Drama Coursework - The Women In Black Analysis
Based on Susan Hill's best selling novel, The Women in Black is an extremely successful theatre production that is renowned for its gripping and terrifying plot. In his adaptation, Steven Mallatratt has combined the power and intensity of live theatre with a dark ghostly tale to fashion a spine-chilling production which re-lives the hauntings of the eerie Eel Marsh House. The play itself is actually a play within a play, somewhat merging the borders of fantasy and reality. Meet Kips, a Lawyer from London entangled in the dark secrets of the secluded Yorkshire Village of Crythn Griffin. Obsessed with a curse that has been put upon him and his family, Mr. Kipps wishes to lay his horrific memories to rest. For this he has employed the services of an actor, whom he expects to help him re-enact his tale and in doing so allow him to overcome his fears. But will the malevolent spectre of Jennet Humphrey oblige? Or will Mr. Kipps' sinister secret lead him and those close to him into further peril? The venue for the production of the play my classmates and I were taken to see was the Theatre Royal in Newcastle. As it was a professional production, I was constantly studying the play as it unfolded to determine how different types of drama medium had been incorporated to enhance the performance. Although the Women in Black consists of many characters, the company had employed just two
La Amistad
Amistad During the 1830s and 1840s, racial discrimination against the African- American race was frequent and greatly devastating. At this time acts of discrimination against African Americans included racial segregation, black suffrage, denial of economic opportunity or resources and private and mass acts of violence. Blacks were not thought of as being equal to whites and so were not given the freedoms they deserved. They were regarded as property rather than individuals with rights. The movie "Amistad" is a compelling historical courtroom drama that sheds light on an overlooked period in American history between the Declaration of Independence and the American Civil War. The film addresses the definition of freedom and how it varied among the different people of America during this time period, "Freedom is not given. It is our right at birth. But there are some moments when it must be taken." In two hour, the film captures the general plight of the African people taken from their homes and forced into a life of slavery that was unfortunately common during this time. It is the true story of a little-known armed insurrection carried out by 53 heroic Africans against their slave masters on July 1, 1839. The film begins with the main character Cinque escaping from the shackles restraining him on the slave ship called, La Amistad (which is Spanish for 'friendship'). Along with
