What's one up from "a bit groggy"? Dazed, perhaps? Whatever it is: I am it, this morning, following another intoxicating night of theatre (and 2 modest glasses of red wine when I got home!)
[07:02:
I have accidentally published this post, before I have even started on what I thought of the plays! Ah well, this would have been an overlong introduction anyway, so please continue until you get bored ... for my take on the plays themselves, please see the next post. Ed.]
The Adjudicator's Nightmare: or, A Can of Worms,
by ["for", shurely? Ed.] Ronnie Mackie
Ronnie Mackie, the adjudictor could be forgiven for feeling something similar towards the end of the night, as he faced the prospect of conveying his thoughts on the 3 plays presented, and (even more difficult than last night, probably) picking a winner from amongst them. Although he admitted that being faced with 3 such very different plays can be thought of as "an adjudicator's nightmare" [A possible title of a future one act play? - Ed.], if he was dazed, confused or daunted, he showed little outward sign, reminding us that his job is not to compare the plays in the Festival (or to choose, directly, between them). His job is to assign marks to each, independently (and as objectively as he can), using the marking system provided by the SCDA for the purpose. Winning a Festival, he might have said, is a by-product of being allocated marks - on the merits and faults with each individual company's performance on the night it is given - by the adjudicator, according to the marking system:
Helpfully, the Festival program provides everyone with a clear (and heavily capitalised) description of what is given to the adjudicator:
Marking System for Adjudication
Adjudication is conducted on the following system of marking:
ACTING - 40 marks
Characterisation, Audibility, Tone, Emphasis, Gesture, Movemement
DIRECTION - 35 marks
Interpretation, Team Work, Pace, Variation in Tempo, Grouping, Climax
STAGE PRESENTATION - 15 marks
Setting, Properties, Lighting, Costumes, Make-up
GENERAL ACHIEVEMENT - 10 marks
Dramatic Merit of Play, Originality in Choice, Experimental Work, Un[i]ty, and Effectiveness of Performance, General Impression
Given that structure, it is for the adjudicator to decide, for each play independently of the others, how many marks in each category are deserved by the performance he sees in front of him, and therefore how many marks out a possible [Impossible, shurely? Ed.] 100 each team receives. Although this system is sometimes described as "objective", in fact, it looks to me more like an objective structure for at least 4 subjective assessments by one person of each play! Not perfect, say some; but how could it be done better, respond others. All possible answers to be discussed at length, with passion, with variation in tone, volume and pace, and with beer, in the Sailing Club at the after Festival party on Friday night! [BTW: The parties have been improving in recent years: let's hope the winning teams - and, of course, by that stage we will, in a sense, be winners, losers and other things (!) - choose to celebrate in the Sailing Club with the rest of us, if humanly possible! Ed.]
My way of avoiding this subject if you go on about it too intensely for too long at the bar is to agree with you that the system should be changed: I think, I will say, that each team should still be marked by the adjudicator, and winners chosen on each night (but purely to satisfy each audience's lust for a victor, and so that they can disagree passionately with the decision). The teams should be divided ("objectively" by one single adjudicator) into those whose performance has the potential adequately to represent Orkney at the Northern Division (and, subsequently, possibly, at the Scottish or British Finals), and those that do not. Finally, the teams to progress to the next round should be drawn from amongst the first group, by lots. Clearly insane .....
If you would like to hear Ronnie's take on the evening, and could not get a ticket to be among the 300 or so people who were in the audience, you can hear him once again this morning (and on Friday) on BBC Radio Orkney . For my opinion, please see the next post ... for me it is breakfast time!
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