Exploring events through verbatim theatre

In this toolkit, we'll take a look at the first step of the verbatim theatre process: choosing a subject. In the broadest possible terms, verbatim plays fall into two categories – those based on events, and those based on a particular theme. We'll be focusing on the former.

Your subject is your catalyst. Whatever you set out to explore, the process is about asking questions and being open to the answers, rather than approaching it with a preformed ‘story’.

It is not surprising that many of the most famous verbatim plays are inspired by a singular event, or series of events. Be it a natural disaster or a more personal event, the verbatim play allows an audience to hear the testimony of those eyewitnesses – the people who were there, who saw it happen and felt (or feel) its consequences.