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1. Analysis and appreciation.
a) Which of these reviews would you describe as favourable or unfavourable?
b) How does the critic evaluate the direction of the three productions?
c) What are the epithets chosen to characterise the acting?
d) Has the casting been adequate?
e) What is it that makes playwright Peter Whelan the leading exponent of speculative drama? What is “speculative” drama? Provide examples of the genre, if you can.
f) Can you reproduce the synopsis of any of the three plays described?
2. As you go through the synopses of Royal Shakespeare Company productions in the Theatre Guide, choose one you would rally like to see. Give intelligent reasons for your choice.
a) “As You like It” by William Shakespeare Banished from the court by her usurping uncle Frederick, Rosalind takes to the Forest of Arden with her cousin, Celia, and Touchstone, the Fool. Her exiled father, the old Duke, lives there already and (many young gentlemen flock to him every day and fleet the time carelessly as they did in the golden world”. Free from the treacherous machinations of court life, the forest’s new inhabitants rediscover a world of natural innocence. Shakespeare’s great rhapsody on love explores the possibility within each of us of a return to Eden.
b) “Macbeth” by W. Shakespeare.
A man and a woman destroy themselves and their country in the pursuit of power. Their ambition goads them on to break all moral boundaries even to the point of killing innocent children. With scenes of almost unimaginable horror, Shakespeare’s remarkable play holds eternal fascination for actors and audiences alike.
c) “The White Devil” by John Webster.
As her passionate affair with a rich, married man heads towards a violent climax, Vittoria finds herself battling against a society bent on revenge. Disturbingly violent, Webstor’s brilliantly compelling Jacobean thriller draws us into a blood-thirsty world of corruption, intrigue and murder.
d) “The herbal Bed” by Peter Whelan.
In June 1613, Shakespeare’s elder daughter, Susanna is publicly accused of having a sexual liaison with a married neighbour, Rafe Smith. On July 15th she sued for slander in the court of Worcester Cathedral. Her husband, Stratford physician, John Hall, desperate for her to clear her name and protect his practice, gives her full support. But how can he avoid discovering that one summer’s night while he was away, Rafe Smith was seen secretly leaving their herbal garden? “The Herbal Bed”, based on actual events, is an emotional thriller in which three people’s private lives are subjected to the glare of intense public scrutiny.
e) “The Learned Ladies” by Molière.
Henriette wants to marry Clitandre but Maman has other ideas for her younger daughter. Maman may be a boirgeois but she knows the power of enlightenment – Henriette is to marry a poet!
Her sister is no help – she once loved Clitandre but has renounced the pleasures of the flesh for the stimulation of her mind. The thought of losing Clitandre, however, disturbs her new minted certainties. Life vies with learning as the family falls to feuding. Molière’s elegant and sharp satire punctures pomposity and pretension, and shows that there’s no fool like a clever one!
3. Role play.
Stage a radio play.
Roles: John/Julie Brent – producer; Robert, played by actor William d’Arcy;
Kate, played by actress Amanda Redman;
John, played by actor Simon Wilson, and sound effects by Ted/Brenda Grey.
Look at the following script extract from a radio play.
| Sound Effects 1 (not too loud) | Sound of 3 Knocks on door. |
 1. Robert: (puzzled)
| Who on earth can that be at this time of night? |
| 2. Kate: | I’ll go and see. |
 Sound Effects 2 (louder)
| Sound of 3 more knocks on door. |
| 3. Kate: (loudly) | All right! All right! I’m coming! |
| Sound Effects 3 | Sound of door opening. |
| 4. Kate: (surprised) | There’s no need to knock so … John! What on earth are you …? |
| 5. John: (interrupting) (loudly) | Darling! I couldn’t stand it! I had to come! |
| 6. Kate: (urgently) | Keep your voice down! Robert’s in there. |
| 7. John: (Quiter) | I know. That’s why I’ve … |
| 8. Robert: (loudly in the distance) | Kate! Who is it? |
| 9. Kate: (shouting) | Oh! … It’s … it’s only John! |
| 10. Robert: | Well, don’t keep him put there in the cold. Ask him to come in. |
| 11. Kate: (Quietly) | Oh, John … we can’t! |
| 12. John: (softly) | Don’t worry, darling. Leave it to me. Everything’s going to be all right. |
 Sound Effects 4 (Fade in)
| Sound of drink (Fade out) |
| 13. Robert: (in a friendly manner) | Ah! Hello, John! Just in time for a drink. |
| 14. Kate: (sharply) | He’s not staying! |
| 15. Robert: | Of course he is! Since where has John refused a drink? Whisky all right? |
| Sound Effects 5 | Sound of drink being poured. |
| 16. Ribert: (lodly and surprised) | Here you are … What! A gun? What on earth! |
| 17. Kate: (shouting) | John! Are you mad? |
| 18. John: (calmly) | No, Kate. I’m perfectly sane. |
| 19. Robert: (anxiously and nervously) | Now, John … come along, old chap … put that gun away, eh? |
| 20. Kate: (very loud) | John! Please! |
| 21. John: | No, Kate. I love you and there’s only one person stopping us being together. |
| 22. Kate; (desperately) | John! Don’t! |
| 23. John: (lodly) | I must! Sorry, Robert, (softly) but you must see that … |
| 24. Robert: (hysterically) | For God’s sake, Kate! Do something! |
| 25. Kate: (pleadingly) | John! Please! This won’t get us anywhere … |
| Sound effects 6. Kate screams. | Loud gunshot. Sound of a scream. Then sound of Robert’s body falling and the smashing of glass. |
| 26. John: (calmly) | Now there’s no one between us. |
| 27. Kate: (angrily) | Oh, you fool! You stupid … stupid … stupid fool! |
| Sound effects 7 (Kate) | Loud crying. Fade out. |
Each person chooses a role and reads through the corresponding role card. The role-play is divided into two parts.
