Bowerbird

by Alana Valentine

‘Mostly it feels like you don’t know—like you’re reaching for something that you can’t quite grab. Some writers talk about their fear of the blank page, but the playwright who draws work from life can have the opposite problem. Spoilt for choice. Presented with myriad possibilities and competing ideas of how to condense the source material or arrange it in a theatrically dynamic, original and compelling way. Lost in a sea of options, yet perversely obsessed with the interview not done, the perspective not transcribed, the final piece of the jigsaw forever elusive. And it’s not about a lack of confidence, although that can hum away in the background for longer than you might expect. It’s about not trying to have clarity. It’s about waiting until you do.’

So begins Bowerbird, a journey through the life and plays of Alana Valentine, as well as the creative process behind the plays. One of Australia’s most inventive playwrights, Alana shows the power of bringing new audiences into our theatres to share the space with traditional audiences, detailing how to gather and transform lived experience into compelling drama. In Bowerbird she reveals the motor of her artistry by combining stories from her life with observations from her experience.

‘Bowerbird is written with all the humanity, wisdom, humour and generosity that we recognise and love in Alana Valentine’s work. This is much more than a guide for aspiring writers: this is a book for anyone who loves theatre, its power and its people.’ Neil Armfield AO

Currency Press | 978-1-92500-567-7 | Sales rights: worldwide, except Aust/NZ | PB

Genres: Theatre

242 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alana Valentine is an Australian playwright who is well known for her verbatim theatre scripts. Valentine takes the actual words of real people and creates a theatrical production. Sounds easy right? It is far from that.
The beauty of Valentine's book is that she does not lecture on structure, inciting incidents, turning points. For Valentine '... craft is simply the ability to have what you imagine on the page correlate with what works as drama on the stage.' Valentine takes you on a journey of success, failure and more importantly learning how to craft a narrative from the words of other people respectfully. The importance of not betraying the trust that individuals have shown you in telling their stories.
The other journey is that of Valentine emergence as a playwright and her continual efforts to continue to bring her work to the stage. She does not stray from discussing self-doubt. jealousy and the struggles to keep having your voice heard.
This is a wonderful read for anyone who is involved in theatre.

[Philippa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magnificent read for any writer or arts practitioner working in Australia particularly if your work is drawing from real lives/histories/communities. So inspiring and bolstering!