Too much punch for Judy.

The title of the topic that we have done for the past couple of weeks is “drugs and alcohol”, for this topic of work we read the play “Too much punch for Judy” written by Mark Wheel in 1987. In the first week, and half of the second week we read the play so that we would knew what it was about. The play is about 2 sisters that get quite drunk but still decide to drive the car. This results in there being a car accident, and one of the sister’s die. The target audience is for people in their late teens and for people who have just started to drive. The ending of the lay was very unpredictable because earlier on in the play Judy had said that she wouldn’t drink and drive again. But she DID, this mistake had the same consequence as the time before, she killed another young woman. I would have thought that by killing one person she would have learnt from her mistake. The play had an excellent ending because it made me think that once a criminal always a criminal and one stupid mistake can be repeated which results in the same outcome as before. The best scene from the play was the nightclub scene because it stood out a lot, it was very loud “in your face” sort of scene. In this scene I could really see the personalities of both sisters, they are both very loud and flirtatious.

My favourite character form the play is Judy because she is very loud and big character. With in the play we get top see the rise and fall of her emotions so I know this character better than the others.

We were also introduced to another stimulus, which were facts about drugs and alcohol contained with in a leaflet on the dangers of drink driving. This was different compared to the play, because they were facts that I didn’t really know about. There were 5 sheets that were given out. I was given the fact about how alcohol can change a person’s social life. Consuming too much alcohol can change a person’s social life by the way react towards people and things in front of them. By being linked with alcohol the community may degrade a person.

The two stimuli’s were very different because of the way they were set and some of the information was different. Such as the leaflet containing more information on various things, but the play had information on the long-term effects and how people reacted towards the accident.

Role-play

Throughout the our performance we used various forms of explorative strategies.

In week 2 I got into a group of 4 with Tejal, Navdeep and Robert. We were told to do one of the scenes from the play, my group decided to do the club scene because we thought that each of us would get a part. Tejal and me played Jo and Judy, while Robert and Nav played Bob and Nob. The scene showed Tejal and I getting ready to go out clubbing, it was a good introduction to the main characters. In this scene it also showed Bob and nob trying to chat up loads of girls. We enjoyed this scene quite a lot; we know that we would put in our best with this scene. The drama devise we used for this is role-play. By using this I got an insight in to the characters because I have to act the same way they did in the actual play. Doing this scene taught me how the characters reacted when they went clubbing, I also found out what they would drink and how much. I had to be very loud for this and use big hand gestures. For the bit when I say “quarter past eight” I get out my arm and roll my sleeve up and look at my watch with a wide smile.

In week 3 we walked around the room in the manor of particular characters. This was also another use of role-play, because we had to walk in a certain way e.g. the way our character would move around. We then walked around as if we were in 3 different situations. Before the crash (couple of hours): for this I was walking around as if I was drunk and acting very jolly because that’s how the girls were at the club. Before crash (couple of minute): here I was still happy but not as much cause I had drunk so much, I looked a bit week as I had been drinking. After the crash: I was just sitting there on a chair because I was playing the part of Jo the sister that died during the crash. By doing this I learnt how much things could change in so little time, in minute they were happy and singing along to a song, the next minute Jo was dead.

Hot Seating

This is a preview of the whole essay

Hot Seating

Tejal and me then paired up and hot-seated each other’s characters, Tejal was playing the part of Judy and I was playing the part of Jo. I asked her questions such as “how well do you get on with Jo?” she answered “We get on very well, were like best friends not just sisters” “Have you always got on so well?” “Well not really, were quite different really so when we were younger we didn’t get on much, but now were really close I suppose we just relate more now” “Have you ever drank and drove before?” “ I don’t really drink much when I go out so yes I have done it once or twice before” she then asked me a range of questions such as “how do you feel being called the sensible one?” I answered, “I don’t really mind I liked looking after Judy and Johnny, I’ll always be there for mum” Tejal then asked me “what do you think about people that drink and drive?” I answered, “well I think that the sort of people that drink and drive are thoughtless how hard is it to ring for a cab?” when I answered this question I was very confident I was sitting back in a relaxed position because I had strong views about this topic.

