DIRECTOR'S NOTEBOOK (MOCK)
CRITERION A: THE PLAY TEXT, ITS CONTEXT AND THE IDEAS PRESENTED
Thomas Lanier Williams, more commonly known as Tennessee Williams was born in Columbus, Mississippi on March 26th, 1911. The playwright was the second of Cornelius and Edwina Williams' three children, and was predominantly brought up by his mother. This was because Williams had a 'complicated' relationship with his father, a travelling work-consumed salesman who saw his work as more important than parenting. Williams father was a outgoing, loud and hard-drinking man, and at times reached vulgar. In contrast, his mother was relatively quite and over protective and displayed a constant 'over attachment' to her three children. Growing up, Tennessee was a fairly delicate child who suffered from several (serious) childhood diseases - this affected his schooling, and kept him from attending a normal school. Rather than attending school, Tennessee was constantly reading in his Grandfather's library. When asked, Williams described his life growing up in Mississippi as peaceful, happy and pleasant. However, when the family moved to St. Louis, Missouri (when Tennessee was about aged twelve) things changed for Tennessee; his untroubled and carefree nature was rid of in his new, urban home and an outcome of this was he started becoming more 'introverted' and spent more time writing.
One of Williams' greatest achievements and play that received incredible amounts of praise was "The Glass Menagerie", published in 1945. When analysing the play, it is evident that the characters reflect the personas of both Williams' parents, his older sister, Rose, and himself. This can be established as the father figure in the play has abandoned the family due to his desire to travel. Similarly, Williams' father was absent at times due to the fact that he was a workaholic and constantly travelled as a result(mainly whilst living in Mississippi). The similarities between the character Tom Wingfield and Williams is unreal. After Williams finished high school, he attended the University of Missouri for three years until he failed ROTC. Whilst studying at the school, Williams had begun to write more and found that alcohol was a cure for his extreme shyness. This would later come to haunt him, and essentially cost his life. After Williams third year, his father got him a job in the shoe factory where he worked for two years - he classified this as the most miserable years of his life. Williams would work all day in the factory, then all night writing short stories, poetry and plays. After repeating this routine for two years, he had a nervous breakdown and went to recuperate with his Grandfather in Memphis, Tennessee. Going back, it is clear that Williams experiences and years of irritation are reflected in Tom Wingfield - and Tennessee even gave the character his own first name, Tom. This is a great point. Can you explain even more explicitly by comparing the character of Tom to Williams and drawing comparisons?
The Glass Menagerie is a memory play set in St. Louis in 1937, which action is spawned from the memories of the play's narrator, Tom Wingfield. Tom is and aspiring poet who works in a shoe warehouse to finically support his mother, Amanda Wingfield, and his sister, Laura Wingfield. Throughout the play there has been an absent father figure among both Tom and Laura as their father abandoned the family many years ago, leaving nothing but a post card. In short, Amanda Wingfield is extremely invested into both her children, and aims to find Laura a suitor. However, due to Laura's shyness and the brace on her leg this does not come with ease. Tom wishes to quit his job at the shoe warehouse and pursue his dream of being a poet.
During the time The Glass Menagerie was written, the second world war had just ended and it was the beginning of a new era not just for America but the world. Given that thousands of young men had spent years away from their wives and lovers because they were away fighting in the war, as a result of this marriage rates drastically increased and there was a massive 'baby-boom' that lasted between the years 1946 to 1964. This meant larger families and more people on the streets. The post war era was considered to be a socially conservative time; gender roles for men and women were becoming more traditional and clearly defined. Post-world war II, women who had worked in factories returned to the home and reverted to a more domestic living. Through all this, the feminism characteristic of the 1920's to the early 1940's was not as evident throughout the 1950's. When reading through the The Glass Menagerie, it is evident that some of these events impacted Tennessee's description of the characters presented within the play. It can be assumed that Amanda Wingfield, the mother of both Laura and Tom, is more of a 'housewife' and tends to more homely matters. Due to the gender stereotypes within society, this comes as no surprise. In addition, Tom Wingfield is also conforming to the ideology of what is to believed to be a man's role in society by working in a shoe warehouse and earning an income for the family. Both of this can be inferred as Amanda is almost always set at home, working in the kitchen or around the house as opposed to Tom, who appears to be the character that leaves the house the most - to both go to work, and to socialise with his co-workers and leisure activities (going to watch a broadway performance, and in Tom's perspective: Drinking at a pub). A further example of an historic events during the 1930's effected the characters and storyline within The Glass Menagerie is the Great Depression in the United States, that stretched between the years 1929 and 1939. This specific event took a massive toll on the United State's economy, and threw handfuls of companies out of business, forcing them to declare bankruptcy and countless other individuals unemployed and/or struggling for income to support their families. This economic crisis was said to be the 'deepest and long-lasting economic downturn in the history of the Western industrialised world' (History, 2009). By 1933, when the Great Depression had hit rock-bottom, approximately 12-15 million Americans were left unemployed along with almost half of the country's banks failed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had installed means of 'relief' and 'reform', which aided in easing the worst effects of the Great Depression during the 1930's however the economy did not fully turn around until after 1939; the beginning of World War Two. Through the analysis of The Glass Menagerie's character dialogue, it can be inferred that the Wingfield family was impacted by this event. In scene 1, Tom is setting the scene for the play by narrates to the audience that "Their eyes had failed them or they had failed their eyes, and so they were having their fingers pressed forcibly down on the fiery Braille alphabet of a dissolving economy." This line is clearly a reference to the Great Depression as Tom mentions a 'dissolving economy', which is a relevant description of the country's economy at the time. Excellent! Another example of how the event is connected with the characters, is the depicted personality traits of each character. Amanda Wingfield appears to be more of a 'money-minded' individual: she's constantly asking Tom about work and has (attempted) to put Laura through business school so as to learn,(meet a suitor) and get a well payed job to earn an income for the family.
