Broadly speaking, the skills and conventions of the theatre were established hundreds if not thousands of years ago and have been shaped by experience over countless generations. For example, Aristotle's ideas concerning plot remain as true as ever, while the "show, don't tell" principle is a strongly empirical finding that playwrights ignore at their peril.

This is not to say that theatrical skills and conventions are entirely set in stone, however. The last century has seen remarkable developments in play-writing and production techniques, and it is well worth exploring how such developments came about and considering how they may inspire our work as playwrights. Accordingly, the following paragraphs outline a number of non-theatrical techniques and technologies that may inspire creative use of theatrical resources.

Film

The principal catalyst for change has undoubtedly been the emergence of the medium of film. Film generally conforms to many of the conventions of theatre, for example in terms of plot and characterisation, but its freedom from the constraints of theatrical space and time open up new horizons that have been exploited by film-makers from the outset. Specifically:

• Plot and characters can move with complete freedom through space and along altered time-lines.
• Close-up photography enables film-makers not only to show the subtlest nuances of expression or emotion but also to impose upon the audience a very narrow view of the action.
• Scenes are typically shorter, not least because film carries none of the practical penalties of complex scene changes.
• Animated cartoons and puppetry redefine the boundaries between vocal and visual characterisation and extend the range of possible action beyond the erstwhile limits of realism.
• Special effects can be rendered completely realistically, especially on account of the astonishing development of image manipulation technologies in the last twenty years or so.

No less importantly, film makers' pioneering work in sound recording has been a formative factor in the development of present day theatrical technologies (discussed below).

Radio Drama

Whilst radio drama is obviously rooted in the theatrical tradition to a large extent, it also has strong literary connections because of its non-visual nature. For example, plot and characterisation in radio drama are essentially theatrical but, since the listener cannot see the action, radio dramatists must also call upon the descriptive powers of novelists to some extent.

The world of contemporary theatre may not have as much to learn from radio writing as it does from film, but a few points are particularly worth noting:

• The heightened use of language employed by radio writers to overcome the complete absence of visual cues is a source of inspiration for theatre writers wishing to extend their creative powers.
• Specific radio-writing disciplines such as beginning with a crisis in order to capture a non-committed audience may not be essential in the theatre (where the audience, having paid for their seats, are more committed), but are helpful in informing the process of writing for theatre.
• The use of narrators, who have never really been necessary in the show-don't-tell world of the theatre, nevertheless opens up new creative possibilities.
• The crucial importance and creative potential of sound in radio writing have been important catalysts in the twentieth century revolution in sound recording and engineering techniques.

See Paddy Gormley's Exciting Writing for Radio course notes for further details.

Improvisation (Radio, Film & Television)

The huge increase in radio and television programming over more than half a century has led to a general trend away from carefully scripted exchanges and towards naturally flowing discourse. Whilst the script remains fundamentally important to drama in any medium, the words actually spoken by actors, particularly in film and television productions, need not necessarily conform with the writer's intentions.

Theatre Technology

Theatrical technology has also undergone significant development in the last fifty years or so, with the result that aural and visual realism are now much more readily available in stage productions.

Particularly important in this context is the universal availability of sound recording and projection systems. Convincing aural landscapes and sound effects that were once difficult if not impossible to achieve are now within financial reach of the humblest theatres. Theatre directors tend to avoid intricate soundtracks on the basis that the theatre is about dramatic action rather than aural realism.

However, there is no doubt that the theatrical experience may be greatly enhanced through judicious use of voice recording and projection technologies. Projection systems that alter the tone, dynamics and directionality of voices may enable the audience to gain new insights into the action being played out on stage, for example if a character's madness is played out through a multi-directional sound system.

Writers may also find inspiration in other theatrical technologies such as computerised lighting and special effects systems, stage lifts, drum revolves, etc. Having found the inspiration however, it is probably safest to write plays that do not depend too heavily on technologies that are prohibitively expensive or arcane.