"I have just returned from Melbourne, where we completed a five-day workshop on my new play (and our new Auto Da Fe Theatreproject), EVERYMAN & THE POLE DANCERS. The work was divided into three stages with Noriko Tadano (our wonderful composer) recording the musical material at first, followed by my individual sessions with the actors, who then were to examine the influence of the speech-specific music on the text, in order to introduce possible changes to the major monologues.
Our primary goal was finding the characters’ individual voices, expressed through their language, and this is largely what we focused on during the workshops. The outcome was not all as expected, but nevertheless the work was, as ever, very exciting and interesting (maybe with the exception of one of the cast – Matt Crosby – temporarily losing his voice in the process- an event neither exciting nor interesting but a bit annoying and a bit funny in it's manifestation). As a result of the experiment I will be introducing some changes to the script. We also found that some fragments of the play proved stronger on their own than with the music, an unexpected discovery, but welcome as any realisation. In these instances previously scripted musical notes will have to make way for words.
Our actors, being such a wonderful and committed bunch of artists, ensured that I have plenty of material to work back through in the next few months, before we start the proper rehearsal period in September. Some of the cuts are already out. Some of the re-writes are already in. I can only say that it's been an incredibly successful week in the office.
This workshop enabled me to get together with some of the most accomplished Melbourne actors. Their input, which draws on their insights and knowledge of the stage craft, I rate as invaluable. However, the way I see it, the whole process doesn’t end here. When we meet again the editing and polishing of the text will continue, right until the day we open (at the Metanoia Theatre in Brunswick; Melbourne) - possibly even until the day we draw curtains on the last performance (at the Shinjuku Ryozanpaku Studio Theatre; Tokyo).
As we all know, theatre is an ever transforming form of art. No performance is the same each night. The production lives its own life and so does the play. It is a living being. It’s a process. We have initiated this process and Playwriting Australia has come aboard to support us and to make possible the further development of what we believe to be a fresh and exciting new play/project. We are grateful for the opportunity they provided us. Each day we spend working on the script makes the final outcome better. Thank you Playwriting Australia for recognising the potential in our project and supporting the always creative and often demanding process it requires to bring to fruition.
Lech Mackiewicz"
Some photographs by Adam Hanuszkiewicz from the workshop: 
Jane Bayly, Lech Mackiewicz, Matt Crosby
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