One of the themes within The Glass Menagerie is the difficulty of accepting reality. This is apparent as the characters all struggle in accepting and connecting to reality. Is this the main idea that you wish to explore in your interpretation? It is noticeable that each of the Wingfield's are challenged, and incompetent towards overcoming this difficulty and as a result leading each member to withdraw into their own 'private worlds' filled with illusion and misconception. It is here where each character finds the comfort and relief that the reality does not appear to offer for them. When looking more closely, Laura appears to have the frailest grasp on reality compared to her brother and mother. Her private world in which she hides is filled by her glass animal menageries; objects that similarly to Laura's 'inner life' are whimsical and incredibly delicate. In contrast, Tom appears to be capable of operating in the real world as he is maintains employment and makes conversation with strangers. This leads us to believe that Tom is able to accept reality, however towards the end of the play he proves to be just like his sister; he has no motivation to pursue romantic or friendship-like relationships, professional success and he appears to withdraw into the manifested fantasies produced by movies, plays and literature and the 'numbness' provided by the intoxication on alcohol. Unlike both her children, Amanda is limited to 'real-world values', and desires social and financial success and stability. However, her devotion to these values is precisely what prevents her from understanding, and realising a number of truths/facts in her life. Amanda is unable to accept that she is far from the pampered belle she was taught to be throughout her life, that Laura is untypical and 'different', and that Tom is not an aspiring businessman. She is also unable to accept that she may be held responsible for the flaws of her children. In contrast with her children's withdrawal into illusion, her private world is more shameful and pitiful. This is due to the fact that her illusion is not imaginative, but a yearning distortion of reality.
Thomas Lanier Williams, more commonly known as Tennessee Williams was born in Columbus, Mississippi on March 26th, 1911. The playwright was the second of Cornelius and Edwina Williams' three children, and was predominantly brought up by his mother. This was because Williams had a 'complicated' relationship with his father, a travelling work-consumed salesman who saw his work as more important than parenting. Williams father was a outgoing, loud and hard-drinking man, and at times reached vulgar. In contrast, his mother was relatively quite and over protective and displayed a constant 'over attachment' to her three children. Growing up, Tennessee was a fairly delicate child who suffered from several (serious) childhood diseases - this affected his schooling, and kept him from attending a normal school. Rather than attending school, Tennessee was constantly reading in his Grandfather's library. When asked, Williams described his life growing up in Mississippi as peaceful, happy and pleasant. However, when the family moved to St. Louis, Missouri (when Tennessee was about aged twelve) things changed for Tennessee; his untroubled and carefree nature was rid of in his new, urban home and an outcome of this was he started becoming more 'introverted' and spent more time writing.
One of Williams' greatest achievements and play that received incredible amounts of praise was "The Glass Menagerie", published in 1945. When analysing the play, it is evident that the characters reflect the personas of both Williams' parents, his older sister, Rose, and himself. This can be established as the father figure in the play has abandoned the family due to his desire to travel. Similarly, Williams' father was absent at times due to the fact that he was a workaholic and constantly travelled as a result(mainly whilst living in Mississippi). The similarities between the character Tom Wingfield and Williams is unreal. After Williams finished high school, he attended the University of Missouri for three years until he failed ROTC. Whilst studying at the school, Williams had begun to write more and found that alcohol was a cure for his extreme shyness. This would later come to haunt him, and essentially cost his life. After Williams third year, his father got him a job in the shoe factory where he worked for two years - he classified this as the most miserable years of his life. Williams would work all day in the factory, then all night writing short stories, poetry and plays. After repeating this routine for two years, he had a nervous breakdown and went to recuperate with his Grandfather in Memphis, Tennessee. Going back, it is clear that Williams experiences and years of irritation are reflected in Tom Wingfield - and Tennessee even gave the character his own first name, Tom. This is a great point. Can you explain even more explicitly by comparing the character of Tom to Williams and drawing comparisons?
The Glass Menagerie is a memory play set in St. Louis in 1937, which action is spawned from the memories of the play's narrator, Tom Wingfield. Tom is and aspiring poet who works in a shoe warehouse to finically support his mother, Amanda Wingfield, and his sister, Laura Wingfield. Throughout the play there has been an absent father figure among both Tom and Laura as their father abandoned the family many years ago, leaving nothing but a post card. In short, Amanda Wingfield is extremely invested into both her children, and aims to find Laura a suitor. However, due to Laura's shyness and the brace on her leg this does not come with ease. Tom wishes to quit his job at the shoe warehouse and pursue his dream of being a poet.
