"An Inspector Calls" is a play written by J.B. Priestley in 1945.

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An Inspector Calls

“An Inspector Calls” is a play written by J.B. Priestley in 1945. He set the play in 1912 about a family of Capitalists who don’t realise how their actions affect other people. In 1954 a film adaptation directed by Guy Hamilton was produced, and subsequently in 1992 a Royal National Theatre production, directed by Stephen Daldry, was created.

The themes of the play are related to JB Priestley’s own viewpoints as a socialist, so that he can convey his message whoever reads the play. Primarily the main theme of the play is the Capitalists dominance, and their relationship with the Socialists. Other themes of the play include sense of community, male dominance and inequality.

I have decided to stage a section of the play from where Eric says “He could laugh his head off- if I knew it really was all a hoax”, to the end. My play will be set in the modern day; I have decided to do this as the themes of Capitalist and Labour, inequality and power of the wealthy are still hugely relevant today. Furthermore in doing so the play will attract a greater audience, appealing to the younger generation. I believe if I kept the play set in 1912 the audience would feel that it was massively outdated and many people would soon become disinterested, and consequently neglect the message of the play.

The play will be set in a beautiful mansion suggesting the powerful status of the Birling’s. Ivy will be growing on the front of the house, insinuating that the Birling’s have secluded themselves from the outside world. The scene is set in a lavish front room inside the house. The room is painted crimson connoting the family’s connection to the death of Eva Smith. The room is decorated with a large and ornate chandelier. A door is situated at in the far left corner of the room. A fireplace can be seen in the middle of the back wall. There is a portrait above the fireplace of Mr. Birling holding a cigar in one hand and a bundle of notes in the other; this is to illustrate his dominance over the household and his love for money. On the right of the fireplace there is a white leather settee, this is to show the time period in which it is set and it is white to contrast with the crimson walls. Beside this settee on the left there is a small circular table, and upon this is a black cordless phone. The floor is light brown floorboards; this is to remind us of the contemporary setting. Earlier in the play the family was gathered around a dining table, however I decided it was impractical to keep the dining room on the stage for the next scenes as it would get in the way. Therefore the scene with the dining table in takes place in a different room. In the original script the whole play takes place in the same room, which is why I also think that changing the room will maintain the audience’s interest.

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The characters in my play will look different to as they would have in the original production as it is set in the modern day. Mr. Birling looks as if he is in his sixties. He has grey hair which he combs over to the right if his face, and pale green eyes. The paleness shows his lack of empathy with others, and the colour green implies his thirst for money. Birling is a rather large man, and speaks in a low pitched, hoarse voice. This is to suggest his status of power.

His wife, Mrs. Birling looks ...

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