A similar theme ran through Dust, although it wasn’t true love, a major theme was the value of true friendship and how this would always win. This was shown through the true relationship between Flavia and Achillia, and the false, shallow friendships between Achillia and Amazon, and Flavia and Chloe. The main over all themes was being true to yourself and knowing who you are. This was explored by the protagonist Flavia, who constantly had her personality dictated to her and was told by Bo and Amazon to be herself despite what others said.
One similarity between the two pieces was the idea of true relationships, with Flavia and Amazon in Dust, and Knoon-She and Chang in Willow Pattern. These relationships proved to be the strongest, the relationships that triumphed in the end. Another similarity was the understanding of oneself. In Willow Pattern Knoon-She knew that she wanted Chang and this was what would make her happy so she remained true to herself, stood her ground, and followed her dreams. In the same way that Flavia did in Dust when she decided to decline everyone’s advice, be herself and follow her heart. Another comparison is the presence of death in both plays. In Willow Pattern Chang and Knoon-She were murdered, and in Dust Amazon was killed. Also in Dust, Boudicca talked about the after life. Another thing the productions had in common was the feeling of loneliness. This was developed in Willow Pattern when Knoon-She was fenced in and was forbidden to see Chang, and many times in Dust when Flavia was rejected by the gang or the girly glads, when she was stranded on the tube before and after the explosion, and when Amazon was killed.
Willow Pattern was a tragedy. This was apparent in many parts of the play, such as: when Knoon-She was fenced in; when the Mandarin talked of the death of his wife; when Knoon-She was forced by her father to marry someone against her will; the way in which the mandarin treat the doves he had given his daughter as a gift; the promise of revenge from the Mandarin when Knoon-She, Chang and Min escaped; and when the Mandarins pure rage lead to the death of his daughter and her lover. To emphasise the element of tragedy, music dance and light were used to reflect the mood.
Dust however was a tragic comedy. The tragic elements were reflected in scenes such as the following: the relationship problems on so many different levels; the explosion on the tube; the monologue of the woman with a baby in which the audience discover she actually murdered her child through extreme poverty; and the murder of Amazon by her supposed best friend Achillia, causing Flavia having to fight Achillia. The comedy appeared in several parts such as: the many routines and comebacks from the girly-glads; the entrance and monologue of Bo; and Carpophorus being stung by a bee.
Willow Pattern used a very elaborate set, although created scenery simply with people and cloths. The stage permanently had a small tiered staging ensemble at the very back and the willow pattern plate, and halfway through houses were brought on. The set remained very elaborate though simplistic through the use of lanterns, banners and parasols. Dancers also used ribbons, flags and fans.
The set of Dust was very minimal, consisting only of a floor cloth and three benches. The scenes where changed by characters and using props such as large flags to add depth and colour to the stage.
The two pieces had many differences, the most immediate being the time they were set, with Willow Pattern being oriental and Dust being in roman times and also modern day. Willow Pattern used two narrators to tell the story, whereas Dust used none and told the story through scenes in chronological order. Although both productions were based upon a relationship, the type of relationship differed. Willow Pattern was based around a love relationship of two people, and Dust was based around a group of friendships. Another difference between the two was the way Willow Pattern used dance and more music than Dust.
In Willow Pattern I played the mandarin’s daughter, Knoon-She and in Dust, a 15 year old girl called Flavia. Knoon-She was different from Flavia in many ways. The first of which was Knoon-She’s headstrong ways. She was a very feisty character who knew her mind and remained true to herself from start to end. She was a very lively character, sometimes a little over excitable, and giggled a lot; she was a generally happy person. However Flavia was very unsure of herself throughout the play until the final scenes. She lacked confidence and was willing to change her personality to fit in with others; she followed the crowd and yearned for acceptance. An obvious difference between the two roles was that Knoon-She died but Flavia did not. A similarity was that each character finally had the confidence to do what they wanted to do. Knoon-She braved defying her father to be with Chang, and Flavia had the courage to put an end to her shallow friendship with Chloe