During the time The Glass Menagerie was written, the second world war had just ended and it was the beginning of a new era not just for America but the world. Given that thousands of young men had spent years away from their wives and lovers because they were away fighting in the war, as a result of this marriage rates drastically increased and there was a massive 'baby-boom' that lasted between the years 1946 to 1964. This meant larger families and more people on the streets. The post war era was considered to be a socially conservative time; gender roles for men and women were becoming more traditional and clearly defined. Post-world war II, women who had worked in factories returned to the home and reverted to a more domestic living. Through all this, the feminism characteristic of the 1920's to the early 1940's was not as evident throughout the 1950's. When reading through the The Glass Menagerie, it is evident that some of these events impacted Tennessee's description of the characters presented within the play. It can be assumed that Amanda Wingfield, the mother of both Laura and Tom, is more of a 'housewife' and tends to more homely matters. Due to the gender stereotypes within society, this comes as no surprise. In addition, Tom Wingfield is also conforming to the ideology of what is to believed to be a man's role in society by working in a shoe warehouse and earning an income for the family. Both of this can be inferred as Amanda is almost always set at home, working in the kitchen or around the house as opposed to Tom, who appears to be the character that leaves the house the most - to both go to work, and to socialise with his co-workers and leisure activities (going to watch a broadway performance, and in Tom's perspective: Drinking at a pub). A further example of an historic events during the 1930's effected the characters and storyline within The Glass Menagerie is the Great Depression in the United States, that stretched between the years 1929 and 1939. This specific event took a massive toll on the United State's economy, and threw handfuls of companies out of business, forcing them to declare bankruptcy and countless other individuals unemployed and/or struggling for income to support their families. This economic crisis was said to be the 'deepest and long-lasting economic downturn in the history of the Western industrialised world' (History, 2009). By 1933, when the Great Depression had hit rock-bottom, approximately 12-15 million Americans were left unemployed along with almost half of the country's banks failed. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had installed means of 'relief' and 'reform', which aided in easing the worst effects of the Great Depression during the 1930's however the economy did not fully turn around until after 1939; the beginning of World War Two. Through the analysis of The Glass Menagerie's character dialogue, it can be inferred that the Wingfield family was impacted by this event. In scene 1, Tom is setting the scene for the play by narrates to the audience that "Their eyes had failed them or they had failed their eyes, and so they were having their fingers pressed forcibly down on the fiery Braille alphabet of a dissolving economy." This line is clearly a reference to the Great Depression as Tom mentions a 'dissolving economy', which is a relevant description of the country's economy at the time. Excellent! Another example of how the event is connected with the characters, is the depicted personality traits of each character. Amanda Wingfield appears to be more of a 'money-minded' individual: she's constantly asking Tom about work and has (attempted) to put Laura through business school so as to learn,(meet a suitor) and get a well payed job to earn an income for the family.
One of the themes within The Glass Menagerie is the difficulty of accepting reality. This is apparent as the characters all struggle in accepting and connecting to reality. Is this the main idea that you wish to explore in your interpretation? It is noticeable that each of the Wingfield's are challenged, and incompetent towards overcoming this difficulty and as a result leading each member to withdraw into their own 'private worlds' filled with illusion and misconception. It is here where each character finds the comfort and relief that the reality does not appear to offer for them. When looking more closely, Laura appears to have the frailest grasp on reality compared to her brother and mother. Her private world in which she hides is filled by her glass animal menageries; objects that similarly to Laura's 'inner life' are whimsical and incredibly delicate. In contrast, Tom appears to be capable of operating in the real world as he is maintains employment and makes conversation with strangers. This leads us to believe that Tom is able to accept reality, however towards the end of the play he proves to be just like his sister; he has no motivation to pursue romantic or friendship-like relationships, professional success and he appears to withdraw into the manifested fantasies produced by movies, plays and literature and the 'numbness' provided by the intoxication on alcohol. Unlike both her children, Amanda is limited to 'real-world values', and desires social and financial success and stability. However, her devotion to these values is precisely what prevents her from understanding, and realising a number of truths/facts in her life. Amanda is unable to accept that she is far from the pampered belle she was taught to be throughout her life, that Laura is untypical and 'different', and that Tom is not an aspiring businessman. She is also unable to accept that she may be held responsible for the flaws of her children. In contrast with her children's withdrawal into illusion, her private world is more shameful and pitiful. This is due to the fact that her illusion is not imaginative, but a yearning distortion of reality.
MIND MAP TASK
Your mind maps above demonstrate excellent research and your cultural/historical insights are very much evident in the section above. To strengthen this even further I would recommend including sources from your research to support your very good points. The evidence of research needs to be embedded within your work.
CRITERION B: ARTISTIC RESPONSES AND LIVE THEATRE EXPERIENCES
As I was analysing and reading through the play, I soon realised that majority of the way I have imagined the staging and costumes for each character is more or less similar to performances put on by the theatre company 'Gecko'.
