Susan Hill’s The Woman in Black, the highly acclaimed 1983 horror novella, has come to life through a deliciously deviant theatrical adaptation. Through cunning theatrical framing and stagecraft, playwright Stephen Mallatratt and director Robin Herford’s The Woman in Black encourages the audience to let their imaginations run wild as they are transported from the 21st century West End to the 20th century stage — and the secluded and desolate town of Crythin Gifford. The horrors and haunts that once wreaked havoc in the Eel Marsh House are resurrected on the contemporary British stage that keep audiences on the edge of their seats for the entire two hour production. The Woman in Black got its spine-tingling start in the bar of the Stephen …show more content…
The set itself is both minimalistic and incredibly efficient, paying homage to The Woman in Black’s humble and low-budget beginnings over a quarter-century ago. With a backdrop consisting of a plain sheet and only a wicker chest, chair, and clothing rack as props, Deiana and Holt force the audience to begin using their imaginations from the beginning of the play to follow the vividly descriptive memoir used by Kipps and The Actor as their production’s script. As the two men reenact the horrors that happened in Kipps’ time at the Eel Manor House and the terrors he faced after returning to London, the props are continually given new purpose. The chest that once serves as a desk when the young Kipps is first told about his new job at Crythin Gifford becomes a train seat as he travels from London; the chest then transforms into a horse’s carriage as Kipps is brought to the home of the late Mrs. Alice Drablow before becoming both the receptacle of the woman’s countless financial documents and his
The play, Bug, is written by Tracy Letts, composed of two acts. When I realized the background of play was in the old motel in Oklahoma City, I was interested because I live in Oklahoma. I watched the performance at TCC a few weeks ago, so I could make sense easily. Through the two main characters, who are Agnes and Peter, Letts makes a story of the play and shows what Agnes’ and Peter’s condition is, and why Peter acts aberrantly such as when he mentions conspiracy theories and pulls out his teeth to take out the bug, which does not exist.
Blackrock was first performed in 1995. The play explores the causes of violence by individuals as well as ideas surrounding mateship and gender. The representations of mateship, masculinity and violence portray Australian culture in Blackrock as dangerous, homophobic and one that is accustomed to gender inequality. Dramatic conventions are employed by Nicholas Enright to challenge the reader or viewer’s view towards mateship, reinforce the idea of masculinity and challenge the idea that Australian culture is safe.
The reading by Barbara Creed titled “Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection”, is an in-depth examination on the role of women in horror films. Creed challenges the commanding patriarchal view, which frequently puts the woman in the position of the helpless victim. She argues that when the feminine is constructed as monstrous, it is frequently done in conjunction with its mothering role and function. Creed’s main thesis supports that the prototype of all cinematic definitions of monstrosity related to the feminine is linked to the woman’s reproductive body. Creed elects to use the term “monstrous feminine” instead of female monster, because for Creed it is the “femininity itself that is monstrous” (41). It has been unfairly
There are many ideas, experiences, values and beliefs in the play Blackrock by Nick Enright. The play is based on a true story and is set in late November to early January in an Industrial city and its beachside suburb of Blackrock. It is about a girl called Tracy aged 15 who was raped and murdered at a teenage party and the effects of it on the locals and community. Three main ideas explored in the play that challenged and confirmed my own beliefs include “Disrespect toward women”, “Victim blaming” and “Double standards”.
I must begin by saying that this musical has been one of the most consistently influential pieces of art throughout my entire life. I knew I loved it, I knew I loved the music from the very first time I heard the Broadway soundtrack. Until now, I had no idea that I could analyze nearly every element of this play in a way that would musically explain why I loved it so much from a logical standpoint.
Over the course of my academic career, I have grown accustomed to viewing stories that follow a specific plot structure. Gao Xing Jian’s The Other Shore and Toshiki Okada’s The Sonic Life of a Giant Tortoise have shown me that I should look at theatre from different angles, instead of the one I have grown used to. Even though I found these two plays challenging to read, they offered me a unique perspective that I do not usually see in theatre.
The play Blackrock, written by Nick Enright that was inspired by the murder of Leigh Leigh, which took place in Stockton in 1989. During this essay the following questions will be analysed, what stereotypes of women are depicted in the text, how do the male characters treat the female characters and how do the male characters talk about the female characters. These questions are all taken from the feminist perspective.
