John Godber's Writing Style

Throughout Bouncers there is a constant flow of energy and charisma and I believe this is predominately to do with John Godber's stylisation of his plays. They are usually made up of four elements, the first being multi-rolling in which Godber introduces a diverse range of characters condensed into averagely lengthened plays all portrayed by a small cast, really calling on them to distinguish each character and the actors change in character. Which brings me to the second element, Stereotyping; Godber stereotypes his characters often making them comedic, and so brings life into the performance, as well as distinct. Playing to stereotypes also means that his plays are written not necessarily to be played realistically but more so melodramatically and in some ways more vaudeville. Thirdly, Godber uses Brechtian distancing techniques in his narratives, like that of the girls as 'Rosie's boyfriend Patrick is seen kissing another', adding more of a vaudeville feel and breaking the fourth wall, further engaging the audience, giving them an added sense of involvement. Finally, John is very specific in the way that he writes and the language that he uses, from time to time he wants his actors to speak in harmony, other time it will be to use the correct slang for the given circumstances of the play, for Bouncer this is up North. Godber writes in such a way that no added text or improvisation is needed; unfortunately as we have had to cut parts of our Bouncer's script, this specific type of writing is not as clear and so at times, improvisation does feel needed and beneficial to the performance.