The Development Starts - Devising

Now that we have an idea the next step was to develop the idea and begin to devise some work. Our first session when we were given the opportunity to start devising began with looking at some websites that we could use during the devising process as a resource that could help give us ideas. One particular website was http://shortstoryideas.herb.me.uk/characters.htm which had a range of tools to help create character names, as well as story titles, opening lines and plot twists.

The above image shows an example of a character created on shortstoryideas and as well as a name a small profile has been created to give a starting point if we were having a trouble coming up with ideas.

Once we had experimented with the websites we did an exercise where as a class we had to create names, titles, opening lines, themes and locations on pieces of paper and then each group had to pick one of each of the five options. This exercise was like a Do-It-Yourself way of creating story ideas and we had to use at least two of our pieces of paper to create a two minute opening for our piece.

Our group decided to use the name Shirley Wirley and the name of the house given in the title "Bumblefluff Mansion". We began by seeing how we could incorporate our selected story elements into our existing idea.

As we were already looking at retelling the story of “The Three Little Pigs” we thought of the possibility of incorporating another fairytale into our story to create a fractured fairytale. We decided that Shirley Wirley would be “Little Red Riding Hood” who is off to see her Grandma. As Shiquerra happened to be wearing a red bandana that day we were able to use that as a representation of her “Red Hood”. As we wished to put a twist on the traditional fairytales we made Shirley more like a stroppy teenager rather than a sweet girl and so she opens the scene by yelling for her mum like a stereotypical teenager would.

We then looked at having Shirley (Red Riding Hood) meeting another fairytale character  allowing us to cross over stories and so we brought in one of the Three Little Pigs as well as the “Big Bad Wolf”. We quite liked the idea of “everything is not as it seems” and so we experimented with the Pig being slightly strange when he meets Shirley and warns her of the Wolf and his final line is “There are far more scary things in this wood”, which we hoped to use as a way of foreshadowing the twist in our tale. We then introduced the Wolf and wanted him to appear “scary” but mistaken at the same time. When our opening had been performed Ella suggested that there could be something in Scarlett’s basket that has captured the Wolf’s attention and that is what he is after rather than Scarlett. This would then be the first of many moments when the Wolf is mistaken for bring big and bad when really he is nice.

As our opening only featured four characters (Scarlett, her mum, a pig, and the wolf) Sam and I took directing roles so that everyone got involved in the devising of this scene. I suggested that the Pig (Matt) would circle Scarlett when he meets her much like a predator would circle their prey to show that the Pig is not quite as innocent as they are in the original fairytale. We also wanted the conversation between Scarlett and the Pig to build up an image of the “Big Bad Wolf” in the audience’s minds so that when we reveal later in the story that this is a misconception it should hopefully come as a surprise. The Pig goes about describing the Wolf as having “piercing red eyes” and “razor, sharp eyes” and this was a reference to Little Red Riding Hood describing the size of her Grandma’s eyes, ears, and teeth when the Wolf has dressed up.

Our opening was received well and people liked the idea of us twisting around a well known fairytale. Having created an opening we decided we wanted to stick with it as we liked the idea of using more than one fairytale and wished to see what other references we could fit into our piece.