The part of the play which I felt made the biggest impression on the audience was towards the end of the story, when we see the child’s nursery for the first time.
The section begins in complete darkness and silence. This gains the audience’s attention and prepares them for the loud sound which is next to occur. The rhythmic bump of what we now know is the rocking chair then begins, causing the audience’s attention to rise. As the speakers are behind the audience, a sense of fear is created, and panning is used to create the idea that the sound is travelling through the theatre. At this point, the sound effects become most effective, as where the sound is coming from gives the audience the impression that they are stuck in the middle of what is going on. These recorded sounds make the audience aware of the fact that it is not real, but encourage them to use their imagination and therefore believe that it is real. These sounds, along with the torch which Kipps is using are anachronisms, as they do not fit into the idea that the play is set in Victorian Times. These are not mistakes, but are incredibly effective as they draw the audience’s attention to the fact that the story is make-believe. Kipps uses the torch itself to frighten the audience as at one point it is the only light in the entire theatre. By shining the torch into the audience, they become dazzled and unsure of what is going on.
At this point the child’s nursery is visible, and light is brought back on stage. The door was opened slowly to reveal the nursery with the rocking chair swinging backwards and forwards on its own. The audience then becomes aware that the rhythmic bump that had been going on previously was in fact this rocking chair. The nursery is one of the most important places in the story, as it has a link with the graveyard which was in fact situated in the same place as the nursery. It reminds the audience of the fact that people died in that same place. To show how minimalistic the performance was, the graves in the graveyard were built up of the furniture from the nursery, simply covered in white sheets. However, in this part of the house, the props on stage were very different to other areas of the stage. The room consisted of the rocking chair, a bed, a bedside table, a trunk and a large cabinet. Everything was neatly put in its place to give the impression of peace and tranquillity yet also a sense of emptiness and loneliness then arose. The room was behind the gauze curtain and therefore was lit up from behind so that it was visible to the audience.
When Kipps returns from the nursery to the main part of the house, the torch is used one again to dazzle the audience and set up the surprise for what is to follow. Much to the audience’s astonishment the Woman in Black is glimpsed momentarily by torchlight.
The recorded sounding is used to give the idea of a person whistling, as if calling a dog. Again the sound is coming from behind the audience, and creates the idea that the audience is involved within the story. There is very little light on stage, leading the audience to think that anything could happen. The tension begins to build up even more as Kipps found himself alone and desperate with fear. The inconsistent silence maintains the audience’s attention as they are unsure of what is to follow.
After releasing Spider from the almost unstoppable sinking mud, Kipps is overwhelmed with relief and lies in silence for a few minutes. Through the darkened silence comes the sound of the pony and trap which is again coming from the speakers behind the audience. The audience recognises the sound immediately and the tension rises as they do not know what to expect. However, at the arrival of Samuel Daily, the tension is broken up. This could be to relax the audience and create a sense of calm and security.
The fear is created by the actors a different way each time, giving the audience a different element of surprise. However, the audience is unsure of this, therefore the recorded sounds are repeated to build up the tension and lead the audience to believe that something is going to happen.