(to the left, an image from a Gecko performance)
Founded in 2001 by Amit Lahav and Al Nedjari, Gecko is an award winning theatre company that creates performances through the exploration of Physical Theatre. Both founders believed that at the time theatre was 'uninspiring' and 'dull' to a certain extent during the creation of the company. As a knock-on result of these conclusions, they sought to explore movement that involves athleticism and physical contact and endurance (Gecko Theatre, 2015). Although I have not had the privilege of seeing a live performance by Gecko, after researching and watching numerous videos of the company's performances on youtube prior to reading The Glass Menagerie, the atmosphere that each Gecko performance captures with it's use of dull, and dark lighting and rather 'industrialised' and almost cold and intimidating set design and costumes is the type of atmosphere and mood I wish for my two chosen moments from The Glass Menagerie to create. It appears that most performances put on by Gecko are depicted in a type of working, or business environment such as performances 'The Overcoat' and 'Institute' again, adding to the industrialised and cold feeling of each performance. When reading through The Glass Menagerie, I imaged it do be performed in a relatively dim/dark lighting state and with many dark colours present on stage to get that cold, miserable atmosphere. The reason why I feel that this would be the ideal type of atmosphere and set design is that the whole play comes across as relatively...depressing in a way, especially seeing that each character is lost in their own worlds and un able to accept reality. I imagine that feeling lost and a missing sense of belonging among society would feel, again, cold and as the founders of Gecko described; dull and uninspiring. There would be a lack of motivation towards carrying out tasks and interacting with the outside world, so there would almost be a more 'tired', mundane and melancholy mood constantly present. I feel that all this is best represented through the use of dark lighting states, dark costumes and dark set pieces - just as both The Overcoat and Institute have depicted. Coming away from such performances by Gecko makes me appreciate how lighting and costumes play a role in helping audience members become immersed in the action occurring on stage. In addition to this, the physical style of movement both The Overcoat and Institute add to the atmosphere created within the performance, allowing the actors to express their feelings, character personas and emotions towards a current event or issue present on stage. In relation to this, the actors use props as an 'extension' of their already very physical movement - linking actors with the props ultimately making the whole performance more abstract. This enables the actors to demonstrate the connection or even the emotional attachment they may have with a prop or set piece, which will add to the scene's climax and atmosphere. For example, in the performance Institute one of the actors shows an emotional attachment to a documents folder. This can be assumed due to the way he possesses the prop, and reacts when it is taken away from him; he leans forwards, over the table in front of him to reach and grab for it. Another example within this play is the scene when one of the actors is shown to be seated at a circular table holding a hand (a prop) in front of him - it almost looks like they're arm wrestling. Although he is the only actor present on stage, you can't help but feel as though the hand represents another person sitting opposite him. This relationship with the prop has a lasting effect on audience members as it helps and prompts them to use their imagination and see something that is not really there, once again making the performance more abstract. Some really good ideas and connections here Livi. Remember for your final Director's Notebook it is important that you refer to 'live performance.' I think annotated images of Gecko design would be really useful here.
CRITERION C: THE DIRECTORS VISION AND INTENDED IMPACT
CRITERION B: ARTISTIC RESPONSES AND LIVE THEATRE EXPERIENCES
- To what extent does the candidate record their artistic responses, creative ideas and explorations of the play text?
- To what extent does the student make links to relevant experiences of live theatre they have experienced as a spectator during the course, explaining how directors employed performance and production elements to create effective and impactful moments of theatre?
As I was analysing and reading through the play, I soon realised that majority of the way I have imagined the staging and costumes for each character is more or less similar to performances put on by the theatre company 'Gecko'.
(to the left, an image from a Gecko performance)
Founded in 2001 by Amit Lahav and Al Nedjari, Gecko is an award winning theatre company that creates performances through the exploration of Physical Theatre. Both founders believed that at the time theatre was 'uninspiring' and 'dull' to a certain extent during the creation of the company. As a knock-on result of these conclusions, they sought to explore movement that involves athleticism and physical contact and endurance (Gecko Theatre, 2015). Although I have not had the privilege of seeing a live performance by Gecko, after researching and watching numerous videos of the company's performances on youtube prior to reading The Glass Menagerie, the atmosphere that each Gecko performance captures with it's use of dull, and dark lighting and rather 'industrialised' and almost cold and intimidating set design and costumes is the type of atmosphere and mood I wish for my two chosen moments from The Glass Menagerie to create. It appears that most performances put on by Gecko are depicted in a type of working, or business environment such as performances 'The Overcoat' and 'Institute' again, adding to the industrialised and cold feeling of each performance. When reading through The Glass Menagerie, I imaged it do be performed in a relatively dim/dark lighting state and with many dark colours present on stage to get that cold, miserable atmosphere. The reason why I feel that this would be the ideal type of atmosphere and set design is that the whole play comes across as relatively...depressing in a way, especially seeing that each character is lost in their own worlds and un able to accept reality. I imagine that feeling lost and a missing sense of belonging among society would feel, again, cold and as the founders of Gecko described; dull and uninspiring. There would be a lack of motivation towards carrying out tasks and interacting with the outside world, so there would almost be a more 'tired', mundane and melancholy mood constantly present. I feel that all this is best represented through the use of dark lighting states, dark costumes and dark set pieces - just as both The Overcoat and Institute have depicted. Coming away from such performances by Gecko makes me appreciate how lighting and costumes play a role in helping audience members become immersed in the action occurring on stage. In addition to this, the physical style of movement both The Overcoat and Institute add to the atmosphere created within the performance, allowing the actors to express their feelings, character personas and emotions towards a current event or issue present on stage. In relation to this, the actors use props as an 'extension' of their already very physical movement - linking actors with the props ultimately making the whole performance more abstract. This enables the actors to demonstrate the connection or even the emotional attachment they may have with a prop or set piece, which will add to the scene's climax and atmosphere. For example, in the performance Institute one of the actors shows an emotional attachment to a documents folder. This can be assumed due to the way he possesses the prop, and reacts when it is taken away from him; he leans forwards, over the table in front of him to reach and grab for it. Another example within this play is the scene when one of the actors is shown to be seated at a circular table holding a hand (a prop) in front of him - it almost looks like they're arm wrestling. Although he is the only actor present on stage, you can't help but feel as though the hand represents another person sitting opposite him. This relationship with the prop has a lasting effect on audience members as it helps and prompts them to use their imagination and see something that is not really there, once again making the performance more abstract. Some really good ideas and connections here Livi. Remember for your final Director's Notebook it is important that you refer to 'live performance.' I think annotated images of Gecko design would be really useful here.
