Blue Remembered Hills Essay

The p dower and backg measure solidifying in the western United States country (Devonshire/Cornw exclusively) in 1943, the leanwright Dennis Potter explores the traumatic childhoods of 7 young children.Origin each(prenominal)y written for television in 1979, the exemplify follows seven 7 category gray(a)s through an actual day of their lives. As the wager takes place in real time the whole liaison is representational and there ar no non naturalistic techniques such as flashbacks or other theatrical devices to skip to different times. The bleed is treated in a barn, a wood and a field on a summers subsequentlynoon. Over the two hour halt the fri supplants hearten and squabble, touch officularly victimizing a boy whom they c alone Donald dowse, the hearten climaxes when this computer address is left out of games and activities by his peers and therefore decides to play his confess game a game of pyromaniaCharactersAs I said to begin with the play is totally natura listic, however there is one signifi postt exclusion the playwright Dennis Potter insisted that adult actors were cast to delineate the children. He imagination that if children were role the auditory modality would lose the true think uping of the story in billet the sympathy that they would feel for the child actors.The BoysJohn Looks after Raymond, fair-minded, often challenges shot.Peter Bully, very strong, is not very clever.Raymond Has a stutter, very gentle and sensitive, is urbane as a cowboy.Willie Intelligent and he wonts this to all overcome Peters bullying, is easy goingThe GirlsAngela Very bossy, reasonably and very flirtatious for a seven year old, very self-centered.Audrey Always trying to be Angelas friend, very plain, overshadowed by Angela.The victimDonald Duck Boys foolt desire him very much, girls allow him to play abode with them. Very lonely as everyone taunts and bullies him. He is ab employ.Important hidden display casesWallace Wilson class bul ly, hear dissevers a binge(predicate) him simply never actually jibe him.Donald Ducks experience Ab intents him, plays part towards Donalds depression and pyromania.Adult ActorsDennis Potter decided that for his play he wanted to cast adult actors to play the parts of the children, mainly beca spend of the auditions reaction to the plot. He felt that the audience would lose the true meanings of the play, as they would sympathize with child actors. Potter took into consideration how child behavior differentiates when creation watched by an audience, whereas adults would truthfully portray their emotions.My opinionIn my opinion I think that Dennis Potters casting choice was a very bad decision. I come up the play as to a greater extent(prenominal) of a joke than a serious piece of playing period. The adult actors do not resemble children, scarce instead adults with mental difficulties, because of this I remember Potter has done merely what he wanted to avoid and took the true meaning out of the play.Lesson 1In our first lesson we began by exploring playing children, from womb to 2 geezerhood old. We turned off the lights to center on the themes of loneliness and to focus on actually developing in the mothers womb. I began in a shut in shape as foetus do we accordingly turned the light on to re benefaction the birth. From this point we were babies and infants developing gradually from 0-2 yrs.Examples of organic structure language aw arnessFetus still, in a tucked position.Newborn slight course of limbs- opthalmic and audio only.3 months As above, slight bm of head- side to side to explore surroundings visual and audio only.6-9 months As above, able-bodied to roll over slightly-visual audio and kinesthetic.12-18 months qualified to lift head alone and support self. Movement of all dead automobile trunk parts now occurring visual, audio and kinesthetic.18-24 months crawling to explore surroundings kinesthetically Using objects to gazum p selves up. It is at this age we felt that we would be unresolved of interacting with other actors, by some(prenominal) voice and body language. I and Connie chose to play typical childhood activities (clapping games and pulling hair) and squabbling.We then continued our childhood explorations by spontaneously improvising a classroom photograph. My drama teacher acted as a year 3 teacher and my peers and I as the year 3 class. We all interacted well with each other creating stereotypical component parts and situations Our task was to reconstruct a den in competition with the other team. We apply sybaritic present to act as a tower and I compete a princess.We chose a fairytale scenario to portray childhood imagination. This in each case helped us maintain high energy levels which are lordly for playing children. We used impound vocabulary such as founded that firsted tho and you are the bestest to battle array the simplicity of childrens language at 7 years old. We pe rform arguments with some(prenominal) our testify group and our opponents over propertys and spacing. We excessively chose to co-ordinated a fairytale storyline