“Oh- It’s wonderful! Look Mummy isn’t it a beauty?” At this point you are pleased and extremely happy. In order to show how excited you are I suggest you jump out of your seat when you receive the ring and run to your mother, Mrs Birling. Your facial expression should show your happiness and pleasure. Your back should be slightly arched and your hands should be widely open in front of you. You should say the lines with great enthusiasm and amusement.
Moreover the audience would also see Sheila obedient towards her parents because when her father is about to make a speech for the family Sheila is still admiring her ring for example on page six she says,
“I’m sorry Daddy. Actually I was listening.” In order to show your seriousness you should look attentive as they all do and hold your gaze. Your body language should show your hands immediately windrowing to your sides. You should say the lines as if you are sorry with sincerity. J.B. Priestley is showing the audience that Sheila is a girl of her class and time and that it was very important to show the way you act in your class.
Furthermore not only does the audience see Sheila as a naive and shallow person but they also see her perspective towards Gerald such as on page three she says,
“Except for all that summer, when you never came near me.” This shows the audience that she sees more then meets the eye. I recommend that you should say this line half serious and half playful because this would show a slight suspicion but not too obvious. You should be sitting in your chair and be looking directly at Gerald eyes representing that she is challenging her future husband in order to show a feeling of distrust. This would create an impact to the audience to show that there is something going on.
Throughout act one a mysterious inspector shows up claiming a young girl committed suicide. The lighting in the play starts as light and warm, with a cosy and comfortable feeling, but when the inspector enters the room, its goes cold and gloomy. This would show the audience that there is more to the inspector and that he is not an ordinary character.
The next significant moment is when Sheila realizes Eva Smith’s suicide and her involvement. When the inspector arrives mysteriously and produces the photo to Sheila, I want you to look closely at the photograph and give look of recognition. I want your body language to show that you are shocked and give a little tremble. In order to portray this aspect of Sheila I suggest you give a half-stifled sob, and run out. The audience will see this as another side of Sheila thinking that she could not face up her fears.
The other critical moment is when Sheila comes back. When you enter the stage you should look directly into the inspector’s eyes. You look as if you were crying and appear to be confident although you are not as you are scared. In order to portray this aspect of Sheila you would be dressed less of the person you were in the beginning. You would wear less make-up and jewellery to further the enhance your change. You want to show to the audience that you are willing to face your responsibility and willing to accept your responsibility.
When you are telling your story about Eva Smith and your involvement, you should appear on stage with your make-up running down your face, your hair untidy and your dress not as elegant as before. You should be seated down on your chair looking at your hands remorsefully while the cast and the audience are watching. However when you say,
“I’ll never, never do it again to anybody” (page 24). You should jump out of your seat and look at your family as well as the inspector to show how you truly feel. I also want you to say your lines extremely sadly especially when you say,
“So I’m really responsible” (page 23). In order to show how miserable you are I would like you to look at the people on the stage and then onto the ground, representing that you are truly sorry. You should look concerned and distressed. Your right hand is wiping away tears as you begin to cry. J .B Priestley is showing us that Sheila is willing to accept her responsibilities. The audience would also see Sheila becoming less selfish and is thinking about others for a change.
Another drastic change in Sheila is when Sheila realizes that Gerald was involved with Eva Smith also known as Daisy Renton in Act two. At this point in the play, Sheila should wear no make-up and jewellery to represent that she has moved away from her materialistic manner. You should convey this by giving your engagement ring back to Gerald angrily yet sympathetically for instance when you say,
“Gerald, I think you’d better take this with you”. You should take the ring of irritably and very quickly. At this point and time the spotlight should only be used on you and Gerald to show both of you in the centre of the stage. This is a very dominant scene because not only has Sheila given up her materialistic manner but the way she sees Gerald has changed. She has seen him in a new light. This is further improved when she says,
“I don’t dislike you as I did half an hour ago, Gerald. In fact, in some odd way, I rather respect you more then I’ve ever done before” This is a vital line for Sheila because she has started to respect his responsibility his honesty and also In a way she has started to care and love for others. In order to convey this role of Sheila I advise you to hold his both his hands and look deep into Gerald’s eyes in a way which you have never looked at him before. You should show the emotion through your face by saying the lines with great meaning. Your voice should not be too low but not too loud either. J.B Priestley is showing us that Sheila is beginning to respect Gerald’s honesty as well as becoming mature.
In addition to what has happened Sheila is disgusted with her mother when she finds out her callousness towards Eva. She wants the rest of her family to own up their responsibility just as she has. For example,
“Mother, I think it was a cruel and vile.” (Page 43) I believe you should say this line with disgust and show the audience that you know what your mother has done was wrong but she appears to not. Besides this Sheila still does her best to convince her mother that she has done wrong for instance she says,
“Mother, she’s just died a horrible death-don’t forget.” (Page43) In order to remind your mother of what a terrible act she has done you should look frantically into her eyes as if waiting for some sort of answer. This would show the audience that Sheila is a mouthpiece of Priestley, just like the inspector. She is beginning to understand that if no one is going to own up to their responsibility she is going to give them that extra push, which both the family and audience would notice.
At the end of Act two, J.B. Priestly uses a dramatic technique which was suspense and tension. When the inspector is questioning Mrs Birling, Sheila finds out that Eric had gotten involved and attempts to stop her mother from saying anything she would regret. This show’s that not only does Sheila cares and loves for her brother but she wants to protect him as well as her family. J.B Priestley uses Sheila and Eric relationship because they can change society as the younger generation are easier to get through. Although their relationship wasn’t rock solid in the beginning they begin to get close throughout the end
Furthermore in Act three Sheila begins to notice why the inspector was actually there. Her whole attitude towards life and her family has changed. When the family find out that the inspector was just a fake and the story of Eva was untrue everyone goes back into their normal routine except from Sheila and Eric.
At this point you are left only wearing a long, simple black dress. This shows the audience that your change as a socialist is complete. You and Eric have been the only ones taking the whole thing seriously for instance,
“You’re pretending everything’s just fine as it was before” (Page 71) I recommend that you should say this line exceedingly passionately to show the audience just how much you have changed and have taken the whole incident seriously. Your voice should be loud just to show that everything that has happened happened for a reason and everything that has happened should be taken into consideration as a lesson. Your body language should show just how angry you are with your fists clenched to both sides. You have to show that you cannot understand how they cannot have learnt from the evening the same way you have. Sheila says,
“Nothing really happened”. (Page 71) In order to show just how annoyed and irritated you are you should say the lines with immense sarcasm. You should give direct eye contact to Mr Birling and challenge him. You have got to show him how much this ordeal has changed you as a person and how much you have seen both your parents in a new adverse light. You have got to show your family as well as the audience that you have faced your responsibility and well as learning from this experience. To finish off you should look repentant to everything that has happened and be ashamed.
I want you to know that Sheila is less of a girl of her time in the end of the play. She becomes a mouthpiece of Priestley by challenging her family. J.B Priestley makes Sheila express her ideas just like the inspector.
At the end of Act three J.B. Priestley uses another dramatic technique, which was a cliff hanger. When the phone rings and Mr Birling picks up the phone, and tells everyone what has happened. I want you to look like you are not surprised because, after all you were the first person to realize that the inspector was a fake. Then to finish of I want you to look at your parents appallingly with a disgusted face and then the stage would go black and the curtain closes.
In conclusion to this I hope you realize that Sheila has become a wiser person. She has changed a great deal. Her social conscience has been awakened and the person that she was at the beginning of the play has vanished forever. She is changed. I look forward from hearing from you soon.
Your sincerely
Razia Nasreen Mahmood
Director