Script reading/Rehearsal:
1) The producer goes through the script with the actors, telling them how he/she wants the various lines read. This could be done in 2 parts – speeches 1-12, then 13-17.
Each actor makes notes.
2) Then the actors look through their scripts while the producer goes through the sound effects with the sound effects man/woman. It is a good idea to practice a few sound effects, e.g. glass smashing, gun shot, etc.
3) The producer goes through speeches 1-12, then 13-27 with the actors and sound effects man/woman. If the producer thinks the actors have not said a line as he wants, he makes them stop and repeat it until it is said properly.
Recording.
Since this is supposed to be a ‘live’ recording, the producer cannot stop the actors doing it.
1. The actors read through the play. If mistakes are made they have to carry on! The producer listens and makes notes of anything she/he is not happy with. (If possible, a real recording should be made).
2. After the recording, the producer tells the actors what he/she thinks and points out any mistakes. But the actors do not have to agree with the producer!
The sound effects man/woman:
Work out ways of making various effects required. Here are some suggestions:
Fade in - turn the volume control of the tape-recorder up gently.
Fade out - turn the volume control slowly back to
silence.
Doors - use a cupboard or a classroom door.
Gun shot - hit a desk very hard with a ruler. Do it very near the microphone.
Breaking glass - drop some small metal objects on the floor.
Pouring drinks - use a bottle of water and a glass. Strike the bottle lightly against the glass before pouring.
Role Cards.
a) Julie Brent/John Brent Aged 49
You are he producer. It is up to you to tell the actors how you want the script read. You have been a producer for 29 years and feel you know what you are talking about. You lose your temper easily, especially when things go wrong! You do not like the people who disagree with you. You also call everyone ‘Darling’!
b) William D’Arcy Aged 40
You are actor. You are reading the part of Robert in the play. You have worked with the producer before and do not like him/her very much. You have been an actor for 15 years and do not like to be told how to say your lines. You tend to argue with the producers. You also like using the phrase, “I have acted before, you know!”
c) Amanda Redman Aged 22
You are an actress. You are reading the part of Kate in the play. This is your first radio play and you are very excited and nervous. You want to do everything the way the producer tells you. You keep saying “Thank you” to him or “I’m awfully sorry!” when you make a mistake.
d) Simon Wilson Aged 30
You are an actor. You are reading the part of John in the play. You have been an actor for 8 years, but this is only your second radio play. You want to go on working in radio, and so you try your best to do as the producer asks. Unfortunately, you speak too loud and find it hard to speak any quieter. (Actually, you are slightly deaf).
e) Brenda Grey/Ted Grey Aged 52
You are in charge of sound effects. You have been doing this for more than 25 years and do not like a producer trying to tell you what to do. You disagree with everything he/she says ‘on principle’, and keep saying, “If you want it like that, then do it yourself!” You also have a slight problem – you are sometimes a little slow in bringing in the sound effects.
Here are some useful phrases
For the producer:
Right, everyone, let’s go through the script.
That’s good/That was terrible/dreadful!
No, not like that! Try it again!
That’s better!
Haven’t you ever acted before?
Put more life into it!
Back to speech (21)
Good luck!
For the actors:
How do you want me to say it?
How about saying it like this instead?
Was that right?
What was wrong with it?
I’m sorry. I’ll try it again.
Sorry. I can’t seem to get it.
How was that?
Can we go over speech (14) again, please?
4) Write an unfavourable review for the radio play that you have listened to. You may criticize in particular an individual member of the cast, stating that he/she has given the worst performance in his/her career.
5) Write a review for the play that you have recently seen. include in your review all or most of the following points:
- the title of the play
- the playwright/the director
- the genre
- the synopsis of the play
- the theme
- the sets, the costumes
- the cast
- the direction
- the acting
- evaluation
Содержание
Vocabulary: the language of the theatre ……………….. 3
Reading 1. Confessions of a would-be actor…………… 5
Practice 1. ……………………………………………… 6
Reading 2. What is theatre? …………………………… 8
Practice 2. ………………………………………………11
Reading 3. Dictionary of the theatre. Theatrical
movements of the 20th century. ……………12
Practice 3. ………………………………………………16
Reading 4. Theatre reviews. ……………………………21
Practice 4. ………………………………………………24
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