How would you direct An Inspector Calls to ensure that it is still relevant today?

How would you direct An Inspector Calls to ensure that it is still relevant today? J.B Priestly wrote An Inspector Calls in 1945, but he set it in the year of 1912, and throughout the play there are several prominent ideas. Over the years, the way in which Priestly has presented these thoughts, while still relevant, may not be as effective as they were several decades ago. As time has changed, so has the way in which society views them - even if the ideas are identical. So how would the play be directed in order to make it relevant to current times? The main theme must be identified at the outset to first be able to update the play so that is still relevant. Priestly has deliberately set his play in 1912 to emphasise on the differences and his themes between the society at that present time (1945), and in the past. The consequences of the events in those 33 years led to huge changes in society. For example, in 1912 the class and gender boundaries ensured that things wouldn't change, but the event of two world wars caused a large upheaval to society, breaking down the class boundaries, and for women to gain a more valued place in society. This means that the new setting must still be able to foreshadow future events that will take place, to keep the sense of dramatic irony. For example, Priestly writes Birling: The world's developing so fast that it'll make war

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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'Accidental Death of an Anarchist' by Dario Fo - A Plot Summary

'Accidental Death of an Anarchist' by Dario Fo A Plot Summary by Rosa Scheewe ACT ONE Scene 1 The play starts in an ordinary office. Inspector BERTOZZO explains to the audience that several weeks before an anarchist fell out of the window a few floors above while he was interrogated by the police about a bomb attack in a bank in Milan. His death caused public outrage although the police claimed it was 'suicide'. After that he starts to interrogate MANIAC. We find out about more characteristics of MANIAC. He was arrested 11 times but he has never been convicted, because he suffers from a 'histrionic mania'. In the following interrogation, that shows MANIAC's intelligence, he confuses BERTOZZO and the CONSTABLE, who sometimes interjects a comment, until he threatens to throw himself out of the window. Then he is told to leave by BERTOZZO. After he does BERTOZZO and CONSTABLE leave as well. MANIAC re-enters and as he finds himself alone he starts to throw files about little criminals out of the window. This shows that he is an anarchist himself and an activist. So he is going to do something about the death of the anarchist and he is hardly afraid of anything. When the phone rings he doesn't hesitate to answer it and finds Inspector PISSANI at the other end of the line. He talks to him, provokes him and makes BERTOZZO look like an idiot. After the phone call he starts to

  • Word count: 1099
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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Shakespeare's Sonnet 125 - review.

Paul Christopher Murphy ENGL 2342 Essay I July 9, 2004 Essay I Shakespeare's Sonnet 125 So are you to my thoughts as food to life, Or as sweet-season'd showers are to the ground; And for the peace of you I hold such strife As 'twixt a miser and his wealth is found; Now proud as an enjoyer and anon Doubting the filching age will steal his treasure, Now counting best to be with you alone, Then better'd that the world may see my pleasure; Sometime all full with feasting on your sight And by and by clean starved for a look; Possessing or pursuing no delight, Save what is had or must from you be took. Thus do I pine and surfeit day by day, Or gluttoning on all, or all away. William Shakespeare's Sonnet 125 is written in the traditional Elizabethan form. It consists of 14 lines and can be divided into two parts: the first section comprises line one to 12; it includes only alternate rhymes (the rhyme scheme here is ababcdcdefefgg). In this main part the theme is introduced and explained. The last two lines make up the rhyming couplet, its content sums up the sonnet's main topics. Sonnet 125 is addressed to the handsome youth. This is not directly evident from the text, because the text would also be suitable for the dark lady, but since we learnt that Sonnets 1 to 126 are addressed to the handsome youth, I suppose that this one is as well. In his work,

  • Word count: 851
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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how did your role emerge within the production

