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
An Inspector calls - A letter to Mr.smith from Mr J B Priestly.
English Coursework: An Inspector Calls Dear Mr Smith, I was very pleased to hear that you wish to produce a version of An Inspector Calls in Dover. Below is some advice to help to accurately represent my ideas. As you know from the stage directions in my play, I have a very strong vision of how my play should be set. At the beginning I'm very adamant that the scene must look cosy so as to make the audience more involved and understanding of the time setting of the play. The entrance of the parlour maid is very important also and this key part should not be forgotten about. This is so the audience can understand that this is obviously a wealthy family if they have a parlour maid. Also, the lack of interaction between the family and the maid reflects the fact that people did not think much of their domestic servants at this time in life. The opening scene sets the tone for the rest of the play and I hope you can recreate the atmosphere of the opening. You could make the atmosphere tenser by advising the characters to use very overwrought facial expressions and movements. You could also use atmospheric music as the audience are waiting for the play to start. This will make them suspicious of the things to come and they will start to prefigure that something bad or mysterious is going to happen. As well as the music, the lighting should be quite dull and focus in on specific
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
Theatre Review- The Woman in Black
Theatre Review-The Woman in Black "The Woman in Black" is set in England a play that is meant to scare the audience and have them watching with bated breath. The story centers around a young solicitor, Arthur Kipps (Paul Chapman) who writes a play in order to tell of the terrible events that he survived. The plot involves the solicitor who is summoned to Crythin Gifford, a small market town which is completely cut off from the mainland. The main character has to attend to the funeral of Mrs. Alice Drablow, an elderly widow who lived alone in Eel Marsh House. While situated at this solitary market town he encounters a mysterious woman in black who seems to haunt the whole town. He finds the 'woman in black' haunting the house he has to stay in, Eel Marsh house. He has to deal with the deceased woman's paper work and also encounters this mysterious woman in other areas of the town. Despite his questions, the locals refuse to help him and so Arthur must confront the sense of unease within the house and the appearances of the woman alone. Years on after the scarring event, Arthur Kipps asks a young Actor (Daniel Coonan) to help put on this play and describe the horrors he endured during his brief stay. There are only two actors through out the whole play, Paul Chapman and Daniel Coonan. They both clash as, in the beginning of the play; the Arthur Kipps who, at this point, is
GCSE Drama Review Of The Play 'Bouncers'
GCSE Drama Review Of The Play 'Bouncers' The production we saw was made by the Hull Truck Theatre Company and was played at the Oxford New Theatre and was called Bouncers. This play was written and directed by John godber. This play was very naturalistic; it did not use any props apart from the handbags. This made the play more free flowing and was no long wait for set changes or costume change. The plot of the play was to explain what the nightlife of the city was. This then led to personal events of "the Bouncers" where Eric says speeches about him and his wife. These speeches highlight broken up relationships and how these broken up marriages go onto the streets of the town to try and find another partner or a businessman on a business trip going out to have an innocent fling. This was the society at the time and brought up issues of adultery and marriage. These speeches did affect the comedy aspect of the play but did raise issues of life of a workingman or woman in the 1970's this in affect is spass where you learn through humour. The structure of the play was very central in the sense that it was all in one place but the actors changed from one plot to another, which intertwine in the centre of the club. The genre of this play is an observational comedy, which is, based on Godbers personal experiences, this links with lucky Eric's speeches on where Godbers put down his
"He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong". Is Biff's valedictory opinion of his father Willy's life correct in your view?
"He had the wrong dreams. All, all wrong". Is Biff's valedictory opinion of his father Willy's life correct in your view? In this essay I will consider the above statement and go through all the points of question related to it. I will then make an informed decision in the conclusion, as to whether or not I regard the statement as correct. To begin with it is important that we consider the relationship between Biff and his father, Willy. Both Willy's dreaming and his cruelty suggest that Willy lives in a world of his own. He seems to have unrealistic dreams of his own and his family's importance and in Biffs case he is puzzled as to why Biff is working on a farm and this leads to a great deal of conflict. Willy's views are liable to sudden change. One minute he says that Biff is 'a lazy bum' and then he says that he 'is not lazy'. It is clear that Biff is sensitive and caring and loves his family deeply, but at the end all he can do is to be cruel and force everyone to face the truth. This is why he reveals that he has been to prison for theft. Biff goes on to try and make Willy face reality in his terms. At one point he states quite clearly that it was his father who 'blew me so full of hot air I could never stand taking orders from anybody' .It is the devastating statement that Biff and Willy are both 'a dime a dozen' or very ordinary, that shatters Willy's dreams. In
"Blood Wedding" By Federico Garcia Lorca.
