ABSTRACT
A play has a shape. This might seem obvious: it is an event that takes place over a specific period of time, with a beginning and an end. But in different cultures and at different historical times, the shape of the play in between the beginning and the end has varied enormously. A playwright will tell you that part of his or her task is to give the play its shape and structure – and good actors will instinctively know if a structure is ‘not working’. In a group-created piece of new theatre, this task should be just as important: the structure of your play is the great guide for the audience in the journey you are taking them on.
