I got this idea because when he first brings up that he has something to tell her, she instantly knows something is wrong by the strange actions of her son who is pacing up and down and she asks him anxiously, with a worried tone what is wrong. As she said the word ‘what’ the volume of her voice increased showing that she was alarmed.
As he went on to explain, he stuttered his words a little, as if it was hard for him to say, and this built tension. As Mrs Alding was getting more worried as you could tell by the way her voice increased in pace and how she caught her son by the arm wanting him to confess what was bothering him.
As he told her his problem, you could see that he was nervous and ashamed of himself through his shaking body and pale, pained facial expression and his wavering voice sounded so sad as if he would cry and also the pale complexion showing signs of the illness itself. He buried his face in his hands because he was so ashamed got so wound up that he pleaded for his mother’s forgiveness by throwing himself at his her knees in and outburst of sobs, creating levels between the two characters showing how much respect Oswald had for his mother.
At first Mrs Alding argued that it could not be true, while trembling and shaking her head in disbelief. She then reacted to this showing she was a worried and concerned mother rather than anything else as she drew a chair up beside him, instead of sitting across the room to show that she supports her son and comforted him son by putting her arm around him. This created a good connection between the two characters and it was clearly visible to the audience.
10
These actors were good at engaging the audience with their loud voices and varying tone of voice to keep the audience interested. They not only showed off their skills in the scene where Oswald tells his mother of his sickness but also in other scenes such as the one where there is a fire in the children’s home at the end of the play. The actors made sure to grab the audience’s attention as it was a very significant part in the play. They did this by using gestures and frantically looking out the window and running to the door. Their facial expressions showed that of confusion as to how it was possible that it could actually be on fire but I feel the most effective way they done this was with the use of their voice. All eyes were on them as they were speaking frantically and more high pitched than normal showing their distress. The pace at which they spoke was sped up and so much was happening on stage at once that I felt so involved sitting in the audience. The clarity of their voice was affected due to the speed at which they were talking and to convey how they were feeling frantic about the situation.
Overall I felt that these actors had a real impact on me with the way they performed and I felt that they really engaged the audience so that we were able to empathise with them.