Freeze Frames

In week 4 I had to imagine that I was either Jo or Judy, get into a space and imagine I was getting ready before going out to the club, for this I was acting as if I was doing my hair and putting my make up on. I decided to use these sort of actions because this is what most girls would do before they went out clubbing. I then got in to a group with Becky, Shani, Ashley and Nick. We were told to make up 4 freeze frames to sum up the play, the ones that my group decided to do was as a whole family from when the girls were young and when their father was still about. We did this by having the 3 children keeling down with Ashley and me behind them, it was like a typical family portrait. The second one was the girls first dates, to show this we had Becky and Shani with Ashley and Nick, they were hugging and were dressed up. The third was Judy’s marriage for this we were all together it was like another family portrait but in this Judy and her husband were in the middle and the focus of the freeze frame, because they were the main characters for this part. The final one was Jo’s death for this we were all standing around Judy’s body, looking quite sad. We decided to use these freeze frames because we felt that they were the main images that we got from the play. The next thing we did was adding a line to each freeze frame to add some contrast the lines gave more of an effect in the frame. By adding in the 4 lines we had made some sort of scene, but it wasn’t like a proper scene so we were then told to make it real and take on the characters. Our scene was showing how me and Ashley (mother and father) use to be there relationship with each other. We showed that they didn’t get on and that they use to fight quite a lot and that this is why he left them when the kids were still quite young. We then showed that Judy was pregnant even though her husband had left them, this scene showed how close they were as a family. We decided to mark the moment when Jo and Judy decided to go clubbing, as Judy had caught the car keys we froze. This I because we felt this was the turning point in the story this is where the real action begun. Because everything from was very emotional, from this point everything became very serious and had me on the edge of my seat.

Role-play and Narration

In week 5 I was in a group with Navdeep, Robert, Kyle and Tejal we were told to come up with a scene that had something to do with drinking or drugs, it could have been a past experience if we had wanted to. At the beginning of the scene it was as if we were all at university Robert and me were sister and brother, but the other 3 were just friends. We had come to their house, as it was one of their birthdays. They had asked us if we had bought the drink, but Robert and me said no, they started asking us why and if we were stupid but then we told them why we didn’t drink. We had a flashback of Roberts’s childhood and mine. We had Tejal and Kyle as the mother and father, me and Robert as the children and Nav as the narrator. We showed what people could react like by drinking. Kyle was hitting Tejal and as he walked past he hit Robert cause he had nearly tripped over him. We then showed Kyle on the balcony facing inwards at Tejal and me but then Robert had somehow got to the bottom. Because Robert had felt bad about nearly tripping his dad so he shouted out sorry. Kyle then turned around to look at Robert but lost balance and fell down. Throughout our scene we had Navdeep being each persons conscience as well as the narrator. When we were showing Kyle about to jump, Nav stood at the side saying exactly what Kyle was thinking. This gave the piece more of an edge.

Freeze Frames and Role Play

Week 6 we did 3 freeze frames as a whole group to show the story of the play but this time we were all together so it was quite difficult, we were told through out the lesson that we did we were to imagine we were going to perform this to a year 7/8 group of kids. We decided to do the “crash scene”, “keys” and “drinking scene” and the scene that showed Judy being “convicted again”. By doing these particular scenes I think the year 7/8’s would go away with certain images of death, so they would get a bit freaked out about what the circumstances are of drinking.

We then got into groups and were given a fact about drinking I got into a group with Kyle and Kylie, we decided to do a scene showing what friends could treat you like. We had Kyle come to my house after a long time and he just sits down and we start talking like normal as in what he’s been up to. I then asked if he wanted a drink but he said no but I still got him one. I then froze and Kyle said what he was really thinking, “she wouldn’t be offering me that if she knew what I’d done” I then suggested that we should go out clubbing because we hadn’t seen each other for such a long time. But Kyle said no he said he didn’t feel up to it, but Kylie and me said that we were going to get changed, as we walked off behind Kyle. But Kylie and me then became Kyle’s conscience I was the bad and Kylie was the good. I said things such as his friends would never trust him again and that “he had killed someone” “once a murderer always a murderer”. Kylie said nice reassuring things to him such as his “friends would always stick by him” and that “it was a mistake”. In that week we also made a conscience ally scene about the crash from the play, my group decided to do the conscience ally for the man that was at the crash scene first. Navdeep was the one playing the man, and the rest of us were saying various things, we were either telling him to go help the girls or we were telling him to stay at home and not get involved. We also marked the moment in this scene right at the end when we were telling him go when Tejal said, “WAIT” we all froze and just stared at Navdeep for the audience could think for themselves about what would happen next.