CRITERION C: THE DIRECTORS VISION AND INTENDED IMPACT
- To what extent does the student clearly present their intentions for the staging of the play text?
- To what extent does the student explain how their presentation of the play text on stage would achieve their intended impact on an audience?
As shown in the sketch of my set design above, I feel that this design will achieve my intended impact on my audience; which is essentially to make them feel as though they're stuck in this 'world' with the Wingfield's. This is why I have chosen for my staging and set to remain the same throughout the whole performance, as I feel that it best depicts how trapped each character is in his or her own private worlds. Although it is relatively difficult to observe in the sketch above (as I'm not the best artist, and my lack of drawing ability makes it hard to add detail to the sketch), the actual house will not take up that much space on stage. It will be situated in the middle, and will be slightly small and almost cramped looking. This again, will add to the atmosphere of the performance, and give audience members a sense of just how cramped the minds and worlds of each character is. The furniture that will be set up on inside the house will be ordinary looking and rather plain-jane. Further up stage, on the 'higher stage' will be the dining area and the kitchen. Down stage, on the lower stage will be the bedroom where there will be 2 beds; one queen sized for both Laura and Amanda, and a single bed for Tom. I believe that having only 2 beds may help emphasise the financial and space struggles the family is going through - preventing them from having a bed for each character. Moving on, above the fireplace on the higher stage there will be a framed photograph of Mr. Wingfield. I have chosen to have this framed and above the fireplace in particular as it seems that throughout the play, Amanda sort of seems to in a sense idolise Mr. Wingfield and she speaks rather fondly of him at times - despite the fact that he left them. Often people of a higher status or who are idolised are kept in framed photographs or paintings above fires, so naturally I felt this would add a nice touch to the play. The two windows on the wall on stage right are to remain open and not to be covered by curtains or anything of the sort. This will allow light to pour into the house from outside (i.e from the lamp post) when the lighting inside the house has been dimmed, or turned off. The lighting outside from the lamp post will help audience members imagine the time of day as the lighting intensity will increase as 'night falls', and the intensity will decrease and eventually turn off when day rolls in - much like real life. I believe this will make scenes set at night fall more impactful, as it will force audience members to really focus on what is happening inside the house (because it will be dark), and it will also add to the atmosphere and make audience members feel as though they are really living with the Wingfield's.
CRITERION D: THE STAGING OF TWO MOMENTS OF THE PLAY
Please skip page one of the displayed document bellow!
CRITERION D: THE STAGING OF TWO MOMENTS OF THE PLAY
- to what extent does the student effectively outline how they would stage two moments of the play using appropriate subject terminology, ensuring the play text is not edited, cut or altered?
- TO what extent does the student explain how production and performance elements would function together in their staging to fulfil their intentions?
Please skip page one of the displayed document bellow!
