-
Learn a Line of a Character – What we did is basically what it says, ‘learn a line of a character’. We needed to show a good line from the play that portrayed a general adaptation of the character. We then got into groups with people that had the same character as each other and took it in turns to use our body language to show how our character would say this line. With each person taking it in turns, we were able to see how people viewed their character. We then looked at some of the other characters and established as a class their mood and tone. From this we were then able to come up with an assumption of what that character is like, certain features that they might have etc. With the group that were portraying Cook, for example, we were able to tell that she is a religious person with lines supporting this analysis such as ‘It’s all planned to His (God’s) purpose’ and ‘…make it as rich as the Earth God gave us’. Looking at these sort of lines can depict a character to be vain, indecisive confident etc. which can help us to better understand the world in which they live in.
-
Hot Seating – To get to know the characters better in the play we used a technique called ‘Hot Seating’. This is when we put one person on the spot portraying his character, and is then asked questions related to the character and responded as if he/she is that character. One character that we put on the spot was the ‘Shipowner’. She is a very sneaky character in the play, and makes a deal with the ‘Charterer’,
(another sneaky character) for a certain cargo to be delivered by the Skipper, even thought the Shipowner knows that his boat and the cargo that the Skipper will be carrying is both dangerous and lethal. When hot-seated she was asked why she goes along with this deal, and she responds that it is not her problem anymore, and even blames the Skipper for wanting another job so much after he has found out that his boat will stripped apart. Another character that was hot seated was the Engineer. He was asked why he is conning the Skipper, by repeatedly receiving pay from him when he only needed to be paid once. The Engineer replies that if you can then you might as well.
To explore this question he was then asked if money was important to him, which the Engineer replied to as yes. With hot seating you can explore beyond the play and see that there is a lot of back-story to each character, that they also have a mind of their own, their own agenda and their own purpose in the play.
-
Cross Cutting – This technique used in Drama is something that can be quite effective when used in the right context. Cross Cutting is when you see two sides of something by two different parties; and when someone wants to use this method it is usually in a context like Protestors vs. Those Harming. The way in which this is accomplished is by having them split apart from each other and the audience is the shown each side separately, so as one side finishes the others, like the Protestors, start their rebellion. It is a technique that shows the conflict between two sides, but without them ever interacting. This is good to have them split apart, so that the audience concentrate and identify more things from each side when they are separated as opposed to them interacting with each other where lines and some people’s body language are missed.
We used Cross Cutting in a similar way. We took an aspect of the storyline in Final Cargo, which was the barrels of toxic waste being transported by the Skipper, and was converted into a way that we could use. We got ourselves into groups and we then split into two. One half would be the ones loading the barrels onto the ship, and the other half would be the protestors fighting against the fact that dumping toxic waste in the water was wrong. Once we had done this we thought of how these people would react and create a short story between them. We took it in turns to show and view our points using Cross Cutting and this is how we did it:
Those Harming – Loading barrels onto ship.
(Those Harming Freeze)
Protestors – Are outside the gate protesting against this, holding up signs and are shaking the gate.
(Protestors Freeze)
Those Harming – Take notice of the protestors and shouting at them, telling them to go away.
(Those Harming Freeze)
Protestors – Start mouthing off the ones loading the barrels and lunges one of the protestors over the gate.
(Protestors Freeze)
To make our protest more interesting we had the ones Harming looking in one direction and the Protestors in a completely different direction to where the ones Harming were looking. As you can see it is a quick and paced bit of Drama, but when done correctly, it is an effective tool to use.
-
Forum Theatre – To get the whole class involved with the play and to work with each other as a group we did some Forum Theatre. This is when you act out a scene with a group and is then assessed by the rest of the class who will give you tips and how and what to change to make it an even better performance. When we did this we got into groups and acted out a certain scene from the play, which was then presented to the group. Using the Forum Theatre method we were then given advice on how to make it into a better performance and used their opinions and changed it instantly as we did it again straight after. Using a Forum Theatre lets you work together as a whole class and your ideas can be used and appreciated by other members, and it is also a very good way of creating a better performance.
All these strategies have enabled me to better understand the play and the way in which these characters live and react with each other and their surrounding world. We have been able to use certain methods to explore elements that cannot just be seen by reading the play.