The play “Cosi” by Louis Nowra is the story of a university student who is set the task of producing a play in a mental institute. The play uses many dramatic techniques including, but not limited to; the setting of the play, humour, and tension as well as role, to help draw the audience into the world of the play, the world of these ‘mental patients.’ The play also helps to bring forward people’s feelings and attitudes towards the mentally ill and people’s attitudes towards love and cheating, to further draw the audience into the world of the play, and the world of the 1970’s, when people with any kind of mental illness where treated as ‘outcasts’ and were not accepted as socially acceptable.
Lewis (the main character) is in relationship with a woman named Lucy, and in a friendship with Nick, who has extreme and dedicated social views. Lewis states he is always in need of work by saying "I need the money". The play is set to take place in a theatre that smells of "burnt wood and mould", the cast are patients with different needs, and the play being performed by these mental patients is Mozart's Così fan tutte. Through working with the patients, Lewis discovers a side of himself that allows him to learn how to value love.
Clothing that is worn by the actors during the play can be a reflection of the characters personalities. Nick, Lucy, Lewis and Julie all seem to be in normal clothing, reflecting the fact they are relatively normal, and don’t show signs of extreme ‘Madness.’ Ruth wears simple, old, and neat clothes that reflect her OCD, and the colours and patterns that Roy wears reflect his crazy and upbeat personality. Meanwhile, Henry wears business-like outfits that you would expect to see a lawyer wear. This helps to inf...
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...wis a little about her life before she entered the institution. She tells a story about how her and her father used to go duck hunting, but instead of using a dog to get the dead ducks out of the cold lakes, her father used to make her go out and fetch the ducks. This helps to enhance Cherry’s role as a mental patient, as we are all left wondering if this story is true, or if it merely a story with small bits of truth, concocted by Cherry’s own mind.
Cosi uses a wide range of Dramatic elements, all through-out the play. This play particularly highlights The Tension, the Role and the way the characters portray their selves on stage. The use of these techniques allows the audience to accept more readily the intent of the play. It draws everyone into a world, that in many ways is foreign to us, but the human interaction, with the characters, makes it seem more real.
The characters address the audience; the fast movement from scene to scene juxtaposing past and present and prevents us from identifying with particular characters, forcing us to assess their points of view; there are few characters who fail to repel us, as they display truly human complexity and fallibility. That fallibility is usually associated with greed and a ruthless disregard for the needs of others. Emotional needs are rarely acknowledged by those most concerned with taking what they maintain is theirs, and this confusion of feeling and finance contributes to the play's ultimate bleak mood.
Burns’ costumes were executed in way I had never seen in a play before. Instead of sticking with one style for costumes, it evolved through out the play. In Act 1, the characters were in the first stages of an apocalypse. The clothes they wore were average and looked like something that would be in a Sear’s catalog. Actually, I did not even think they were in a high stress situation until later in the act. I thought they were just some young adults out having a good time in the woods or some abandon lot. Their clothes helped me connect them to our current time. However, in Act 2, the characters’ costumes took a turn for the worse. It was obvious with the state of the clothing that a considerable amount of time passed in the play. The clothes they wore were in horrible condition. They were dusty, had holes littered through out, and ill fitted. Yet, this was perfect costuming for the chapters. It showed how the world became destitute and the people in it scavengers. A lot of the pieces looked like they came from dumps or maybe places that were once on fire. A remarkable thing about their distressed clothing was that it stilled looked colorful and cheery. It perfectly captured the essence of the scene. Lastly, Act 3 had the most ostentatious and gaudy costuming out of all the acts. In thus act, the characters’ lives were not shown, instead it showed the play that they participated in. The costumes were flamboyant and paid homage to theater from the past. Gold and heavy fabrics were used for the Simpsons, to make them stand out and show their importance. On the other hand, the chorus wore simple white togas that made them look
A significant aspect of the play is the acting and wardrobe, because it helps demonstrate the personalities of the characters.
Big hair, bright colors, and denim helped to establish the time period the play was set in. Each actress’ outfit gave the audience an idea of her character’s personality. For instance, Clairee wore pant suits and looked the part of a sophisticated, classy former mayor’s wife. On the other hand, Ouiser wore comfortable clothes; often sporting a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt over a t-shirt showing her practical and simple lifestyle. The use of jackets and scarves portrayed the change in season and helped establish the different time frames from scene to scene. The costumes reflected each character well and were fitting for the time in which the play was portrayed.
In the play “Circle Mirror Transformation” by Annie Baker took place at an acting workshop in small town Vermont. Annie Baker presented the characters to the audiences by them getting to know each other in the almost uncomfortably intimate way. In the play, the characters underwent the emotional growth and the knowledge about each other personal issues. Although theater is only pretending yet the play suggested that it is the best way to get to the truth.