EXPLORATORY NOTES "Blood Wedding" By Federico Garcia Lorca Plot and Sub-Plot From the surface the plot of Blood Wedding is a very simple one. The Bridegroom is to be married to the Bride. The Bridegrooms mother initially expresses doubts having lost both her Husband and one son to an ongoing feud with the Felix family. However, Leonardo, a member of the Felix family and old time love of the Bride's, begins to re-find his feelings. Having married and fathered a son since breaking up with the Bride, his position is difficult to say the least. On the day of the wedding of the Bride and Bridegroom, Leonardo arrives early and explains his feelings to the Bride, that she only left him because he was poor. She vehemently denies this, but nothing can dull their passions for one another. However, as she explains "I'll shut myself away with my husband, and I'll love him above everything." The wedding goes ahead. However, at the party after the wedding the Bride and Leonardo run away together. Once discovered the Bridegroom sets off in pursuit of them. The Bride and Leonardo escape to the forest, being hunted by the Bridegroom, aided by the Moon. Leonardo tries to tell the bride to return to the Bridegroom, but their love is too strong. The Bridegroom finds them and both himself and Leonardo are killed. (Indeed the play, had it been written by a more liberal Shakespeare may
The Use of the Stage Directions in The Cherry Orchard and Blood Wedding.
Stephanie Duarte The Use of the Stage Directions in The Cherry Orchard and Blood Wedding When a play is being read instead of being watched onstage, stage directions become essential to our understanding of the play as they allow us to picture what would be happening if the play were to be acted out. As there are many types of stage directions, I will only be analysing costumes, gestures, blocking and entrances and exits. These can be used to reveal character, symbolise the relationships between the characters, create a comic effect, or even heighten the tension and therefore change the mood. Blood Wedding is a highly dramatic play, making great use of symbolism, and the story line is heavily based on the strong feelings between the characters. The Cherry Orchard, on the other hand, is a play which incorporates both tragedy and comedy. Costumes are often described when introducing a character in The Cherry Orchard. At certain times in the play, their purpose is to give us an immediate idea of what a character is like or to create a comic effect. When Yepikhodov is first introduced, he is wearing "boots that squeak loudly", which creates comedy and also allows us to identify him as an accident-prone character. When Pishnik is described, he is wearing a "tight-fitting, long waisted coat in a fine material, and wide oriental-looking trousers". This adds to the comic side
Blood Brothers-play evaluation
Chiago Tabansi Blood Brothers The play... I saw the play Blood Brothers at the Pheonix Theatre in Central London; the theatre was an old one with a cosy atmosphere which accompanied a nice reasonable sized stage. - How the production was staged. Simplistic staging and used the same setting with inter-changeable doors and backdrops when appropriate. For example flying down Mrs Johnstone's house backdrop every time she was shown to be in her house. The correct use of lighting substituted for the minimal staging; this was a good technique to use as I was able to concentrate more on the acting. - The importance of the Narrator The narrator had an important role in the play, dressed in a black suit and tie he was easily recognised and was constantly there. Acting as a reader, telling the audience what happens at every intersection, explaining through both singing and talking. The fact that he was seen by all whilst the protagonists acted, this created an element of suspense, as the audience was itching to know what he has to say next. - The characters Each character played their role convincingly incorporating the basic drama techniques such as variety of voice, facial expression and body language. From this performance I would say the Johnstone family held a strong performance than the Lyons. It is fair to say the Johnstones performance was more believable. From the
women in black
Women In Black In this essay I will be reviewing the 'Woman In Black' which is being performed at the Fortune Theatre, London. Before going to see the performance I wasn't really looking forward to it as after reading the beginning of the text I found it boring and dull. When we first pulled up outside the theatre I didn't find the building to be what I expected it to look like. From the outside the building looked newly designed but the interior told a different story. The theatre held a cold and eerie atmosphere, whilst talking to the staff we found out why. The Fortune Theatre was the most hunted theatre in London and had many stories held to its name. The most famous story told is that when the actor that plays the woman in black looked out into the audience the first night it was shown she saw a black salute at the back of the auditorium. It was said that the black figure looked like it was wearing a bonnet and a Victorian dress. Once finding out the history peoples view on watching the show had changed. The auditorium was small and was hard to see what was going on onstage if you were sitting in the first four rows as you had to keep looking up. The only advantage of the space was that when one person screamed the whole audience screamed. This helped the actors as it made the audience more aware of what was going on and had tension building. When first seeing the