The five facts that the we were given are

You cant calculate your alcohol limit
Alcohol takes effect quickly, but wears off slowly
Any amount of alcohol will effect your judgement
Drinking and driving has lasting consequences (the one my group did)
You don’t need to mix drinking and driving

We were taught about the Stanislavaky by how he always has an objective in his lines. He always knows that there should be a particular action or the line and it should mean something important from which ever position it is seen at.

Development section

If I had been given more time over the past couple of weeks I would have come up with a scene about Johnny. Johnny is Jo and Judy’s younger brother, in the play he is only mentioned once. All we know about him is that he is about 19-21 years old and that he may be around when trouble is caused. Because when the police officer first came to Judy’s house the mother thought that it was Johnny that was in trouble. I would have my scene based on when Johnny found out about Jo’s death

Everyone would be wearing casual everyday clothes to make it seem like a normal everyday thing.

Johnny would be wearing some blue jeans and a green t-shirt because he has just come after a night out.

Judy would be wearing some jogging bottoms and a blue comfort clothes because of the shock she has been though.

Mum would be wearing some black trousers and a black cardigan, just normal clothes for a middle age woman.

No one would be wearing any make-up because it is a sad scene. This would also make the characters seem more natural.

This scene could come in to the play as soon as the mum and Judy have hugged at the hospital.

First image would be Johnny sleeping after a night out clubbing; it would then show the mother walking in.

(White spot light on Johnny with mum sitting on his bed, she sits there looking at him, and puts her hand through his hair. she has tears in her eyes, because she is sad because of the loss of her daughter. She doen’t want to break the news to Johnny but she knows she has to)

Mum: Johnny, Johnny wake up (she shrugs his shoulder) Johnny

Johnny: what??? (He shuffles in bed and then turns the other way)

Mum: Johnny listen to me (he turns to her) last night Jo and Judy had an accident, Judy was driving and she is ok. She’s downstairs just having a rest.

Johnny: what about Jo?? Is she ok? Where is she? (Mum stands and turns so her back is towards Johnny)

Mum: Jo died

Johnny: WHAT? How? Why her? Was there someone else involved? How was Judy driving, Jo never lets anyone use her car

Mum: Jo and Judy went out last night and they had a fair bit to drink, Jo had already been caught drink driving, so Judy decided to drive. They had a bit too much to drink so they somehow drove into the bridge. (She then sits on the bed and starts crying)

Johnny: oh mum don’t cry (he goes to hug her, he has tears in his eyes and then Judy walks in)

Judy: Johnny I’m sorry I…

Johnny: hey… hey stop crying, look were going to get through this together. Its no-ones fault…

(They are all near the bed crying, lights fade out)

(One white dim spotlight comes on in the centre of the stage; Johnny is sitting there alone on a chair with his head placed in his hands just above his knees)

(He hears young girls giggling, then the next moment they are arguing. He looks up the voices stop; he looks down again the voices start once more. He gets up walks around stage trying to see where the voices are coming from, he things if he can find out where the voices are coming from the girls will also appear, Judy will come back)

(He is imagining life as it always was, but then the reality dawns)

Johnny: It had to be her didn’t it? What did she ever do wrong? I don’t understand it, she wasn’t just my sister she was more like a mum, she was always there for me always spoke to the teachers at school when me and Judy got into trouble, so that mum wouldn’t have to come in. she always gave me her pocket money so I could go on all the school trips and be in with the latest trends. She was special to everyone not just me, she was an easy person to get along with. Whenever we use to go out it would be such a laugh, we’d all get pissed and dance the night away, the next day we’d wake up with a splitting headache at some stranger’s house!!! If I was with Jo that night I wouldn’t of let anything happen to her, I would have looked after her, well the pair of them. I wouldn’t have let either of them drive how stupid are they? Couldn’t they have just got a taxi???