into it and take an opponent from the other team hostage. We similarly tryed how our moods changed chop-chop e.g. falling out and then making up again.As I was acting I could find many similarities in my own and others performances in comparison to zesty Remembered Hills point of references.Hayley(me) Very similar to Angela.I remained seated at the top of our pretend towers dishing orders out and generally beingness very bossy. I also portrayed her flirtatious side by busheltling a row between 2 boys over who would be my prince why dont you some(prenominal) be princes then you jackpot both kiss me This links to Angela because she is also very bossy and flirtatious.rabbit warren very similar to Raymond.He stayed well away from the arguments and instead chose to play alone with his pretend guns.Sophie very simil ar to Audrey.Backed up everything I said (Angela). Held doll when I was climbing etc. Wanted attendance constantly.EvaluationI think my performance as a 7 year old was well idea through. I used assume body language (free and wild) and voice (high pitched and squeaky) to portray my desired character. I think my performance was strongly influenced by my 7 year old brother and 5 year old sister. I managed to keep in contribution by keeping my energy levels high to feel more ilk my character. I enjoyed this performance even metergh I ordinarily dis desire spontaneous improvisation tasks. I learnt how important it is to keep up energy levels and momentum when performing as children, I strongly recall that this performance has helped me get the feel and prepare for childhood performances in the Blue Remembered Hills scopes.Lesson 2Character exploration and Still imageIn our foster lesson we were to perform a role play, reenacting a selected prognosis from the play. This was to allow us to empathize with the characters and familiarize ourselves with their relationship with each other.I selected the scene with Angela, Andrea and Donald Duck in the barn. We chose to stage this in the round to portray Donalds isolation, the round enabled the audience feel close to us acting feeling the tension. We used appropriate proxemics. There were a modification of characteristics to my role. It is in this scene that derisory fallacy is used a lot as Donalds emotions are portrayed by the grubby, battered barn.PhysicalisationAs I was playing the part of Angela I was aware that her personal characteristics would be very different to my own. I was familiar with Angelas bossy, controlling ways from previous lessons. To portray her characteristics I did the following thingsThis posture showed that I was over positive(p).As you can see I had hold of the baby the whole time, al gibibytegh it was an effective way to portray emplacement and imprimatur it particularly helped me by restricting me with my hand gestures.I intimidated Donald at the end of the scene by using emplacement and movement to my advantage. I used good levels to show status Positioned my body as someone with confidence would Used very static and zippy movement to vary to a 7 yr olds characteristics.I also used movement effectively when intimidating Donald. I circled him to show how my character controls the scene.I used centering which is a good technique to show a character physically. As this agent that my character is ruled by a particular part of the body, I chose to use the arm retentivity the baby. When I walked, this arm would lead etc. This also emphasized my status due to possessing the doll.My facial expressions changed throughout the scene mainly because of the themes and emotions varying. My facial expressions constantly portrayed my hubris which is my overconfidence.For utilization- concernOh dear. Poor, poor Donald (denoted from text) My expression was very int erested and showed that my concern was solely on Donald. This showed the caring and imaginative side to Angela I was also the mommy which may have encouraged me to over-exaggerate.Another example- Anger and deterrenceQuack, Quack, Quack (denoted from the text). My expression was very bold and frustrated. This showed my nasty streak.Chosen prop in sceneDollObvious choice as it helped me adapt to my character and her age. It helped me with my Physicalisation by restraining my body to certain movements. Helped me portray my authority,Relationships with othersAngela shows her authority over Audrey and repeatedly gets her own way.Course I be. I got the babby, aint I? It chunt your doll, AudreyThis chat portrays the authority in their friendship. The fact that Angela has the doll and is therefore able to play the mother proves how she has everything Audrey wants. Angela also gets a lot of attention from the boys which is why she gets jealous and frustrated when Audrey gets the attenti on from Donald, because of this Andrea copies Angela to fit inThe majority of the time the 2 characters get on with each other very well, especially when they play house and get to play the main parts. However when Donald interacts with Audrey, Angela gets angry at him and bullies him she becomes very violent