How did your role emerge and how was it communicated? Our devised piece was done using lots of short scenes which were put together to create the final production, so therefore we had numerous characters multiple roles. This was challenging and demanding but it helped us use different acting techniques e.g. voice, movement and facial expressions. So the audience would be able to differentiate between the different characters. I had two main roles in our production and the first character i worked on was probably the most difficult. We started our play off with a scene about Adam and Eve 'In the beginning' but felt it didn't relate to the circus theme. So we decided to add clowns to link each scene together ad add some fun and silliness to the beginning. We decided to have three clowns and thought it important to have the red noses because the audience would instantly recognize what we were playing. Physicality was really important in creating the clown character because we had no lines to say. I decided that I would start by creating a walk for my character because I felt this would help give me an idea of the type of character i wanted my clown to be. I also decided to exaggerate all my movements to make it humorous, emphasize and make it clear to the audience what I am doing. The set and lighting created the opening to the circus with flashing coloured lights. Sound was

  • Word count: 759
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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Accidental death of an anarchist

Drama Coursework :2 "Accidental death of an anarchist" Brief Out-line of the Story. The story is based around a true occurrence in the French police force when a man brought in for questioning for anarchistic actions, was found lying on the ground after having mysteriously 'fallen' out of the third floor window A large inquest was set in motion but was adjourned after a while due to a lack of evidence in the case. However now there is a man that threatens the case, his name is Maniac and he has been brought in for questioning after being found posing as a physiatrist. What happened before my particular section of the script began. Just before my section of the play is to start we have the inspector sat on one side of the desk and the Maniac sat on the other side, with the Constable stood directly behind him lent up against the wall. The two men are interrogating the Maniac for the crime of impersonating a certified physiatrist and apart from that, charging 200,000 lire for one session with a patient. The reason the police have brought him in and are treating him so bad is because they have read in his record that he has posed as some one else on many separate occasions and that each time if been allowed to escalate could have had severe consequences for the public as he posed as a surgeon, a captain in the Bersaglieri, three times as a bishop and once as a marine

  • Word count: 1392
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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Can One of the dilemmas facing a modern day director in the presentation of the witches is making them seem menacing to a modern day audience. In Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Can One of the dilemmas facing a modern day director in the presentation of the witches is making them seem menacing to a modern day audience. In Shakespeare's day witches were feared as they were believed to wield tremendous power and thus the stereotypical image of a witch would be enough to invoke genuine respect and fear in the audience. However, current audiences find the stereotypical image of witches more amusing than fearful therefore directors have incorporated different personalities to make sure the witches induce fear in the modern day audience. In the 1998 Channel 4 films version of Macbeth the witches are dressed in colourful mismatching garb this suggests that the witches would not have bought the clothes and that they are in fact someone else's that they have scavenged or stolen. This version is intended for a younger audience therefore their costume makes the witches seem more realistic because a modern day street hawker would evoke similar emotions (those of alarm and respect) in younger audiences to those evoked by stereotypical witches in Shakespeare's era. The age of the witches also differs when compared to the Animated Tales and Japanese version. The witches are more middle aged and much younger then the ones in the Animated Tales and Akiro Kurasawa versions. This is effective in giving making them seem more dangerous to modern day audiences as they

  • Word count: 1710
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet who lived in the late 1500's and early 1600's.

Introduction William Shakespeare was an English playwright and poet who lived in the late 1500's and early 1600's. His plays are now performed all over the world in hundred of languages, and he is known as one of the greatest writers of all time. The reason his work is so popular is, Shakespeare wrote about human nature and how people behave. Although his words can be hard to understand, his ideas are as relevant now as they were four centuries ago. Shakespeare's Childhood William Shakespeare is generally accepted as the cleverest user of words in the world. He was born at a particularly fortunate moment in the history of English. William Shakespeare was born on 23 April 1564, in Stratford, which is 100 miles northwest from London. William Shakespeare was the eldest son, and third child of eight, because his elder brothers were dead in few years after their birth. (You can see it in Romeo and Juliet too). His father John Shakespeare was a glove maker. His mother, Mary Arden, had some land and money of her own. Even though they weren't rich, they were quite comfortable in their life. Stratford was a small market town surrounded by green fields. William went o Stratford Grammar School, when he was seven. A school day was 11 hours long and he had to go six days a week. Later on he revealed this, as he hated it. Shakespeare's childhood name was Will. In that time his

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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Compare and contrast act 1,scene1 of Shakespeares play 'Macbeth' with the cinematic interpretation by Roman Polanski of the same scene.