In recent years many novels have been published to highlight the hardships and harsh reality of those suffering from mental disorders. While our knowledge on this issue has increased vastly, strong connections can be draw between classic and modern literature in regards to characters who suffer from these disorders. The novel “Compulsion” by Heidi Ayarbe, tells the story of a teenage boy with severe OCD. This novel authenticates the many sickening facets of OCD, and sheds a realistic and much needed light on what it is actually like to suffer from a mental illness. In a similar vein, the tragic play, “Hamlet”, shows how illness can be bred from traumatic events, and how it can lead to pain and loss for not only those suffering from an illness,
To realize the vision of the play, the script, set-up, costumes, stagecraft, sound design, and acting have to communicate a unified message with which the audience will relate. The script will be tailored to ensure that the audience can understand the play as it proceeds. This is in terms of the language and terms used. Though the language will not be modern, it will be English that can be understood by the audience. This will be English of antique England as it will give the play a feeling of ancient times. The scriptwriter will carry out research on the level of understanding the local people will have of ancient English so as to ascertain that the script matches this level. Although many plays of that era were sung and accompanied by dance, this play will be acted out with spoken word rather than songs. This is because speaking will ensure the audience hears the conversations as they go on and that they understand. This is ...
Marie, who is a product of an abusive family, is influenced by her past, as she perceives the relationship between Callie and her son, Bo. Saunders writes, describing Marie’s childhood experiences, “At least she’d [Marie] never locked on of them [her children] in a closet while entertaining a literal gravedigger in the parlor” (174). Marie’s mother did not embody the traditional traits of a maternal fig...
She continues in this sequel to talk about the abuse she faced and the dysfunction that surrounded her life as a child and as a teen, and the ‘empty space’ in which she lived in as a result. She talks about the multiple personalities she was exhibiting, the rebellious “Willie” and the kind “Carol”; as well as hearing noises and her sensory problems. In this book, the author puts more emphasis on the “consciousness” and “awareness” and how important that was for her therapeutic process. She could not just be on “auto-pilot” and act normal; the road to recovery was filled with self-awareness and the need to process all the pieces of the puzzle—often with the guidance and assistance of her therapist. She had a need to analyze the abstract concept of emotions as well as feelings and thoughts. Connecting with others who go through what she did was also integral to her
In the play Coriolanus, the man by with the play is named is a complicated individual. There is complexity to his personality, and subtlety to his emotions. In Act III, from III.ii.91 to 139, Coriolanus goes through an extreme shift of point of view and emotion. He has a complete reversal from not wanting compromise with the common people citizens to begrudgingly accepting that he must. For any actor trying to play Coriolanus, the importance of understanding this scene is important to understanding Coriolanus as a whole.
The spectacle of this play is limited which is why there is such weight put on the actors themselves. Their scene and ensembles never show signs of change yet they develop and grow. There is a huge stress on the statue, which whom the Learned Ladies bow
Most people gather what they know about mental illnesses from television and film. Unfortunately these media portrayals are inaccurate and create stigma. They depict people suffering from mental illnesses as different, dangerous and laughable. Characters are often addicted to drugs or alcohol, are violent, dangerous, or out of control. Horror film characters like Norman Bates in Psycho, Jack Torrance in the Shining, or Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs associate the typical 'psycho- killer' with people who suffer from a mental illness. But dramas and horror films are not the only film genres that create stigma. Comedies like What About Bob and many others not only stigmatize, they also make fun of mental illnesses and the people who suffer from them. This paper will discuss how the film Me, Myself & Irene is an inaccurate, offensive and stigmatizing portrayal of an individual suffering from schizophrenia. It also discusses what can be done to counteract the stigma created by these types of films.
In the film Luhrman uses costume and makeup to portray characters’ personalities. Such as Shirley Hastings. Shirley’s costume and makeup shows the audience a great deal about her personality. Shirley always wears pink, puts ‘over the top’ makeup on and wears a lot of jewellery. This tells the audience that she is ‘over the top’ and maybe insecure about herself or her past. Liz Holt is another character whose personality could not have been portrayed if it wasn’t for the costume and makeup used. Liz is a drama queen and exaggerates everything including her costume and makeup. She nearly always wears yellow and also exaggerates her makeup with bright colours even when she’s not dancing. Luhrman also used costume and makeup to show the development of one of the main characters, Fran. At the start of the film, Fran is introduced with acne, glasses and baggy clothes, which shows the audience that she is not comfortable with herself and not confident. But when Fran starts dancing she slowly becomes more confident and her costume and makeup changes. Fr...
In William Shakespeare 's Hamlet, Charlotte Gilman 's “The Yellow Wallpaper”, and Ken Kesey 's One Flew Over the Cuckoo 's Nest, the poor treatment of primary characters labeled insane by secondary characters results in the deterioration of the primary characters mental state. All three of these works take place in a time where mental instability is frowned upon. The way in which society views those with mental instabilities influences the view and treatment of the mentally unstable by the people around them.
In The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, and Of Mice and Men, the people dressed in a very distinct way. The women were supposed to wear neutral colors and nothing “flashy”. In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne did not abide to this trend. She wore more radiant colors and made embroidered the letter ‘A’ to her chest in a very flamboyant way. She also dressed Pearl in bright, extravagant colors. Hester was looked down upon by the entire town partly because of this. In today's society, we have multiple trends for fashion and if someone were to dress outside of these trends they would most definitely be overlooked. Today’s trends are mostly concerned with what brand you are wearing. At school, you will see a lot of people wear Hollister, American Eagle, Pink, Under