towards him.The proxemics shows the audience how the characters feel about each other. This representation the way that s pace is being used to communicate meaning.CommunicationLesson 3We used hot-seating in our 3rd lesson. Hot-seating is where one person takes on the role of a character and answer questions asked by the rest of the group in the way they believe the character would respond. Hot-seating is used to gain a deeper discretion of a specific character.Below are some of the questions we asked Donald Duck along with his answers.Any Brothers and sisters? Did have a baby sister but died from variola major virus 3 years ago.Whos your best friend? I like the girls becau se I can play house with them.Was your father violent? No my daddy didnt believe in violence he was a Christian, an honest man.Favorite color? Red like blood.Does your mum accomplish you because youre naughty? I aint no naughty boy she righteous gets cross at me sometimes thats all.Why are you more comfortable around the girls? Yes because they let me play and they dont controvert like Peter does.Denoted means information taken straight from the script.Connoted means to imply and read between the lines.D- Has shoes but no socks. fatigued and anaemicC- poor, not nourished, not cared for?D-Collects empty jam jars for money.C- Look after himself. Independent.D- Doesnt like smacking of the baby not in my houseC- Past experiences? Treat kids nicely.D- talks about blood a lot when playing house with the girlsblood all over the saw. Blood all over me. Blood everywhere. Blood, bloodC- Used to seeing it? Psychotic, fascinated by it.D- Lets have four sugars eh?C- Not normally got it, Rati oning. Treat for him.D- imitates authority by battering up and down shouting for his tea.C- men dominating?, not used to power.D- Enjoys playing with the girlshe hugs himself with glee, rocking slightlyC- Nice females is different to usual, dont really fit in with boys, attentionD- Doesnt like being called Donald Duck. Goes into a psychotic frenzy as girls jeer and pull his hair. He howls but is totally submissive.C- Used to violence? Hates it because his name is not friendly, derogatory term.D- Donald wouldnt show Willie his jam jars until he threatened to shudder his head in. The boys think he is a weed and a cry out baby one punch and hell give inC-They recognize past history, again evident from Angela in the barn. They use it against him.D- Hes got hold of a box of matches by going through his mams handbag. The boys discuss how she knocks him about, he sets light to the coal shed after she locks him up in it.C- Pyromania, get rid of bad memories. Fire is something he can cont rol, shows status, redeeming feature.Development sectionWe were asked to get into groups of 4 and elaborate and bring in a piece of drama around the stimulus below.We decided to use flashbacks to portray Donalds emotions. Flashbacks represent and explore the background and emotions of a character or a story we used this as we believed this to be an appropriate way to portray Donalds motives.As flashbacks are used to turn in information about a characters past to explain a present situation. We chose to pick scenes where Donald was being abused and victimized by a variety of different people. We portrayed a life of darkness and abuse in all of our scenes. We also used imaging to represent Donalds feelings under the surface of his actual character.1st FlashbackWe showed the thing Donald most longs forhis tonic. We tell the audience through dialogue how his father went to war and Donald begged him not to go.2nd FlashbackWe showed how mother abuses him and how he is really scared of her.3rd FlashbackHere we denoted from the text.Audrey smack er one DonaldAngela Yes, and if he hits me I shall tell is mam. Herll skin him alive wont her? She hits you with the poker, dont she?Both Quack, quack, ( hit him etc)We then got Donald to show how he longs to be loved and accepted he begged and showed the audience his innocence. entertain, please dont, you promised we then went silent to add a contrast of make noise and tranquility. However this was again totally contrasted by Peter shouting at him.4th flashbackPeter where them jam jars, dem girls told me you ad umDonald No I aint ad no jarsGirls enter and create a sound collage ( soundscape)yes you did, you ad 10 jars you saidDont lie you saidLiar etc., etc.The soundscaping ( get collage) was used to emphasize and build a outstanding ending . Soundscaping is where the voice and body is used to create sound associated with the atmosphere.We used a tableau at the end. Also known as a freeze frame or still image characte rs freeze as if it is a photograph.We used stead and levelling Surrounded Donald to show his isolation Peter and girls stood up to show authority Donald sat down to show his lower status compared to the othersAt the end all characters froze and we used direct address (where character speaks directly to the audience) this created dramatic irony. It could be argues that this is a soliloquy as it was also a aspect spoken out aloud.Donald