The director could make actors pause at points in their lines in order to out line important phrases and make the characters look more realistic by making it look like the are thinking of what to do next. On example were this would work well in my chosen part of the play would be when Mrs. Birling first realises its Eric that she has been condemning ‘But surely (pause) I mean (pause) it’s ridiculous’.
The character’s costumes could be used to show established social order and in turn provoke tension and anger. Examples of this are, Mrs. Birling will have a much bigger glamorous dress then Eva Smith and Mr Birling would have a better-made suit than the Inspector. This last example provokes tension between the characters because although Mr. Birling is higher up in social status than the Inspector he is almost powerless to do any thing to help his family. He has no social conscious.
The characters voices can be used to make the atmosphere tense on stage by having Mr. Birling’s voice big and powerful to start when he opposes the Inspector but then when he gets a reply from the Inspectors calm voice he should become quieter and less powerful and commanding.
The character’s facial expressions make the atmosphere by changing to show what the character is feeling. Examples of this are, when the character has heard something bad and is surprised but frightened their head pull back and every thing on their face opens up, when there angered and their temper is fraying every thing on their face screws up and their had juts forward. One example of when Mrs. Birling is angered is when she says ‘you’re behaving like an…’
The characters status on stage is created mostly by their location. The Inspector is a small man but to make him have status you have him located down stage to make him look big to the audience because he is closer to them. To make Eric small I would have the door he comes through at the end of act two up stage so he looks small to the audience because he is further away. The characters status on stage causes tension because of the social order at that time within a family. The father is highest, and then mothers, then the sons, then the daughters.
The character’s movements also affect the characters status. One good example of this in my chosen pages of the play is when Mr. Birling finds Eric is the father of Eva Smith’s baby and says ‘Look Inspector’. At the start of that phrase he is all mighty and powerful and would be standing up face to face with the Inspector, he would be dominating the Inspector. However at the end of his speech he would be sat down on a chair holding his head in his hands.
The setting and background of the stage would be of a large room with a fireplace at the centre of one wall and glass and china ornaments situated around on glass-shelved coves next to the chimneybreast. There will also be a rich rug on the carpet that would be dark green with little white flowers on. The walls would be covered in dark green William Morris patterned wallpaper with a few prints of old famous paintings in big gold lacquered frames.
The main props in the room would be the drinks cabinet that Eric uses at the start of act three with decanters half full of various brandies, there will also be several chairs that are all leather and a little worn, also a foot stool that Sheila will sit on whilst listening to her mother say ‘I’m glad to hear it’ so as she is near to interrupt her mother and lastly there would be some artefacts gathered whilst abroad.
To conclude the previous paragraphs the main tools a director would use to make an atmosphere feel tense and angered at the end of act two are lighting, sound and character’s movements in conjunction with their location.
