adapt. craft. revel.

Writer’s  Workshop  in  Theatrical  Adaptation  

       With  Director/Writer  Vincent  Murphy

ABOUT THE WORKSHOPBring  in  a  story  you  want  to  adapt.  We  will  work  together  on  adapting  a  Chekhov  short  story  that  I  will   send  you  in  advance  to   create   a   template   for   then   adapting   your   choice.  R e a d   PAGE   TO   S TAGE :   THE   CRAFT   OF  ADAPTATION   and   we   will  work  with   the   book  as   a  guide   to   creating   your   adaptation.   In   a   two-­‐‑hour  session   we   can   pinpoint   your   main   focus   in   the  adaptation,  and   in  a  two-­‐‑day  workshop  have  drafts  of  three  scenes  or  monologues  that  cover  the  six  building  blocks  outlined   in  the  book.  You  will  discover  the  enjoyment  of  becoming  a  ‘text  detective’  and  finding  the  vibrant  play  hidden  in  the  source  material.

“Although  there  are  many  books  on  birthing  babies,  there  is  not  one  on  birthing  a  play  from  a  non-­‐‑play   source.   Page   to   Stage:   The   Craft   of   Adaptation   takes   the   reader,   step   by   step,  through   core   chapters   that   explore   the   six   building   blocks  fundamental  to  uncovering  the  play  latent  in  a  work  of  fiction  or  other  genres,   including   poems,   autobiographies,   essays,   and   newspaper  articles.  

The  chapters  offer  what   I  have  learned   and   taught  about   adaptation-­‐‑specific  strategies  for:

✴  theme✴  dialogue✴ character✴ imagery✴ storyline  ✴ action.  

Exercises  at  the  end  of  each  chapter  lead  adaptors  through  the  transformational  process,  from  choosing  their  material  to  creating  their  own  adaptations.  The  book  also  provides  case  studies  of  successful  adaptations  by  Frank  Galati  on  the  Tony  Award  winning  The  Grapes  of  Wrath  and  my   adaptations   of   stories  by   Samuel   BeckeH,   Anne   Sexton   and   John   Barth.   An   additional  chapter  on  building  collaborative  relationships,   acquiring  rights,   and  geHing  produced  helps  guide  the  reader  to  fulfill  his  or  her  project.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            ~Vincent  Murphy

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About Vincent Murphy

 A  Professor  at  Emory  University  in  Atlanta,  Vincent  Murphy  has  been  –  for  thirty-­‐‑four  of  the  past   forty-­‐‑two   years  –   an   artistic   producing   director   of   three   theaters,   with   a   professional  career  of  collaboration  on  more  than  200  productions  in  the  US,  Canada,  South  America,  and  Europe.  As  a  director,  playwright,  actor,  designer,  choreographer,  and  artistic  director,  he  has  garnered  more  than   forty  major   a w a r d s   i n   d i r e c t i n g ,  playwriting,   teaching,   and   acting   –   working   at   several  leading   regional   theaters   in   the   United   States,   including   The  American   Repertory   Theatre,   The   Alliance   Theatre,   The  Sacramento   Theater   Company,   and   The   Actors   Theatre   of  Louisville.  Murphy  has  devoted   m u c h   o f   h i s   c a r e e r   t o  championing   the   development   of   new   plays.   At   Theater  Emory,   where   his   is   a   full   professor   in   the   arts,   he  developed  a  biennial  Brave  New   Works   ser ies   for   local ly,  nationally,   and   internationally   a c c l a im ed   w r i t e r s .   T h e  Playwriting   Center   of   Theater   Emory   he   created   developed  over   one   hundred   new   plays   and   adaptations.   Murphy  initiated   and   produced   festivals   with   residencies   by   Athol  Fugard,   Frank   Manley,   Naomi   Wallace,  and  Wole  Soyinka.