MOMENT ONE: SCENE 4 (page #2-4)
In this moment, the key performance production element that would aid in fulfilling my intentions for the piece would definitely be the lighting states. In this chosen moment, it starts off at night fall with the lamp post light's intensity on full shining a yellowish light from it, and casting a shadow through each window onto the floor of the house. When Laura awakens, she lights a small candle - this is the only light source produced from within the house. This will cast shadows onto the floor as she moves through the house to the front door where she meets Tom at the front door. This dim and 'shadowy' effect created by these lighting states emphasises the time of day and helps place audience in the mind set that it is the middle of the night - potentially helping them realise that Tom is arriving home at an incredibly late hour. Why shadows? As Tom enters the house and Laura closes the door behind them, the brief moments where the whole house is cast in light is once again replaced by dark shadows produced from Laura's candle. Further on in the moment, when Tom has climbed into bed and Laura has too - she blows out the candle, plunging the whole house into darkness apart from the light cast on the floor through the windows. This represents that all characters are asleep and the first half of the moment is over. Following this, the lamp post light's intensity decreases and a light blue and white wash starts to slowly fade in outside of the house. Once this lighting intensity is at its fullest, when Amanda sits up in bed there is a pale yellowish wash that slowly fades on inside the house. Similar to night fall, the use of these lighting states and its colour helps the audience to imagine it to be morning, the following day. What I aim for my audience to feel with these constant changes in times of days using lighting states is to feel as though they are going through life with the Wingfield's, day by day. New paragraph here. When it comes to props, at the start of the moment following Tom's line " But who in hell ever got himself out of one without removing one nail?", both he and Laura are by the door and following this line the framed photograph above the fireplace falls to the floor. This action will require someone backstage to be standing behind the wall point where a wooden stick used as a hook to hold up the photograph will be pulled out the wall, causing it to fall onto the floor. This event will cause shock among the audience as it is something they wouldn't have expected to happen at such a time. They are then forced to notice and remember what fell and will quickly realise that it was the photograph of Mr. Wingfield that fell, and that Tom must be referring to him - given the coincidence that it fell. Regarding the movement of actors on stage, they will move naturally however moving at the given cues annotated in the script above. As far as costumes go, Tom's costume will never change and will be as shown in figure image 1 bellow, however there will be no hat and he will be wearing navy colour pants and a brown wait coat and tie. I have chosen for Tom's costume to appear this way because it is an outfit that can be viewed as casual and yet at times be seen as work appropriate. It fits in with the whole 1930's style of men's wear - however I chose for the colours not to exactly match. This will make Tom stand out among people as his outfit is not colour coordinated. This is a subtle connection to the fact that Tom doesn't quite fit in with the men in society; he's got the clothing right but the colours just don't match leaving him not fitting in with the social norm. Nice idea! Great way to communicate character traits through use of colour in costumes. Laura will be wearing a night gown, as shown in figure image 2 bellow however it will be plain white and have no prints whatsoever on it. The cuffs and end of the dress will have frilly white crochet looking cuffs. Not much thought went into choosing this outfit for Laura, as this was a common style of night wear for women in the 1930's. I chose white as it a rather neutral colour and is rather clean cut looking compared to Laura's dark everyday wear.
In this moment, the key performance production element that would aid in fulfilling my intentions for the piece would definitely be the lighting states. In this chosen moment, it starts off at night fall with the lamp post light's intensity on full shining a yellowish light from it, and casting a shadow through each window onto the floor of the house. When Laura awakens, she lights a small candle - this is the only light source produced from within the house. This will cast shadows onto the floor as she moves through the house to the front door where she meets Tom at the front door. This dim and 'shadowy' effect created by these lighting states emphasises the time of day and helps place audience in the mind set that it is the middle of the night - potentially helping them realise that Tom is arriving home at an incredibly late hour. Why shadows? As Tom enters the house and Laura closes the door behind them, the brief moments where the whole house is cast in light is once again replaced by dark shadows produced from Laura's candle. Further on in the moment, when Tom has climbed into bed and Laura has too - she blows out the candle, plunging the whole house into darkness apart from the light cast on the floor through the windows. This represents that all characters are asleep and the first half of the moment is over. Following this, the lamp post light's intensity decreases and a light blue and white wash starts to slowly fade in outside of the house. Once this lighting intensity is at its fullest, when Amanda sits up in bed there is a pale yellowish wash that slowly fades on inside the house. Similar to night fall, the use of these lighting states and its colour helps the audience to imagine it to be morning, the following day. What I aim for my audience to feel with these constant changes in times of days using lighting states is to feel as though they are going through life with the Wingfield's, day by day. New paragraph here. When it comes to props, at the start of the moment following Tom's line " But who in hell ever got himself out of one without removing one nail?", both he and Laura are by the door and following this line the framed photograph above the fireplace falls to the floor. This action will require someone backstage to be standing behind the wall point where a wooden stick used as a hook to hold up the photograph will be pulled out the wall, causing it to fall onto the floor. This event will cause shock among the audience as it is something they wouldn't have expected to happen at such a time. They are then forced to notice and remember what fell and will quickly realise that it was the photograph of Mr. Wingfield that fell, and that Tom must be referring to him - given the coincidence that it fell. Regarding the movement of actors on stage, they will move naturally however moving at the given cues annotated in the script above. As far as costumes go, Tom's costume will never change and will be as shown in figure image 1 bellow, however there will be no hat and he will be wearing navy colour pants and a brown wait coat and tie. I have chosen for Tom's costume to appear this way because it is an outfit that can be viewed as casual and yet at times be seen as work appropriate. It fits in with the whole 1930's style of men's wear - however I chose for the colours not to exactly match. This will make Tom stand out among people as his outfit is not colour coordinated. This is a subtle connection to the fact that Tom doesn't quite fit in with the men in society; he's got the clothing right but the colours just don't match leaving him not fitting in with the social norm. Nice idea! Great way to communicate character traits through use of colour in costumes. Laura will be wearing a night gown, as shown in figure image 2 bellow however it will be plain white and have no prints whatsoever on it. The cuffs and end of the dress will have frilly white crochet looking cuffs. Not much thought went into choosing this outfit for Laura, as this was a common style of night wear for women in the 1930's. I chose white as it a rather neutral colour and is rather clean cut looking compared to Laura's dark everyday wear.