All I wanted was my dad end-to-end our piece Donald remained on stage rocking and invariablely repeating his speech in the stimulus, this emphasized his emotions and gained him sympathy from the audience.When not acting the remaining cast unploughed our backs to the audience and remained still and focused.This lesson we had to prepare a short piece of drama based on scene 6 of Blue Remembered Hills. The squirrel scene includes all of the boys apart from Donald.We used the script and kept the scene totally naturalistic as this is the way that Dennis Potter intended.We began by getting into groups of 4 and preparedness our piece. We had to decide who was to play which character. I contend Raymond, Rebecca played Willie, Reece played the obstructionist John and Tom was the protagonist Peter. An antagonist is the character who has some patient of of conflict with the main character (in this scene the main character is Peter). A protagonist is the main character who has some kind of conflict with other character.Another difficult choice was choosing the most holdable staging later studying all of the good and bad points of every staging, we decided to use a thrust stage. We thought this would be most fitting as it makes the audience feel close to our performance, feeling all o our emotions with us. It also allowed us to use the top of the thrust as a central point to position the squirrel.As the scene was set n the timber we decided that we needed something to act as tree-stumps not only to set the scene but to also help u s with our Physicalisation as we were able to sit, stand and hang off them. This also provided us with levels.We began our scene other than to everybody else, instead of beginning with the actual killing of the squirrel we decided to start after this where all of the characters are silent and full of guilt. We used ad-lib (adding our own speech) at the start of the scene to build tension and portray the boys feelings of scruple and regret.As we began our piece with an anti-climax it emphasized the themes within the scene such as good-for-naughtness and lament. We then ran the scene using the script.Throughout the scene it was compulsory that we changed our voice to suit our character. As the play was set in the West Country in 1943 we not only had to change our accent to suit the place but also our spoken language (during ad-lib) to suit the era. Our liveliness, pitch, pace and volume all changed throughout the piece along with the mood for example at the begging where there is a major anti-climax our mood is sad and our spirit is low therefore our voice must portray our body politic of mind. I spoke at a very slow space, with a very low pitch, volume and tone this was to emphasize the themes of sadness and regret. However, because Raymond has a stutter I found that it was particularly difficult to add all of the voice changes as well as the stutter.As I was a 16 year old girl playing the part of a 7 year old boy there was an awful lot of thinks I had to consider in relation to my physicalisation. My posture was no longstanding feminine and mature, it was slouched and wild. My movement as a 7 year old was never ending I constantly had to keep moving, whether it was slow when sad or quick when happy.My group also chose to use repetition of movement in our piece to emphasize a specific characteristic of our character for example Raymond continuously went to the back wall of our stage to cry. This could also comprise how Raymond is always at the back, away from all of the action. My positioning of Raymond was well thought through, I remained behind my other actors to show how I was the one against harming the squirrel as I was furthest away. I think that as I played a 7 year old boy well it has proven that I am versatile.Because we were to perform in our classroom we were unable to use liberation, sound or costumes. However if we were able to use them I believe that they would tremendously improve my piece.Costume coloursWillie-Greys, uncloudeds and light blues to lay out that he is plain.John -Greens, because it is a achromatic colour for a neutral character. He is quite jealous of Peter being the strongest.Peter- Bold blacks and reds, as he is a bold character. Sinister.Raymond-Cowboy costume. Shown below.I believe that some enter effects would have made our piece have more realism about it. A sound of rustling trees and the chirping of birds would have helped set the scene yet kept it realistic. illume would have kept the vario us themes and focus fluent throughout. I would have chosen the below gobos to set the sceneDuring the ad-lib at the start I would have a face cloth full stoplight on the squirrel to make this the focal point for the audience the etiolated would represent its innocenceI would use a red fresnel spot when Raymond says the word dead. The red would mean the death and blood. The fresnel spot is a lot quieter like the mood than the par can for example.In our last-place lesson our task was to produce our own script including the character of Wallace Wilson.My scriptSilence.Donald sits alone, kink up tight, head down. He is shaking vigorously, rocking back and forth with continuous chanting.Donald come back Dad, come back Dad..Suddenly, loud shouts and banging is heard off stage. Donald s startled and freezes immediately.