The Creative Process

Robbie Blake, preliminary score

This is Robbie Blake’s first attempt at producing a graphic score inspired by Brian Friel’s archives at the National Library of Ireland. This sketch includes a legend of the various graphics used and what performance task they represent:

walk/run on spot
stop/restart
(dream-) dance (dance as self-expression)
faster/some other change tbc
travel + dance tbc

The second page includes thoughts on what the piece is about: effort, release, relentlessness; dance as self-expression. It also includes some explorations around different combinations of live and pre-recorded elements: video, audio, live running; ear-plugs.

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The Creative Process

Robbie Blake's transcription of Friel's markings

This is Robbie Blake’s transcription of markings made by Brian Friel on a page of notes towards Dancing at Lughnasa (1990).

Related Manuscript

this nagging idea of Dance

Among Friel’s preoccupations whilst writing Dancing at Lughnasa (1990) were what he called ‘this nagging idea of dance’ on the one hand and the extent to which the play’s form should be naturalistic on the other.

Related Manuscript

Michael's monologue

This draft of Michael’s opening/closing monologue from Dancing at Lughnasa (1990) features some of the ways in which Friel would annotate his notes.

The Creative Process

Robbie Blake, 'Running the ending' score

This is Robbie Blake’s original graphic score (pp. 1-5) for their live performance piece ‘Running the ending’, which is featured in this exhibition as a short film and which was inspired by Blake’s engagement with the Brian Friel Papers at the National Library of Ireland.