Swimming in air (creative writing component): the role of the imagination from a scriptwriting and performance viewpoint in Peter pan (1904), The emperor's new clothes (1934) and The small poppies (1989) (dissertation component)

[Truncated] The creative component and the thesis study is centred on a creative writing project titled Swimming in Air, which was developed while investigating the role of the imagination from a scriptwriting and performance viewpoint in J. M. Barrie‟s Peter Pan (1904), Charlotte Chorpenning‟s The Emperor‟s New Clothes (1934) and David Holman‟s The Small Poppies (1989). The three plays were chosen due to the playwights‟ textual devices associated with: a world-within-a-world scene structure, the literary object, imaginary objects and the imaginary companion. Certain scriptwriting and “possible” performance devices used in the three plays served to influence the writing and creative development of Swimming in Air in order to challenge the reader and future audience member to envisage the “invisible” onto the stage.
The creative component: Swimming in Air
Swimming in Air has been written for young people aged seven and over, which would either be produced as an “in theatre” and/or “in school” theatre production for a medium to large audience as well as with multimedia/technological and puppetry/visual requirements. I therefore envisage the reader, the future director and performers of the play will utilise their imagination when reading and/or presenting this work for young people. While writing this play, I have also kept in mind that first, the creative component is a playtext that is to be read, and second that the play has the potential to be performed. The script consists of twelve condensed scenes with multiple themes embedded throughout, which explore morality and the importance of the role of the imaginary character in young people‟s lives. When produced, the play would run for approximately fifty minutes to one hour of stage time.