The directing of John Boynton Priestley’s An Inspector Calls

“An inspector calls” by John Boynton Priestley, who is a British born writer, wrote this play in 1945 but set it for 1912. The play is about a middle class family who are suspected of being involved the in murder of a young lady who used to work for Mr. Arthur Birling, the farther of the family and also the owner of a manufacturing company. I choose to direct act 1 of the play because it is this act that Inspector Goole first makes his appearance and interrupts the Birlings family who were celebrating the engagement of their daughter Shelia Birling and son of a big business man Gerald Croft. “The Inspector explains to the family about the death of a young lady named Eva Smith (but as you read the story you find out that she used more then one name) who was one of Mr. Birlings employees but had to leave the company after being discharged by Mr. Birling.

I also choose to direct this act because I like the way the Inspector questions the whole family and finds out that they each met Miss Eva Smith and may have had something to do with her committing suicide, so they all feel guilty about the way they had treated her.

This is a preview of the whole essay

The reason why this act is act is also exciting to direct is that the tones of the characters start to develop when the Inspector is questioning them and their guilty concessions start to hunt them so the lighting effects start to change too, to more of atmospheric colors like gray and red. This give the audience a clear picture of what the scene is that their watching is about. The writer John Boynton Priestley wrote this play in 1945 when the world had just come to an end with the Second World War but he set it for 1912 just prior of the sinking of the titanic and the First World War.

To find a location to direct this play would be found very difficult as the theaters in London were opening and closing due to the air raids and black outs caused by the outbreak of the Second World War. As a result of all this many productions were caused to tour through out the middle lands and the north of England. In 1944 the tide of the War had turned as the old Vic company returned to London where they first started producing many famous productions, but before returning they were located in burnley (Lancashire) where they moved to after their own theater in Waterloo (London) was damaged due to the War. The old Vic company were well known for producing many famous productions such as Oliver’s famous Richard ⎥⎥⎥ and Henry ⎥ V, but by October 1946 John Boynton Priestely’s “An Inspector Calls” made its first production presentation in this country and who else to produce it but the now new old Vic company. For my newly directed version of “An Inspector Calls” I would like to locate it some where that the audience would have an easy journey to see the production, and so my newly directed version will be held at the historic threat of the old Vic company, travague square London central. The production will be making its first premier on Friday 20 may 2002.