Compare and contrast act 1,scene1 of Shakespeares play 'Macbeth' with the cinematic interpretation by Roman Polanski of the same scene. Macbeth is one of the great plays written by William Shakespeare in the sixteenth century ,over three and a half centuries ago .It is known all over the world and is still very popular even to this very day.It is the basis of many movies and theatrical plays .One film interpretation was made by Roman Polanski in 1971,centuries after it was first performed in Elizabethan sixteenth century England .Therefor there is a great difference between this and the original ,as things have changed greatly over the many years . Shakespeare was an amazing story writer and entertainer and obviously wanted to catch his audiences imagination ,but even for such a gifted person as he, it must still have been a very difficult task .He had to rely on vivid descriptions and whatever was available in his theatre and the imagination of the audience to put a picture in their heads of the setting, surroundings and and the mood of the play. The play Macbeth was written in sixteen century Elizabethan England .In very different times compared to today .The people of sixteenth century England were very superstitious, believing in witches ,evil spirits and the supernatural .They recognise that the banging of drums create the sound of thunder and signified the presence

  • Word count: 1962
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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Romeo and Juliet - Zefferelli with Luhrman production comparison.

Romeo and Juliet - Zefferelli with Luhrman production comparison In this essay I am going to write how the production of Romeo In Franco Zeffirelli's production of Romeo and Juliet, the setting and language are of a traditional, realistic nature. This is in complete contrast to Baz Luhrmans production, with the exception of the language used in both productions. Zefferelli's production however is far more effective, as he has tried to keep the film close to the original script and intended exactly how Shakespeare wrote it. This approach clearly portrays the concept Shakespeare is trying to demonstrate and it sincerely aids understanding, as Zefferelli has kept it original. Zefferelli has done a very good creating the right atmosphere as how lifestyle was like in Shakespeare's time, this is clearly shown by the Shakespearean costumes worn in Zefferellis production. As Zefferelli uses the commonsensical, original approach, he directs the film using the continuity style of editing; this tells the story, using a logical pattern or sequence the film simply flows and does not jump from scene to scene. The objective of Zefferelli I believe was just to bring Shakespeare's script to life, to help people to understand the moral and storyline better. On the other hand I believe Luhrmans objectives were far different to Zefferellis, I feel Luhrman was somewhat touched by the

  • Word count: 1082
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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The play Macbeth is a tragedy, dealing with the downfall and death of the main character.

The play Macbeth is a tragedy, dealing with the downfall and death of the main character. At the outset of the play Macbeth was a hero he was full of confidence from winning battles. However he had a fatal flaw in him which led him to want more. He was told by the witches that he would become king; his ambition drove him to kill Duncan. Hence the witches along with Lady Macbeth who worked on his fatal flaw and encouraging him towards his downfall. He commits treason and murder. He is no longer a hero. He threw it all away and he loses all respect from the people. Shakespeare has used the witches to tempt Macbeth towards this path of evil. The importance of witches always being an item in the play shows an evil presence all the time. At the time when Shakespeare wrote the play witches were a big part in society. People would accuse lonely old women of being witches and they would often blame them for the death of their animals or for storms at sea. So Shakespeare deliberately used the witches in his play as he knew the audience at that time would be interested in it. Witches were expected to be evil and ugly looking by the audience. Shakespeare would have often have used sound effects to create storms as the people of that day and age often associated witches with storms. I am now going to examine and analysis Shakespeare's presentation of the witches. It is significant

  • Word count: 1648
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: Drama
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