...that bombard us in our cosmopolitan, mediated culture today’ (The Psychophysical Actor at work, pg. 200). Throughout attempts on her life, Martin crimp explores representation by using an absent figure who always appears, but never appears. In the context of post dramatic, I believe at times the text has abrupt reference to terrorism. Its post dramatic structure comes in response to the fact that the issues of representations that are raised in terms of Anne being absent, is the same role that mediated images play in constructing our world today. It appears that Martin Crimp uses post dramatic theatre in this way to highlight the social and political issues of the world above and beyond theatre. Particular references relating ‘Anne’ to terrorism are evident when she is described as ‘A terrorist on the run’, or ‘An artist who has turned her suicide attempts into art’
All dramatic productions feature the elements of drama. Following a viewing of the scene ‘Someone’s crying’ from the 1993 movie ‘The Secret Garden’ three of the elements of drama have been assessed. Role, character and relationships have been utilised in ‘The Secret Garden’ to create anxiety and suspense, enticing the viewer to solve the mysteries the Secret Garden presents. The protagonist in the scene is a young girl, around the age of ten who during the night leaves her room to explore her residence. The protagonist narrates the scene; she begins by stating that the ‘house seems dead like under a spell’. This makes the viewer anxious and fearful for the safety of our young protagonist. The protagonist is brave. She pushes open a door and
Australian Gothic theatre is an exhilarating and disturbing style which explores the uniquely Australian spectre of our history and identity. Gothic theatre is something epic, timeless, universal, or generally larger than life resides in the assumptions upon which a gothic work is built. Gothic Drama considers several types of conventions and elements, that are utilised in a performance to create dramatic meaning. The famous play “Children of the black skirt” directed by Angelia Betzien is a mysterious, thrilling production that explores the story of three girls that blunder upon an abandoned orphanage that is haunted by the spirits of the children who lived there previously. This play incorporates various elements to create their specific
Womanism in Alice Walker’s The Color Purple “Every time they ask me to do something, Miss Celie, I act like I’m you. I jump right up and do just what they say” (88). This line conveys how obedient Celie is towards others, which she learns from her own people. The black community degrades black women to make it difficult for them to become independent (Tanritanir and Aydemir 438).
Feminism and theatre by Sue Ellen Case, The first English Actresses by Elizabeth Howe, Restoration Comedy in performance by J.L. Styan, The history of world theatre by felicia harrison lordre, A dependence of the first english actress by pippa guard, rape on the restoration stage by derek hug he
Horror literature has been around since as long as man has been on earth. While usually in the form of ghost stories, many have often told stories orally, or on paper, to play on the horrors and darkest fears that we as humans face. While large populations of people do not like the horror genre, some get a satisfaction or enjoyment at looking at some of their worst fears being played out in front of them via a book or movie. As the stories have advanced through history and been examined and read through many different lenses both by history and literature experts, one aspects remains to be examined, and that is the changing role on of women in the story. While many of the early stories early stories portray them as simple, one-dimensional characters, weak and unable to help themselves, they evolve into more complex and eventually pushing through the damsel in distress mantra into the complex villain or hero.
As a white, homosexual, upper class, female spectator, I am an oppressor in my whiteness and class but am oppressed through my “alternative” sexuality and through my gender. Addressing and recognizing my own personal identity as oppressor but also the oppressed helps me to examine these four plays, China Doll, Sex Kitty, Snake Oil Show, and Spell #7 in terms of representation of identity through performance. I am analyzing how these women playwrights configure identity for themselves and the audience by observing the similarities in form and content within these texts. A shared theme in these works is to move away from and/or deconstruct a universal, ideal spectator’s lens through personal experiences.
Black comedy discusses and integrates controversial and often taboo topics such as pain, loss, and grief providing a confronting and cathartic experience for the audience. Martin McDonagh’s ‘The Lieutenant of Inishmore’ is a play that humorously deals with the serious nature of the Irish struggle for independence. It juxtaposes the mundane with the extreme political violence, which is a common aspect of black comedy, presenting an issue in a new perspective. The act of pointless violence presented through characterisation, sharp dialogue and the symbol of the cat, is a strong mechanism for laughter. Similarly Neil Labute’s ‘The Shape of Things’ presents manipulation, superficiality and the nature of art in a humorous way. ‘The Shape of Things’