What Happens Now? An exploration of isolation and loss in theatre during the coronavirus pandemic

This thesis is a Practice as Research Masters in Theatre Studies; the work in this paper follows the process undertaken, which led to the creation of a play for stage, entitled What Happens Now? During the coronavirus pandemic of 2020, I decided to research theatre which had gained my interest during the period of national lockdown, and in turn developed a new piece of theatre which spoke of experiences during this time. In doing this I am to consider whether theatre created during the pandemic can encapsulate the feeling of isolation and loss that many felt during this time. In this thesis, I explore theatre which sparked my interest during the pandemic, considering how they reflect isolation and loss, often by means of a solo performance, such as Death of England: Delroy (2020) and Three Kings (2020). Research is, then, developed by comparing qualitative content collated by means of an ethically approved survey and one-to-one interviews, with experiences of others in the arts industry, during the pandemic. I, then, investigate the form of verbatim theatre, considering the possibilities, and limitations, it could offer me in my own verbatim writing, through exploration of verbatim plays such as London Road (2015) and Blackwatch (2010). This then leads me to the final chapter where I use the previous chapters findings to build the playscript What Happens Now and the creation of the play for a first scratch performance.