 Murphy  himself  is  a  seasoned  adapter  and  producer  of  new  work.  He  began  his  career  in  1970  by   creating   a  well-­‐‑received   adaptation   of   the  works   of   William   Blake.   He  premiered   and  directed   his  adaptation   of  Manley'ʹs  The  Cockfighter   at  Actors  Theatre'ʹs  Humana  Festival,   a  work  published  in  the  Smith  and  Krause  1999  Humana  Plays  edition  and  shot  as  a  feature  film.

 The  University  Of  Michigan  Press  published  his  book  on  adaptation  for  the  theater,  PAGE  TO  STAGE:  THE  CRAFT  OF  ADAPTATION,  in  2013.  He  has  conducted  workshops  on  his  book  at  Emory,  Tufts,  GA  State,  and  Working  Title  Playwrights.

J a n u a r y ,   2 0 1 4  American   Theater  Magazine   review                                                of  PAGE  TO  STAGE      by  Wendy  Smith  Murphy  offers  a  wonderfully  rich   example   in   PAGE   TO  STAGE   of   collaboration   in  action   in  an  account  of  three  productions   on   ENOUGH,  his   adaptation   of   a   Samuel  BeckeH  short   story.   The  play  evolved   from   a   one-­‐‑woman  show   to  a  three-­‐‑  actor  piece,  and  then  back  to  a  solo  piece,  over   the   course   of   twelve  years,   as   it   was   shaped   by  t h e   c o l l a b o r a t i o n s   o f  designers ,   construct ion  crews   and   actors   in   Boston,  Atlanta  and  the  Netherlands.  T h e   s e e d b e d   o f   a n y  production   is  the  script,   and  

crafting   plays   from   other  genres  is  a  tradition  as  old  as  the  Greek   tragedies  inspired  by  Homer’s  ILLIAD.  

Murphy   illuminates   the  process  in  PAGE  TO  STAGE;  a   thorough,   comprehensive  text   winnowed   from   his  experience   creating   some  two  dozen  plays  based  on  novels,  short  stories  and  poems.  

H e   d e fi n e s   s i x  b u i l d i n g   b l o c k s  e s s e n t i a l   f o r  transforming  literature  into   drama,   beginning  with   ‘find   the  literature  that  compels   you   and   define   its  theme’   and   ending   with  ‘craft  playable  actions.’

Overview  on  Book  from  University  of  Michigan  Press  Website:  

Finally,  for  the  many  individuals  and  theaters  who  adapt  compelling  literature  into  theater  pieces,  the  first  ‘how-­‐‑to’  book  that  leads  you  through  a  workable  process  

to  create  a  stage-­‐‑worthy  play.  Employing  concrete  intellectual  and  artistic  steps,  Page  to  Stage:  The  Craft  of  Adaptation  leads  you  by  

example  and  exercises  through  six  essential  building  blocks  to  construct  an  adaptation  that  could  be  used  from  the  classroom  to  a  professionally  produced  production.  Professional,  amateur,  academic,  

“Vincent Murphy’s unique instincts and wisdom have never failed to shine light on the testing yet thrilling process of creating new work.” --James Albrecht Actor and playwright, Royal Shakespeare Company, Bobby Jones Scholar at Emory

(cont.  overview    of  book  on  University  of  Michigan  Press  Website)  

children’s,  and  Community  Theater  exist  out  of  the  human  need  to  tell  our  stories.  Adaptation  allows  you  to  take  a  beloved  or  intriguing  story  and  make  it  life-­‐‑sized  on  the  stage.  It  helps  you  explore  non-­‐‑theatrical  texts  that  have  a  vivid  voice:  stories  that  speak  to  the  moment  and  to  the  imagination.  A  hefty  proportion  of  plays  are  adapted  from  other  literature.  Shakespeare  did  it.  Four  hundred  years  later  his  namesake  theater  troupe,  The  Royal  Shakespeare  Company,  was  still  at  it  with  The  Life  &  Adventures  of  Nicholas  Nickleby.  Frank  Galati  won  a  Tony  award  for  Best  Play  when  he  adapted  John  Steinbeck’s  The  Grapes  of  Wrath,  and  Murphy  created  his  first  literary  adaptation,  from  the  poetry  and  prose  of  William  Blake,  when  he  was  still  a  teenager.  Page  To  Stage  incorporates  discoveries  he  has  made  in  his  forty-­‐‑year  career  in  professional  and  academic  theater,  which  include  internationally  acclaimed  

literary  adaptations  at  major  theaters  and  universities.”