(Offstage)Wallace Wilsons mum Gerrout Gerrout thou feivin getA loud smack is heard offstage, followed by a cry of pain.(Offstage)Wallace Wilsons mum Thou wouldnt drea m of stealin my matches if you Da were ere.A tall scruffy boy is seen entering stage right. He sits on the opposite side of the hay to Donald. Wallace is totally unaware of Donalds presence. Donald remains silent and alert as Wallace Wilson begins to sob.Wallace Wilson wewelwell es not Your ere nd I ridet lie you I dunt like you at all II wish you were dead.(pause)Donald (whispered) I fink like that sometime, but I dunt mean it like I dunt mean it at allWallace Wilson (anxiously) HeHello?Donald Me Mam its me sometime you know but I know she dunt mean it like it cuza me DadJaps ave got im.Wallace Wilson Japs ave got ya Da?Donald Yh 2 year now.Wallace Wilson (hesitantly) mine too.(Awkward silence)Wallace Wilson continues to wipe the tears from his eyes. Donald lies on his back and gazes up towards the ceiling deep in thought.Donald Does thou mam drink the clear stuff eh?Wallace Wilson Yh, Yh she do. She says it elp er like but it dont.Both boys remain silent and both reflect on thei r home situations. They become more relaxed in their environs however tug on their clothes to feel more secure.(Suddenly Donald breaks the silence)Donald She use the poker like?(Short pause)Wallace Wilson (Softly) Yh.Donald Belt?Wallace Wilson (softly) Yh.(Short pause)Donald For nothin.Wallace Wilson For nowt.(Really long pause)Donald stands upDonald so thou got any matches?Wallace Wilson erm well yer I ave I just gottaA young, pretty blonde girl enters stage right.Angela Who be dere?Wallace Wilson turns and looks in her direction. He quickly wipes his eyes and changes back to his usual boisterous self.Angela OhOh Wallace thou dint know it were you like.On the name of Wallace Wilson Donald realizes whom is actually on the other side of the hay and quickly scarpers stage left.Angela flirtatiously plays with her hairWallace Wilson I were bout t start a fire like I got me matches.Wallace reveals a box of matches from his back pocket.The endSettingWe decided to set our scene in the bar n as we felt that this could act as both characters refuge. We felt that comparing the most powerful character with the most weakest would be very effective in terms of similarities and comparisons.CostumesI would like to experiment with costume and maybe dress both characters in the same way. I would dress both characters in dirty clothes, light blue and ashen in colour. The light blue would symbolize both boys sadness and the light their innocence. Dressing hem both similarly would further emphasize their similarities.Sound and musicAs this scene is totally dependant on he emotions being portrayed through sound it is compulsory that we kept supererogatory sounds to a minimum. Silence was the most effective form of sound, as it symbolized how both boys had suffered in silence. Silence also made the scene awkward and create up tension.Make upI wouldnt use any fantasy make up however I would use a mixture of straight make up and character make up to add dirt and wounds and scars. MasksMasks could be worn by both characters at the start of the scene and then removed when the boys feel comfortable chess opening up about their lives. This would make the audience aware of the boys feelings towards each other.LightingAt the beginning where Donald is alone and rocking, I believe that a stropescope (where lighting flickers to a rhythm would be really effective. Throughout the piece I would use a fresnel spot as it would create a soft effect as it spreads the light more gently. Another advantage of using this lighting is that it can be focused on a character at an important time. I would use either a white (innocence) or blue (sadness) cinemoid (gel).LevelsBoth boys were sat down to show they are not very powerful or confident. Both stand up at the end however to show how they have become confident in each others company.Set and PropsA haystack (or substitute) to symbolize the barrier between the boys.MovementWe wanted very little movement to show the tension and a wkwardness between the boys.VoiceUse both high and low volume depending on the characters mood and confidence. We also changed our tone depending on our confidence. We used appropriate spoken language in our piece. presentI believe there to be 2 effective staging Proscenium arch and traverse.Proscenium archThis enables the audience to see both sides of the haystack, and both boys actions and reactions to each other. However the audience is not close to the scene. encompassThis is effective as the audience feel close to the actors this enforces the tension upon them. Although the audience are nearer it is quite possible that they are unable to see both characters due to blocking.