's The Adding Machine in preparation for the first year Creation and Realisation module. I had to cut a full length play down to an hour, get rid of the tough American accent and update it slightly to make it relevant for my students. So really it becomes a homage to Elmer Rice rather than a real version of his 1923 play. I also learnt my lesson from last year and did some rather dramatic cutting. While I really enjoyed last year's version of Ewan MacColl's Uranium 235, I felt the whole thing was a little wordy. We didn't didn't really have the time or the space to consider production values. So, this year the written play takes just over half an hour to read aloud. This gives plenty of space for lighting effects, explosions, elaborate costumes etc. Grotowski? Who's he? I'll keep updating the blog with rehearsal discoveries etc, just in case you are interested in this process. Just checked the registers and I have a really lovely group of students to explore this play with. Last year was so much fun so I'm looking forward to getting started with this in a couple of weeks.

It's been a quiet week of research and planning. I've seen a good number of students to discuss their essays and have been able to get on with some book writing as well. Next week we're on to assessment week, although this time round, it is all rather relaxed as I haven't taught on any practical courses. So it's just a couple of German Drama productions and some innovative Physical Theatre performances. And, again, plenty of research time. Hoorah!

Last night we slipped into the weekend with some cool Commuter Jazz and some lovely sushi with our friends. Today has started rather slowly really. For some reason I was extremely tired last night, went to bed early (just before midnight - that is seriously early for us!) and woke up late. Feel much the better for my long snooze. Today is going to be a combination of book writing, rugby watching and cheesecake making. I love our quiet Saturdays. I'm also hoping to do some jobs around our house. It has its messy corners at the moment!

CSW