Drama Coursework
The two plays I will write about are my scripted piece: an extract of ‘The Caretaker’ by Harold Pinter, and ‘Coram Boy’ written as a novel by Jamila Gavin and adapted for stage by Helen Edmundson.
The Caretaker was very different to Coram Boy, although it had some similar elements in it. It had a very fluid structure. The whole extract we perform is part of scene two (the play only has two scenes), so as a result with undefined scenes that merge into each other via smooth transitions. There are no blackouts or changes in location throughout the piece. The caretaker was in realistic chronological order, showing the action happening realistically in time. The piece was naturalistic, but with some very abstract dialogue, sometimes showing naturalistic conversation, and other times showing very random conversation and occasional monologues that seemingly have no purpose to the plot of the play. Coram Boy is also a fairly abstract piece; however there is a much more naturalistic feel to the dialogue. The plot is clearly linear and all characters are portrayed in a very realistic way. Like my devised piece, there are no defined scene changes, even when the characters move location, but the set changes very noticeably as this is done, helping the audience depict a new setting. The play is very stylised, and the action tense. The set and costumes are extremely lavish and expensive, using many different lighting states and music to make the audience feel like they are entering 18th Century England, because this is not implied solely by the acting. This is similar in a way to The Caretaker, which used a very realistic cluttered set, however only one lighting state was used. The Caretaker did not use mime to depict objects, as this would have taken away focus from the dialogue, which makes up most of the backbone of the play. Similarly the actors were in full costume, to immediately allow the audience to see what kind of characters they were. Unlike Coram Boy there was no soundtrack, except for an occasional dripping sound of water coming from the leak in a roof. The play is quite comical, but not too light hearted, as the audience have to struggle to work out why the characters are the way they are and their reason for being in the building the play is set in. This adds an element of mystery to the play, creating a mixed genre. The mystery is mainly generated at the beginning of our extract of the caretaker, which begins with Davies in a run down apartment, without the audience knowing why he is there. As the play goes on, the reasons get slightly clearer. The dialogue of the play is very odd, with characters rambling about unimportant random topics.