Vincent  Murphy’s  new  book  on  adaptation   from   literary   work  for   the   theatre   is   a   very  important   contribution   to   the  field.     Mr.   Murphy   has   been  doing   these   adaptations   for   a  number   of   years   with   great  d ist inct ion,   thus   adding  important  new   opportunities  to  those   already   available   in   the  theatre.    No  one  I  know  is  more  qualified   to   write   about   it.   It  has  my  warm  endorsement.                                      -­‐‑Robert  Brustein,  Founding   Director,   American  Repertory  Theatre                                Vincent  Murphy  has  of  course  run  the   very   successful   Brave   New  Works   s e r i e s   o f   new   p lay  development   at  Theater  Emory   in  Atlanta   for   many   years,  working  with  some   of   the   best   known   and  most   successful   playwrights   in  America,   as  well   as  being  a  much  sought   after   director   and   an  extremely  popular  teacher.  

To   all   these   credits,   he   now   adds  author,  and  the  theatrical  world  is  much   the   richer   for   it.   Murphy  has   wriCen   an   extremely   useful  guide   for   anyone   –   professional,  non-­‐‑professional,   student,   teacher  –  who   is   interested  in  the   process  of  theatrical  adaptation.  

In   precise,   clear   prose,   which   is  both  lucid  and  enjoyable,  Murphy  outlines   his   "ʺsix   building  blocks"ʺ  structured   approach   which   takes  the   reader   from   how   to   choose  literary  material   to  bringing  their  finished  script  to  life.  

Despite   the   enormous   popularity  of   theatrical  adaptation  across   the  world,   I   have   never   seen   anyone  actually   aCempt   to   codify   the  process,   and   Murphy'ʹs   short,  entertaining  volume   fills   a  much-­‐‑needed   gap.   I   cannot   recommend  it  enough.”

               -­‐‑-­‐‑Robert  Schenkkan,  Puli?er  Prize  winner.  New  play,   “All   The  Way,”  2014  Tony  Award  Nominee  for  Best  Play

“Frankly,   I   was   somewhat  ambiguous  in  my  feelings  over  the  project   itself,  wasn'ʹt   too  sure   that  I   wanted   to   see   that   experience  enacted.   Vinnie'ʹs   approach  however  overcame  the  risk  of  what  I  feared  -­‐‑  that   it  could  turn  out   to  be   over   emotionally   charged.  'ʹDetachment'ʹ   is   how   I   would  summarize   the   methodology,   a  storyteller'ʹs   approach  without   the  narrative   linkage,   so   that   the  director-­‐‑narrator   did   not   get   in  the   way.   I   think   the   lines   became  even  more  sparse,  leaner,  and  thus  even   more   starkly   truthful.  T h e y   w e r e   d e l i v e r e d   t o  project  their  own  atmosphere.”

--Wole Soyinka, Nobel Prize in Literature

Testimonials for Page to Stage  and  more

Length of Workshop per person total

                       2-­hour  workshop            

50 400

   4-­hour  workshop     75 700

   6-­hour  workshop 100 1000

   2-­day  workshop    (10 hour workshop)150 1500

Workshop Options & Pricing*limited to ten people per workshop

For more information contact: Vincent Murphy 678.644.8310 vmurphy@emory.edu

Info on the book: http://www.pagetostagebook.com/Buy the book: http://bit.ly/1i0IjKE or http://amzn.to/Rbi8GR