GCSE drama coursework unit 2C - evaluation of a production

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Amy Kershaw

GCSE drama coursework unit 2C – evaluation of a production

Little Voice

Introduction

Little Voice is set in a Northern town in Britain.  It was first performed in 1992.

The play is based around a girl called LV, LV stands for little voice as she doesn’t ever speak and when she does she has a very soft voice, almost a whisper she is grieving for her father who has died, she never speaks and her way of grieving is to sing and listen to the records her father has left to her.  Her Mother, Mary, grieves her lost youth, this is portrayed in the way she acts and dresses.  The relationship between Mary and LV stems from when LV’s father was alive, Mary felt left out of their ‘quiet’ activities such as listening to records.  LV is so very quiet, she never makes noise other than playing her records, Mary fills the space with noise and action, LV just seems to exist.

The play follows how LV is noticed by a man called Ray who is in a relationship with Mary.  He hears her sing and gets a contract for her to perform at the local club.  Ray becomes engrossed in trying to make LV a star.  When LV stands on the stage she impersonates her favourite stars and turns into somebody completely different.  The relationship between Ray and Mary comes to an end and their house sets on fire, it is this fire which makes Mary see that she now has nothing left, her life is stripped open and we learn why LV has been so quiet for so long.

One of the main themes of the play is grief, other themes of the play stem from this one main theme.  For example alcoholism is a main part of the play; it is Mary’s way of escaping the harshness of reality.  Both LV and Mary’s lives are based around the grief they both feel after the death of LV’s father.

Set

The play was set in the round; this influenced the set design, as there could be no walls or doors, as these would obstruct the audiences view.  The space was defined by different flooring; this showed where the different rooms in the house were and where the outside was, for example the carpet turned to grey stone to show the outside street.  Realistic elements such as water dripping from a street lamp and litter around the drain grid made the whole set look real.  Even before the play started you could make assumptions about the type of family that lived in the house, just simply through looking at the cheap, old furniture, the bottles of alcohol strewn everywhere and the pots and pans in the dirty looking kitchen.  The only space which looked immaculate, was LV’s bedroom, everything was neat and pristine.

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Because the play was set in the round, it became a much more intimate space.  If you looked around you, you could see the reactions of other people in the audience.  The doors, windows and cupboards were all set into the floor, yet still used for example, the wardrobes was opened, this gave a hint of realism and helped you to believe in the reality of the set.

The stairs were portrayed by a patterned piece of carpet in the shape of stairs which led up to LV and Mary’s rooms.  These stairs worked effectively as whenever each ...

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