Transcript to Script: Turning oral history into plays for stage and radio

This course presents a brief history of oral history theatre and an overview of the various forms it can take, including strict documentary theatre using named individuals, verbatim theatre, the creation of a set of fictional characters using ‘actuality’ dialogue, the use of oral history as research material for scripting, and improvisation around memory without a transcript.

Using illustrations from various productions, there will be an examination of the ground rules for turning transcript material into dialogue, of the use of music, song and non-verbal storytelling, of the incorporation of documentary history (as opposed to oral history) elements into the script, of the overall shaping of the work and of the contract with the audience.

The course will involve practical activity, actually turning transcripts into dialogue and action.

By the end of the course, participants should have a clear idea of the options open to them for creating theatre from oral history and have acquired some of the basic skills for putting together such a script. In addition participants will have learned about the major artistic, ethical and legal issues involved.

Participants do not need to have experience as a playwright, although it would be useful to have read some theatre scripts, if only to have some idea of presentation on the page. Previous attendance on the Introduction to Oral History training course, while desirable, is not required.

Pre-course reading

Pre-course reading will be distributed to participants by email.

Course structure

This online training course is delivered over Zoom video call. Each course is run over two morning sessions, 9.30am – 1.15pm. In between the two sessions participants complete a practical script-writing exercise using transcript extracts provided, and then send their scripts to the course administrator.

The training programme covers the following areas:

Introduction to oral history-based theatre
• Brief history of genre in UK including the Radio Ballads, Victoria Theatre in Stoke, The Living Archive, Age Exchange, the National Theatre and BBC productions
• Oral history as research material only
• Fictional characters but words from the tape
• Non-fictional characters: strict and loose forms of documentary/ ‘verbatim’ theatre
• Improvising around memory without transcript

Telling the story
• Planning the interviews and other research for the project
• Deciding upon what the story actually is
• Shaping the script
• Ground rules for creation of documentary dialogue
• Use of direct and indirect speech
• Use of music, song and non-verbal story-telling
• Incorporation of non-oral documentary material
• The contract with the audience
• Combining sources: oral history and documents
• Writing for radio, writing for stage

Creating the script
• An example of oral history as central research for drama
• An example of documentary theatre
• Introducing material to be turned into scenes.

Legal and ethical issues, and archiving the script

Reading and comparing scripts prepared by the group

Examples of verbatim theatre

Course prices

2026
Full attendance fee: £162.00
OHS member fee: £119.00

OHS membership starts at £39 per year for an individual. For more information and to sign up follow this link to the memberships page.

How to Book

Please note:

• • • There will be no refunds for cancelled places
    • Due to high demand and in order to ensure that each course has attendees with a variety of interests and backgrounds, a maximum of two people from any one institution may attend each course.

The following OHS training dates are available:

If there are currently no dates found for courses please contact the training administrator if you would like to be notified of any future dates