Through out this monologue I would have a spotlight on Johnny; this would follow him everywhere he goes. The chair that he was sitting on at the start would be in the same place the whole time, at the beginning when he is asking the 3 questions he would be facing towards the chair as if someone is sitting there. The audience would be sitting at the front of the stage and the focus would be where ever the spotlight is. I would have music on in the background but very low in volume. It would have beats in the music nothing to wild or outrageous. I would like to have little crescendos for when something important is being said.

Evaluation Phase

Too Much Punch For Judy is a hard-hitting documentary play. It tells the true story of a young woman in her early 20`s, and the events which led up to her death; in a car crash in England in 1983. The play was written by mark wheeler, everything in the play is true, he has interviewed every body involved with the crash, and used many of their actual words in the play to highlight the reality.

We got to see the play performed by professional actors from the theatre in Education Company. The play was very good because it really stood out to us, they has modernised the beginning by using modern chat up lines. I think each of the 4 actors were brilliant I loved them all, the acting was superb. I think the girl that played Judy was very good because she also played the mother. To make them seem different she used a hair clip. While she was playing Judy she has her hair down. They didn’t use many props, which was good because they might of lost people attention. They were loud and “in your face” because these sorts of scenes were at the beginning they got my attention straight away and got my whole attention. I think their target audience was teenagers and people in there early 20’s. Because people of that age tend to be quite immature and not think of the consequences. A good technique that they used was using the projector screen to show us the real images of the accident. We were told that the images were real and that had been taken by the police. The images were horrific it was shocking to see what one stupid mistake can lead to.

By seeing these images I felt sick trying to imagine what would have happened to Jo in the passenger seat.

The first thing that I performed was the “club” scene; Tejal and me were playing the parts of Jo and Judy. Robert and Nav playing the parts of Bob and Nob, I think that we performed the scene very well. It turned out very good, quite a bit of it was really funny especially the chat up lines. Robert and Nav were very good at their parts the characters came to them very naturally! The best bit that they said was when they said one of the chat up lines “stair way to heaven” Nav kept on looking up with a cheesy grin, this made everyone laugh.

We were the only group that did that scene everyone else had done the crash scene. The group with Nick, Becky, Ashley, Monica and Jason in was quite good. I liked the way Nick picked Becky up out of the car trying to make sure she couldn’t see the car. That was a very strong image, but I didn’t really like the fact that Monica was sitting back in the chair the whole time. It seemed a bit worthless I think she could of made up some other character to make the scene better.

Week 4 I was with Shani, Becky, Mark and Nick. For this group performance I think we did rather well. The first scene was quite loud so it got everyone’s attention. I think the best bit was mark saying the poem about drink driving. This was excellent because he was left alone in the middle. We marked the moment in this scene by freezing when the keys were mentioned. This moment was very good because it was last bit in the scene so it was an image that everyone has to remember.

In week 5 the scene that we created was really good, because we showed how past experiences can change how we think and act in our present life. The scene was performed quite well because me and Robert were acting as the children the audience could see by the look on our faces that we were very scared of Kyle. I think Tejal did very well in this scene because she tried her best to stop me from looking at Kyle’s dead body. Having Nav as our narrator/ conscience really helped because at the beginning he said the one line, which stuck out to the audience though out the performance, “the usual culprit”, this is meant to mean that when things go wrong it comes down to alcohol.

The group with Ricardo, Ashley, Nick and Becky was also very good it was very realistic. I think Ricardo was very good; he was acting as if he had just had a fit so he was excellent at getting the idea across to us with out over acting and not being stupid. Everyone was very mature and Becky even got him in to the correct position if it really was to happen. Ashley and nick just ran away when they noticed what had happened to Ricardo. The way that nick and Ashley reacted was good because it showed us the way they felt about a friend. But I could see that Nick wanted to go back and help.

In week 6 we performed our conscience alley scenes ours was quite god because we had Nav still in the middle, while us three were around him. I think the best bit was when the three of us said “wait” after each other as we said it we got louder, because I was a the end I was the loudest. This was really good because we were giving a stronger image to the audience.

Done by

Sonia Kohli