Our County's Good Scene 1

Evaluation:
Three different monologues, of Wisehammer, Arscott and Mary.
I think that the four speaking characters on stage should be separated from one another. This is especially the three convicts. The convicts should be separated as they have their own story to tell, and it emphasises that they are different from one other.

Wishammer: was under a yellow light and walked forward, this was good as it added space between him and Arscott. I dont think he should go down at the end but end off to the side. he demonstrates his feelings of anger and is slightly deranged.

Arscott: 1st time under a blue light second time under a yellow light. I think the blue light was more effective because its to do with hunger and how it starts in the mind. Also i liked how Arscott was sitting down as when you eat your sitting down. Sometimes he speaks to fast, when discribing the food i think that he should also go off into a daze, deep into his memory, and look as though he can almost taste it.

Mary: was in a yellow light and looking down, when she pauses and says the word 'love' she looks up and stares out distantly. to make a bigger effect i think that mary should be looking out off stage to her left. Her body position could be wondering, and relaxed. But i think when she says love that she should look forward still in a daze but not directly at anyone.

Waiting for Godot

SOCIAL, CULTURE AND HISTORICAL CONDITIONS OF THE WRITING

Samuel Beckett's waiting for Godot was first performed in 1953

Historical

• Hiroshima Nagasaki 1945 - whole community, shocks wold of the power


• WW1 - Hitler - Jews - holocaust [1939 - 1945]

Continuous stand of between

capitalism vs Communist

USA, Britain, NATO USSR, China

Berlin wall "Iron curtain" Arms race, race to space

Depression 1929 - started after Wall street Crash

IRISH BRITAIN

1992 WW1

blacks and tans - Ireland

1916 Easter uprising

19th Century potato famines due to poor British rule

Absurdism:

1. A philosophy often translate into art forms holding that humans exist in a meaningless irrational universe
2. An act or instance of the ridiculous.

Nihilism

questions posed:

• is there a god?
• is life worth living?
• why is this happening?

time:

• rasises questions about is value, meaning, function
• Vivan Merciere - "Nothing happens, twice"

Boots:

• poverty
• Not being in possension for awhile could have greater value now

Dreams:

• is life too bad already?
• is it not worth a distraction?

Tree:

• burning bush in the bible? lack of a god?
• Hope, life?
• Death?

Waiting for Godot - 1st OMG

The first OMG moment is when we first meet Lucky and Pozzo. I felt that at first you feel sorry for Lucky being a servant or rather a slave. but when it is his time to " Think" and he just kept repeating himself, yet at the same time it going on longer than someone would expect, it gave me the sense if he didnt get everything out now he would loose his chance. This was very effective as he was forward centre stage giving emphasis on him and having small movements around heelped to connect you with the other characters. i think it was a OMG moment as it was a surreal moment and near the end you would stop listenning.

Waiting for Godot - 2nd OMG

the second OMG moment for me was the Gogo hiding behind the three. The tree looked like it was dead and burnt and could be a symbol or like the burning tree. Anyway in this production Gogo was a very short man and hiding behind it didnt work as it was mostly dead, and it was thin, but the branches were too high up. This was an OMG moment as it was one of the funniest moments in the play. this relatest to the other OMG moment at the beginning of the play where Gogo is sitting on a rock and looks as though he is a full grown man, but when he stands up next to Didi it is such a shock. I think that they mange in this production to use the height to make it more amusing to the audience, and by that they are allowed to send in the deeper meanings as the audience is much more relaxed.

Our Country's Good

Today had lots of fun reading 'Our country's good', its a good play and would be interesting to be played by a small cast always swapping roles like in '39 steps'.

Also sounds better in different accents, especially with a small cast

Harold Pinters view of waiting for godot

The following quote is by Harold Pinter:

The farther he goes the more good it does me. I don’t want philosophies, tracts, dogmas, creeds, ways out, truths, answers, nothing from the bargain basement. He is the most courageous, remorseless writer going and the more he grinds my nose in the shit the more I am grateful to him. He’s not f---ing me about, he’s not leading me up any garden path, he’s not slipping me a wink, he’s not flogging me a remedy or a path or a revelation or a basinful of breadcrumbs, he’s not selling me anything I don’t want to buy — he doesn’t give a bollock whether I buy or not — he hasn’t got his hand over his heart. Well, I’ll buy his goods, hook, line and sinker, because he leaves no stone unturned and no maggot lonely. He brings forth a body of beauty. His work is beautiful.

The quote above raises these questions to me:

• Is he implying that Becket’s work is just telling the truth?
  
• Does Beckett intend for us to see what Pinter is suggesting?
  
• What is Beckett's work about?
  
• Who is this aimed at?
  
• How does it become beautiful by not selling anything to you?

Drama Mock

YR 11 MOCK IS WICKED!!! (LY) FUN

So the story so far is 4 characters two have separate monologues yet two people are sharing one to show that they are the same. all characters are wearing masks.
Then the happy family on scene, three characters on stage still wearing mask. The song is background music of Happy Together which was good old N's idea. The music dies down and ends with a clap. Creepy imaginary friend comes up and demasks us, showing us for what we truly are.
Either no music or low rumble to give an scary effect. this the abusing scene where main focus on mother(N) and kid(ID). this then triggers of the first nightmare/daydream with a puppet master that only the audience can see. This pushes the kid to go crazy.
Scene between mother(N) and the cowardly none abused daughter (me). Not really talking and facing a different way in an diagonal. Sort of answering each others questions. dialogue:
mother Daughter
therapist i think we need to see a therapist.
no one will be able to clean up this family
therapist would be a good idea..... I'm not crazy, stop looking at me like that, i said I'm not crazy
we're all crazy
therapist would be a good idea
no no no -(quieter)
dialogue:

next scene the two daughters one has gone completely insane while the other is trying to help her to destroy her feelings but is evidently failing. A clap and then a scene from the imagination with SE and ID. SE is taking over while ID is desperately trying to be free to get out of this place.

end and final scene SE has won and has full control, ID is just about to kill her but she changes places with the mother. ID kills her mother. I come in am terrified and start shouting at her while slowly backing away. A clap we all free and SE moves to the front and announces are title "Haunted Daydreams" - while eating an apple.