Analyse a Performance You Have Seen by Identifying and Discussing the Constituent Features of the Performance Text. Were the Theatrical Elements Woven Together Satisfactorily?
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Analyse a performance you have seen by identifying and discussing the constituent features of the performance text. Were the theatrical elements woven together satisfactorily?
The Woman In Black, performed at the Fortune Theatre in London on Tuesday 5th January 2010, tells the chilling story of a wounded spectre’s search for revenge. The victim of the ghost’s unmerciful curse is a young solicitor named Arthur Kipps, who, later in life, begins this play-within-a-play by asking for a young Actor’s help in telling his terrible tale to family and friends in the hope that the curse may be lifted, and he will be unburdened. The Actor eventually persuades the old man to turn his written story into a play – he plays the Young Mr Kipps, and Mr Kipps portrays the other characters in his tale. There are a number of themes explored, such as revenge, death and illusions. However, I believe that the most important features of the play are among the dramatic effects. In order to answer this question, I shall be examining the three theatrical elements of lighting, sound and costume, using Pavis’ Questionnaire as a basis for my answer with regards to costume in particular. I support the argument that the theatrical elements were woven together satisfactorily, and I shall justify this by discussing the elements in detail and how they tied the performance together.
The lighting in The Woman In Black is pivotal to the ambience of the play, as it is mostly used for the creation of eerie shadows, and emphasising the contrast between darkness and light. The lighting plays a large part in protecting the illusion that the stage is only very small. This is done with the help of gauze, which is draped at the “back” of the stage. When light is shone on top of the gauze, it appears opaque, but when light is shone behind it, two new areas of the performance space are revealed – a cemetery which later doubles as a nursery, and, further back, a creaking staircase. The...
The Woman In Black, performed at the Fortune Theatre in London on Tuesday 5th January 2010, tells the chilling story of a wounded spectre’s search for revenge. The victim of the ghost’s unmerciful curse is a young solicitor named Arthur Kipps, who, later in life, begins this play-within-a-play by asking for a young Actor’s help in telling his terrible tale to family and friends in the hope that the curse may be lifted, and he will be unburdened. The Actor eventually persuades the old man to turn his written story into a play – he plays the Young Mr Kipps, and Mr Kipps portrays the other characters in his tale. There are a number of themes explored, such as revenge, death and illusions. However, I believe that the most important features of the play are among the dramatic effects. In order to answer this question, I shall be examining the three theatrical elements of lighting, sound and costume, using Pavis’ Questionnaire as a basis for my answer with regards to costume in particular. I support the argument that the theatrical elements were woven together satisfactorily, and I shall justify this by discussing the elements in detail and how they tied the performance together.
The lighting in The Woman In Black is pivotal to the ambience of the play, as it is mostly used for the creation of eerie shadows, and emphasising the contrast between darkness and light. The lighting plays a large part in protecting the illusion that the stage is only very small. This is done with the help of gauze, which is draped at the “back” of the stage. When light is shone on top of the gauze, it appears opaque, but when light is shone behind it, two new areas of the performance space are revealed – a cemetery which later doubles as a nursery, and, further back, a creaking staircase. The...