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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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Psychology Character Analysis - Harry Potter

Psychology Character Analysis Harry Potter is a ten-year-old boy living with his aunt and uncle. His parents died in a car crash when he was just a baby. His cousin, Dudley, his aunt Petunia and his uncle Vernon all despise him and treat him like dirt. Harry hates this, but has grown used to it and puts up with their constant harassing and making fun of him. On his eleventh birthday however, he discovers that his parents were actually a witch and a wizard who were murdered by an evil wizard. This takes Harry by complete surprise and changes his entire life. He is taken away to start school at Hogwarts, the school for magic. He meets many people that have known his family over the years and discovers that his name is famous among all the students and teachers at Hogwarts. He was the boy that escaped the evil wizard, Voledemort. Harry doesn't actually know what he has done to deserve all the praise from his peers and the wizarding community in general and he doesn't believe that he is worth all the attention he gets. Harry's problem is that his aunt, uncle and cousin put him down so much that he doesn't believe that anyone could actually like him. Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory best helps analyze Harry's problem. While he was living with the Dursleys they met his physiological needs, because they fed him, clothed him and gave him shelter, even though his room was a

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