This August, Bolt Studios will be bringing Patrick Hamilton’s classic play ‘Rope’ to life. Therefore, I sat down with director Owen Warren to discuss the drama and how he will approach it.
How will your version of ‘Rope’ differ from other adaptations of the play, and what will you bring to the story?
“Well I've only seen the Alfred Hitchcock movie, and it's very different from the play itself. That film is updated to the time it was released and it’s also set in America, and some of the characters are different. So I wouldn’t say I had any huge influence from that film. The play reads very differently. There’s a lot to do with class, and the idea of this superiority complex. I found that very interesting. I think it’s a great movie as well, but again it reads very differently.”
Are you sticking strictly to the original script, or are you going to change it up a bit or put your own spin on it?
“Pretty much. I was completely open to changing whatever. But ultimately the way it is now is pretty dead on. The only thing really is there’s an element in the play where the character of Camillo plays the piano and it raises the tension. But I got rid of it because it just didn’t sit right with me personally. But yeah especially the dialogue is dead on. I’ve been pretty hard on all the actors to make sure they have all the lines word for word because it’s very eloquent and it’s perfect and it’s pretty top tier writing really. That was certainly something I didn’t want to change, the words that they spoke.”
How do you feel about doing it online rather than doing it in front of a live audience?
“Honestly I’m ok with filming it, because I always liked the idea that with film, you have it forever. So we’ll have this performance of ‘Rope’ recorded even though it’s still very much a theatre production. And also, it’s not something I’m hugely into at the moment, the idea of audience interaction. It’s not really a play where you’re trying to make people laugh and bounce off the audience. It’s very much a prepared and rehearsed play that the actors bring energy to. So it doesn’t feel like we’re losing anything per-say, it’s just different. So I was happy to do a recorded version of it. There’s still going to be an audience, an audience is an audience.”
So this is your first time directing a play, how do you feel about it? Are you nervous or excited?
“In my experience of making short films, I never get nervous because I know come hell or high water I can just make sure it’s good on the day. I can do several takes, make sure people are good. I guess the thing that would make a director nervous in theatre is it's out of your hands from when the play begins to when it ends. Even though we are recording it, it is still very much a play. So I guess I am a little nervous but it’s more exciting. We’re still in the midst of rehearsals, we’re about to resume them soon. It’s all about making sure the actors are as sharp as they can be, making sure everything is right, and putting your trust in them. It’s their responsibility to carry it from when it begins to when it ends.”
‘Rope’ will be live on the Everyman website from the 30th of August to the 8th of September. Tickets for sale here: https://everymancork.com/events/rope/