Comparing 'Coram Boy' with my devised piece

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                                             Drama Coursework

   The two plays I will write about are my devised piece and ‘Coram Boy’ written as a novel by Jamila Gavin and adapted for stage by Helen Edmundson.

  My devised piece was very different to Coram Boy, although it had some similar elements in it. It had a very fluid structure, with undefined scenes that merge into each other via smooth transitions. My devised piece was in chronological order however time was abstract, and some parts of the play fast –forwarded slightly in time. In the latter stages of the piece, some lines were repeated from previous parts of the play, however these were parts of the main character’s memory. The piece was quite abstract, some scenes showing naturalistic conversation (such as the ‘generals talking to the main character Colonel Armstrong), and other parts that showed complete abstraction, often depicting Colonel Armstrong’s deteriorating mental health. Genre-wise, my devised piece was a tragic play, showing the brutality of military life, with occasional comical elements.

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  Coram Boy is also a fairly abstract piece; however there is a much more naturalistic feel to the dialogue and movements of the characters. The plot is clearly linear and all characters are portrayed in a very realistic way. Like my devised piece, there are no defined scene changes, even when the characters move location, but the set changes very noticeably as this is done, helping the audience depict a new setting.  The play is very stylised, and the action tense. The set and costumes are extremely lavish and expensive, using many different lighting states and music to make ...

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