MOMENT TWO: SCENE 7 (page #5-7)
Similar to moment one, the lighting states will play a similar role and work in the same way; when it is morning or early in the day the lighting intensity from the lamp post will be minimal and the wash over the stage outside will be a stronger intensity and will change from blue-white to a more yellow-orange and do darkness as the day goes from early morning to evening, to night fall. At the beginning of the moment, following Amanda's line "In the dark!" the lights inside the house will suddenly turn off and the inside of the house will be plunged into darkness, apart from the shadows cast onto the floor by the lamp post through the two windows. Amanda will then get up and turn/light candles on the dining table and the fireplace which will brighten up the room. This effect will be great as there will be multiple shadows cast on stage forming the silhouettes of each character on the walls and furniture around the house making the atmosphere feel more 'eerie'. Another key thing I thought to add into this scene was when Amanda lights the first candle, Jim's shadow is cast on the wall and it is large compared to everyone else's - Tom's in particular. This can represent how Amanda and Laura potentially see Jim as more of a man and father figure compared to Tom, who's shadow is smaller. Lovely. It's only when Amanda shouts "Tom!" that Tom sits up straight and his shadow becomes bigger, as if he's retaking his places as 'man of the house.' As Jim retakes his seat at the table, and he and Amanda almost mock and make fun of Tom by saying "Shakespeare probably wrote a poem on that light bill, Mrs. Wingfield" and "I might have known better than to trust him with it! Theres such a high price for negligence in this world!", Tom's shadow becomes smaller again as he slouches forwards closing himself off once more while Jim's reclaims its original huge size. As the mocking continues, Amanda's shadow's size increases too almost becoming as large as Jim's - drowning out Tom's. Towards the end of the moment, Amanda grabs the apron on the back of her chair and throws it at Tom and says "Now, Thomas, get into this apron!" This simple action proves how Amanda has decided that she is among the current higher power of the house, and views herself as more important to Tom. Along with this action is the interesting fact that there is a role reversal: normally Amanda, a woman, would be instructed to go be in the kitchen and tend to homely matters while the man, Tom, caters to the guest and everything involving socialising. As a result of Amanda's shadow increasing in size, it is evident to the audience that she earns more self confidence through the dinner time 'bonding' with Jim and sees her self as more powerful - and for a second she briefly appears to have stepped out of her private world. Much like moment one, movements performed by actors are natural unless cued on the annotated script above. Regarding costumes, Tom will be wearing the same costume (refer to figure image 1 in the moment bellow). Jim will be wearing a white formal shirt with a neck tie and light blue high waisted looking pants which use suspenders to hold them up, as shown in the figure image 3. I chose for Jim to wear this style of clothes as it was also a fashion trend for men in the 1930's and compared to Tom's clothing, Jim's are more colour coordinated and clean-cut and classy looking. The brighter colours Jim wears in contrast to the dark colours the Winfield family wears cause him to stand out and appear to be more wealthy and of a higher class. Both Laura and Amanda will be wearing their everyday dresses, which are as seen in figure image 4 bellow however they will both be a dark brown colour as opposed to navy. Much like the costume inspiration for the other characters, Laura and Amanda's costumes are also inspired by 1930's women's fashion at home. I chose to go with more darker colours, in this case dark brown, so as to so a similarity to Tom's waist coat colour. In addition, when watching movies it is common for those who are poorer or of a lower status to be depicted wearing various shades of brown (rags). I felt that having the Wingfield family dressed in this colour will guide the audience into inferring that they are not the most rich family - in comparison to Jim who wears brighter and cleaner colours, which are normally associated with the higher class. Also, the choice of fabric for the costume is useful to discuss here, with reference to class. You could include swatches.
