For our stage production of Great Expectations, I began by reading Dickens's novel, since I knew that it would supply intricate details about plot and character that would not be included in Neil Bartlett's adaptation. I then compiled over 25 dramaturgical notebooks for the cast and crew members, with a wealth of information to assist and inspire them in their work.
In addition to a Performance Glossary for the play, I also included sections on the historical context of the action, as well as a publication history and plot overview of the novel, since I knew that many of the actors and crew members would be so preoccupied with their work on the production that they might not have an opportunity to read the entire novel, which runs to several hundred pages.
I also compiled a photo essay detailing several geographical locations in the novel, and included a map of Dickens's London. The director, Lucy Maycock, suggested that I investigate Henry Mayhew's London Labour and the London Poor (1851), and I found some excellent descriptive passages to include in the notebook, as well as an insightful article on the practice of transporting convicts by prison ship in 19th century England.
Because we actually were dealing with two authors in this project, I also did some research into the biographies of both Dickens and the playwright, Neil Bartlett. In a section titled "The Life and Times of Charles Dickens," I provided an overview of Dickens's life and body of work, as well as a discussion of his theatrical endeavors and public readings. I also included selected chapters and passages from the novel for the individual actors who were playing different characters in the production.
Finally, for fun, I included Chapter 31 of Great Expectations titled "Mr. Wopsle plays Hamlet," which is very entertaining reading for anyone involved in theatre, and I researched "Beggar My Neighbor," an English card game (similar to "War") that is mentioned in the novel--and provided rules and instructions on how it is played (in Bartlett's play, Estella and Pip engage in a game of cards onstage).
