The set was very well made. It looked realistic and it was clever how it changed from showing the houses to then showing inside the courtroom. The houses were detailed and looked quite real. The swing near Scout’s house made it immediately recognisable and also added to the effect of them being children. The set was designed to easily change, which it did. It was very effective and it was believable that the setting had changed from outside to inside. This helped the audience to recognize what was going on and where. The set was really well spaced and the platforms also helped to create a good realistic image of a small area of the town.
Set design:
Much of the music in “To Kill a Mockingbird” was Black Country music. This is quite fitting due to the play involving a black/white divide. Miss Maudie hummed quite a bit in the play; she did this as she looked at flowers, much like what an older lady might do. The sound of birds was also heard throughout the performance. I think this may be to remind us of the mockingbird. It was quite effective because it did help remind the audience about the theme of the play. Sound effects worked well too, such as when Bob Ewell broke Jems arm. The sound of the break made the audience feel the pain too.
The lighting in the performance was really well used and effective. It was used all the way through to create the atmosphere of night and day. At the back of the set there was a doorway which showed the horizon. This went from a blue colour gradually turning into a darker blue, the lights facing the stage also began to dim. I think this worked really well, and helped break up the performance a bit. Lighting was all used well when Atticus is sitting outside of Tom Robinson’s jail cell and the lynch mob came in cars. I could hear the cars arriving and the headlights were shown on the set as if a car was driving towards where Atticus was. It looked realistic as if a car really had just arrived. Lighting was used in an atmospheric way towards the end of the performance when Scout and Jem are on their way back from a school pageant when they’re caught in a thunderstorm. The lights went down and there were flashes of light and the sound of thunder. It created quite a tense and scary mood which fitted well because this is the point when Bob Ewell appears and breaks Jem’s arm.
Costumes and make-up were used well in the play. The actors wore 1930’s typical Alabaman clothing. The costumes showed different authorities with Atticus Finch wearing his suite, and Bob Ewell wearing his old scruffy clothes. Jem and Scout both wore similar clothing showing their close relationship with each other as brother and sister. The costume really helped to bring characters to life. Some actors had more make-up and costume then others such as the person playing Mr Dubose who had to wear make up to make her look old and frail.
3. The action in “To Kill a Mockingbird” was powerful and the plot was though provoking. It explored the theme of racial prejudice and other issues. The main issue was the unfair trial of Tom Robinson, but other issues branched off this. Such as the judgement of people who are different. For example, when the children judge Boo Radley, just because he rarely comes out of his house. The action flowed because there were no big scene changes and the curtains did not close keeping the audience gripped with no distractions. The set/prop movers were dressed just like the other actors on stage so you rarely knew that they’d been on until you noticed something different on the stage. I thought this was clever and effective because again it stopped the audience from getting distracted by major prop movement.
There were many climaxes and anti-climaxes in the performance. One that stood out to me particularly was when the courtroom were about to receive the verdict. There was a beating sound, which went with a heartbeat and this built up the tension. The actors also looked anxious to receive the verdict which made the audience feel the tension too. Another climax was when Calpurnia is on the phone because there is a ‘mad dog’ on its way. She spoke nervously and quickly and kept raising her voice to show desperation because the dog was on its way and she needed it stopping before it got any closer. This kept the audience on the edge of their seat because they didn’t know if anyone was going to stop the dog before it was too late. The climax worked well.
The pace of the play kept the audience engaged. It went at quite a steady pace throughout but to build up any tension or to create a greater sense of action the pace would increase. Such as when Bob Ewell attacks the children, the pace raced and this engaged the audience because the sudden change of tempo was such a contrast to what had happened before. Before the attack Scout is seen with Jem coming back from a school pageant dressed in a ham costume. This was quite amusing and lightened the mood, then all of a sudden the pace increased and the action began, making the audience’s heart race. Contrasts played a big part in the performance, making it a rollercoaster ride of emotion. From stillness to activity; Silence to great noise.
All the actors interpretations of characters they played worked well. Every actor used a really good accent which made their characters more believable. All of the performers were cast well. The actor Bettrys Jones who played scout was well cast because she was quite small so more believable as scout, a child. She used all the gestures a young child would use and got into character really well sustaining her role. The audience connected with Scout as a child and it was very easy to do because the actor got the characterisation of a child just right. I think she did it well because there was a risk of overdoing playing the part of a child where it may have looked a bit too much put on and not realistic. It’s important that the audience can sympathise and understand characters. If an actor does not interpret the character right then the ideas of the story would not make sense and would not be communicated to the audience well. Although all the people cast in “To Kill a Mockingbird” managed to interpret their characters successfully. Another actor who played his part well was Duncan Preston who played Atticus Finch. He had to play a man who should be able to influence the audience in the way they behave. He puts ideas across that people should not be judged and you should do what you believe is right. He plays a fatherly
figure who is a good role model. His part was challenging because he doesn’t show any sympathy to his children, he has his own way of showing his children love. He rarely shows any emotion which could have brought the performance down if it wasn’t played well.
Symbols are also important in “To Kill a Mockingbird” the title itself is a symbol. At the beginning Miss Maudie says:
“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us. That’s why it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.”
The mockingbird is the symbol of innocence which can be destroyed by death. This is a theme that runs throughout the play. Another thing which could also be a symbol is the tree, symbolising the mockingbird, a constant reminder.
A flash back was used in the court scene. This was very gripping and effective. Especially when Tom Robinson was saying what actually happened between himself and Mayella Ewell on the day when she accused him of raping her. The lights dimmed and there was a spotlight on the chair where Tom Robinson was. He told his story in a way that the audience hung off every word. As the story was told, it was also acted out. And then the lights came up and it was back to the court again. The spotlight made the audience blank out the rest of the stage, and just focus on that one part of the set.
Overall I believe the performance was really good. It was acted very well with great characterisation. The actors had obviously put a lot of effort into achieving success with their roles. I have learnt that judging people and targeting them before you get to know them isn’t right. Much like killing s mockingbird. I have learnt that scene changes have to be smooth without any big distractions to keep the audience connecting with the performance rather than disconnecting because of the curtain coming across or obvious prop movers coming on breaking up the performance.
