Directing J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls
Dear Katherine,
I have gathered some information and advice for your part as Sheila in
'An Inspector Calls'. This should help to give you some background
information before you come to rehearsals.
Best of luck!
Jack
An Inspector calls is set in 1912, in a time before the war, and when
the Titanic was set to take its maiden voyage. Who would have known
that in two years time, the Titanic would be rusting away in the
Atlantic Ocean, or that the first-world war would be taking place on
earth? The Birling family surely didn't. That may be why there was
such a positive atmosphere in their family home - along with the fact
that their daughter is the proud fiancée of Gerald Croft, the son of
an upper class and very wealthy man. As this is a family that is
highly concerned with status: a strong connection with a well-known
and very respected family like the Crofts is sure to put a smile on
their faces.
The play starts with a dinner celebration of Sheila Birling's
engagement to Gerald Croft. In the Birling family there is Arthur and
Sybil Birling - the parents of Sheila and Eric Birling. They are an
upper-middle class family very set in their ways. During the evening's
celebration an unforeseen arrival of a police inspector, disrupts
their optimistic celebrations, when he announces the death of a young
woman, Eva Smith, whom committed suicide by drinking disinfectant. The
upbeat and positive atmosphere soon changes, as one by one, each and
every member of the family are brought to expose the shameful truth
which links them with her death.
Sheila's Character - Sheila is a pretty young woman in her early
twenties. She has a rather enthusiastic and jovial character, and is
content with what life has given her. She respects her father, and is
polite towards him (Example - 'I'm sorry Daddy. Actually I was
listening' - Page 6). This respect is only apparent at the beginning
There would be more of an effect on the audience at the time, as it
as it matters ‘a devil of a lot to him’. He is relieved that there is
Sheila says this to Eric at the table. As we can see this is quite a
The story of Eva Smith is a dramatic one. JB Priestley is full of good
This coursework focuses on how each character contributes to the suicide of a poor girl Eva Smith/Daisy Renton.
J.B. Priestley's Inspector Calls. An Inspector Calls is a play set in spring 1912. The writer, J. B. Priestly, tries to build up a view of Mr Birling through the set. stage directions and in his speeches.
J. B. Priestly was born in 1894 in Bradford and he died on the 14th of
the play is set in 1912. The main themes of the play are lies, love,
property he can run it any way he sees fit. This is a belief which
technology and how a man should live. He says 'A man has to make his
talks with. He is a man who has come to the Birling's house to do his
The Role of the Inspector in J.B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls When the inspector is first introduced, it is as a Police Inspector. This leads both the other characters and the reader to assume that his role will be to ask questions and collect evidence, which he can use to solve the crime. However, as the play progresses, it becomes clear that there is more to the inspector that meets the eye, as he seems to know everything that has happened to Eva Smith, before the Birlings tell him so.
J.B. Priestley's Motives Behind An Inspector Calls J.B. Priestley was born in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1894. His mother
Criticism in An Inspector Calls by J.B. Priestley "An Inspector Calls" has been called a play of social criticism. What is being criticised. Explain some of the dramatic techniques which Priestley uses to achieve the play's effects. "An Inspector Calls" has been called a play of social criticism as Priestley condemned the many different injustices that existed in the society between the first and second world wars.
Birlings, as they find out that they have all played a part in a young