Alecky blythe biography definition

Alice Troy-Donovan chats to Alecky Blythe about verbatim plays, the London Riots, and the ubiquity of three pound cappucinos. I met up with her in the Almeida Theatre during the run of her latest show Little Revolution , which explores the impact of the London Riots on a small community in Hackney, East London, using verbatim accounts from local residents.

Verbatim theatre is theatre created from real-life conversations. There are different levels of it, and I would put myself at the most extreme, purest end: nothing in any of my work has been fictionalised or made up in terms of what is said. On the other hand, someone like David Hare, who has also used verbatim techniques, works at the looser end of the spectrum to me.

Alecky blythe biography definition: Alecky Blythe never intended

Sometimes context or action is changed in my plays, but the actual words are the words said by those real-life people. I then edit those conversations and during the show the actors speak those real words. For me the advantage is the authenticity, which is first and foremost — I would find it difficult to write with that kind of truth and honesty.

To me pure verbatim theatre is brilliant, joyful, and illuminating. Do you think people come to watch for the story or the unusual method? The plays are a combination of the technique and a good story.