Similar to moment one, the lighting states will play a similar role and work in the same way; when it is morning or early in the day the lighting intensity from the lamp post will be minimal and the wash over the stage outside will be a stronger intensity and will change from blue-white to a more yellow-orange and do darkness as the day goes from early morning to evening, to night fall. At the beginning of the moment, following Amanda's line "In the dark!" the lights inside the house will suddenly turn off and the inside of the house will be plunged into darkness, apart from the shadows cast onto the floor by the lamp post through the two windows. Amanda will then get up and turn/light candles on the dining table and the fireplace which will brighten up the room. This effect will be great as there will be multiple shadows cast on stage forming the silhouettes of each character on the walls and furniture around the house making the atmosphere feel more 'eerie'. Another key thing I thought to add into this scene was when Amanda lights the first candle, Jim's shadow is cast on the wall and it is large compared to everyone else's - Tom's in particular. This can represent how Amanda and Laura potentially see Jim as more of a man and father figure compared to Tom, who's shadow is smaller. Lovely. It's only when Amanda shouts "Tom!" that Tom sits up straight and his shadow becomes bigger, as if he's retaking his places as 'man of the house.' As Jim retakes his seat at the table, and he and Amanda almost mock and make fun of Tom by saying "Shakespeare probably wrote a poem on that light bill, Mrs. Wingfield" and "I might have known better than to trust him with it! Theres such a high price for negligence in this world!", Tom's shadow becomes smaller again as he slouches forwards closing himself off once more while Jim's reclaims its original huge size. As the mocking continues, Amanda's shadow's size increases too almost becoming as large as Jim's - drowning out Tom's. Towards the end of the moment, Amanda grabs the apron on the back of her chair and throws it at Tom and says "Now, Thomas, get into this apron!" This simple action proves how Amanda has decided that she is among the current higher power of the house, and views herself as more important to Tom. Along with this action is the interesting fact that there is a role reversal: normally Amanda, a woman, would be instructed to go be in the kitchen and tend to homely matters while the man, Tom, caters to the guest and everything involving socialising. As a result of Amanda's shadow increasing in size, it is evident to the audience that she earns more self confidence through the dinner time 'bonding' with Jim and sees her self as more powerful - and for a second she briefly appears to have stepped out of her private world. Much like moment one, movements performed by actors are natural unless cued on the annotated script above. Regarding costumes, Tom will be wearing the same costume (refer to figure image 1 in the moment bellow). Jim will be wearing a white formal shirt with a neck tie and light blue high waisted looking pants which use suspenders to hold them up, as shown in the figure image 3. I chose for Jim to wear this style of clothes as it was also a fashion trend for men in the 1930's and compared to Tom's clothing, Jim's are more colour coordinated and clean-cut and classy looking. The brighter colours Jim wears in contrast to the dark colours the Winfield family wears cause him to stand out and appear to be more wealthy and of a higher class. Both Laura and Amanda will be wearing their everyday dresses, which are as seen in figure image 4 bellow however they will both be a dark brown colour as opposed to navy. Much like the costume inspiration for the other characters, Laura and Amanda's costumes are also inspired by 1930's women's fashion at home. I chose to go with more darker colours, in this case dark brown, so as to so a similarity to Tom's waist coat colour. In addition, when watching movies it is common for those who are poorer or of a lower status to be depicted wearing various shades of brown (rags). I felt that having the Wingfield family dressed in this colour will guide the audience into inferring that they are not the most rich family - in comparison to Jim who wears brighter and cleaner colours, which are normally associated with the higher class. Also, the choice of fabric for the costume is useful to discuss here, with reference to class. You could include swatches.
Bibliography (For Some reason I'm unable to indent on Weebly?)
America's The Best . (2014, N/A N/A). The 1940's - World War II. Retrieved Jan 11, 2015, from America's The Best : http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1940.html
Gecko Theatre .(2015, N/A N/A). Gecko Theatre Company. Retrieved Jan 21, 2015, from Gecko Theatre :
http://www.geckotheatre.com/
History . (2009, Jan 13). The Great Depression. Retrieved Jan 14, 2015, from History:
http://www.history.com/topics/great-depression
History Timeline . (2013, N/A N/A). 1930-1939. Retrieved Jan 10, 2015, from History Timeline : http://historytimeline.8m.com/1930-1939.html
Rosenberg, J. (n.d.). 1940's Timeline . Retrieved Jan 11, 2015, from About Education : http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1940timeline.htm
The People History . (2004, N/A N/A). 1940s News, Events, Popular Culture and Prices. Retrieved Jan 11, 2015, from The People History : http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1940s.html
Wikipedia. (2014, N/A N/A). Timeline of United States History . Retrieved Jan 10, 2015, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_United_States_history_(1930%E2%80%9349)
Xroads . (2014, N/A N/A). 1930's Timeline . Retrieved Jan 10, 2015, from America In The 1930's: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s2/time/timefr.html
ARTISTIC
America's The Best . (2014, N/A N/A). The 1940's - World War II. Retrieved Jan 11, 2015, from America's The Best : http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline1940.html
Gecko Theatre .(2015, N/A N/A). Gecko Theatre Company. Retrieved Jan 21, 2015, from Gecko Theatre :
http://www.geckotheatre.com/
History . (2009, Jan 13). The Great Depression. Retrieved Jan 14, 2015, from History:
http://www.history.com/topics/great-depression
History Timeline . (2013, N/A N/A). 1930-1939. Retrieved Jan 10, 2015, from History Timeline : http://historytimeline.8m.com/1930-1939.html
Rosenberg, J. (n.d.). 1940's Timeline . Retrieved Jan 11, 2015, from About Education : http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1940timeline.htm
The People History . (2004, N/A N/A). 1940s News, Events, Popular Culture and Prices. Retrieved Jan 11, 2015, from The People History : http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1940s.html
Wikipedia. (2014, N/A N/A). Timeline of United States History . Retrieved Jan 10, 2015, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_United_States_history_(1930%E2%80%9349)
Xroads . (2014, N/A N/A). 1930's Timeline . Retrieved Jan 10, 2015, from America In The 1930's: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~1930s2/time/timefr.html
ARTISTIC