Declan Donnellan

His rules:

• Always a target
• The target already exists and at a measurable distance
• The target exists before you need it
• The target is always specific
• The target is always transforming
• The target is always active

The target always can be split into two; a better or worst outcome. It is seen as a quest and the emotional stakes have to be high to create tension on stage regarding the characters and the situation. When the emotional stakes are higher the action becomes quicker. Each moment has to be played like it is the first time it is happening and that you don’t know what the outcome could be. This has to be played throughout the scene and the element of quest should be present at all times. The focus in the scenes has to be not on what I am doing but on what the target is doing and what is the target making me do. The attention should always be on the target and not on you.

We did an exercise where we had to think about the moments in our characters lives where there could be different outcomes. By acknowledging the existence of these moments allows us as actors to be able to play them on stage, creating a watchable performance as the tension is higher.

• The Convicts might be good today or they might not
• I might have to sentence someone today or I might not
• I might have to enforce the law in the new colony or not
• I might shot a bird today or I might not
• I might discover something new about the colony or not
• I might get the play put on today or not