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 …show more content…
Specifically concentrating on black humour and mood, it has easily been spotted throughout the production, particularly the scene where the Black Skirt transforms into Mr Horrocks. This scene demonstrates black humour as it is simply shown in the character’s dialogue, as well as their actions. This represents mood quickly focusing the attention on the Black Skirt’s clap and movement. This sound was a continuous movement that was found right when the children were going to bed. The clap itself signifies the idea of command, authority, power and change of time. Also, the scene where Mr Horrocks receives many goodies and treats when visiting the orphanage. Quoting “mmmm delicious mmm melts in my mouth” presents humour. The audience find this humorous as “he” is clearly over-exaggerating and overstating his dialogue, this is because it was made to look overindulgent. Not only that but when the children express their feelings about the orphanage and how “grateful” they are for living in such a horrible place. The audience found this amusing because of the actors use of sarcasm. In the orphanage, the children are used for slavery, the treatment they receive is very poor. Yet the children are appreciative and it seems like they are happy with what they have. This scene is represented as sarcasm because the children are living in a brutal home and are saying that they are grateful, the audience found this amusing as they are clearly stating the obvious that the orphanage is a horrible place; that they have no choice but to enjoy it. The convention black humour has effortlessly been shown during the performance specifically in that
The play, “Riley Valentine and the Occupation of Fort Svalbard”, by Julia- Rose Lewis is an exploration of the resilience of teenagers. The play is heavily symbolic and supports the dramatic meaning of the show. Throughout the Queensland Theatre Company’s interpretation of this play, the director, Travis Dowley, expresses forms of dramatic elements to articulate three types of manipulations. These manipulations include the manipulation of body and voice, space and the creation and manipulation of dramatic mood. Through these types of manipulations, it portrays the dramatic meaning towards the performance. Although, the use of space throughout Travis’s performance allows the audience to identify this dramatic meaning.
It is imperative to understand the significance of the profound effects these elements have on the audience’s response to the play. Without effective and accurate embodiments of the central themes, seeing a play becomes an aimless experience and the meaning of the message is lost. Forgiveness and redemption stand as the central themes of the message in The Spitfire Grill. Actors communicate character development through both nonverbal and verbal cues; their costumes serve as a visual representation of this development by reflecting the personal transformation of each character. In the case of The Spitfire Grill, set design is cut back to allow for the audience’s primary focus to be on the actors and their story. Different from set design, the use of sound and lights in The Spitfire Grill, establishes the mood for the play. In other words, every theatrical element in a play has a purpose; when befittingly manipulated, these elements become the director’s strongest means of expressing central themes, and therefore a means of achieving set objectives. Here again, The Spitfire Grill is no exception. With the support of these theatrical elements, the play’s themes of forgiveness and redemption shine as bright as the moon on
The play focusses on three generations of Women, Nan Dear, Gladys and Dolly and where they felt as though they belonged. Nan Dear knew where she belonged and that was the humpy in the flats with her daughter and granddaughter. Nan Dear knows that she won't be accepted into white society just because she is an Aboriginal and those of a different colour or foreign country weren't accepted. Gladys and Dolly both wanted to be accepted into white society, they wanted to feel as though they belonged there.
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”.
Through strong dramatic plots, characters and music, melodrama has created an engaging, well-developed form of theatre. But melodrama is not limited to one category. Like other forms of the theatre arts, melodrama can be further broken down into Victorian melodrama and Modern melodrama. As the names entail, Victorian melodrama was practiced in the Victorian Era (1837-1901) whereas Modern melodrama is still being performed today. Both equally exaggerated and emphasizing the good vs. evil conflict, these two forms of melodrama have shaped the stage theatrically and developed complexity in character and plot development.
The duration and cost of the production have been compared to other media which provide entertainment, such as television and film. A theatre performance is more expensive to attend than cinema. The play only lasted for 85 minutes, a film can go on for two hours or even more. This can have a big influence on why people would choose one medium over the other. Accessibility has also to be taken into account when investigating the relevance of theatre in the 21st century. Television is a medium which can be accessed from home, and usually doesn’t cost a lot of money, whereas theatre costs money and is harder to access. Although the production was Australian, the actors talked with an American accent. Bearing in mind that the play was written in America, which could make it harder for an Australian audience to familiarise with the dilemmas going on, on stage, while the themes discussed seem to be more relevant there than in Australia. Overall this play doesn’t contribute to the relevance of Australian theatre in the 21st century, due to the many other sources people can access for entertainment, and because the play seems to be more relevant for an American audience rather than an
The term ‘Gothic’ conjures a range of possible meanings, definitions and associations. It explicitly denotes certain historical and cultural phenomena. Gothicism was part of the Romantic Movement that started in the eighteenth century and lasted about three decades into the nineteenth century. For this essay, the definition of Gothic that is applicable is: An 18th century literary style characterized by gloom and the supernatural. In the Gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a wide range of issues are explored. Frankenstein represents an entirely new vision of the female Gothic, along with many other traditional themes such as religion, science, colonialism and myth.
Gothic literature was developed during the eighteenth and nineteenth century of the Gothic era when war and controversy was too common. It received its name after the Gothic architecture that was becoming a popular trend in the construction of buildings. As the buildings of daunting castles and labyrinths began, so did the beginning foundation of Gothic literature. The construction of these buildings will later become an obsession with Gothic authors. For about 300 years before the Renaissance period, the construction of these castles and labyrinths continued, not only in England, but also in Gothic stories (Landau 2014). Many wars and controversies, such as the Industrial Revolution and Revolutionary War, were happening at this time, causing the Gothic literature to thrive (“Gothic Literature” 2011). People were looking for an escape from the real world and the thrill that Gothic literature offered was exactly what they needed. Gothic literature focuses on the horrors and the dark sides to the human brain, such as in Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein. Gothic literature today, as well as in the past, has been able to separate itself apart from other types of literature with its unique literary devices used to create fear and terror within the reader.
The sadness and seriousness of the dance is expressed by the color tones in the costumes and lighting. The whole scheme is dark and neutral; there is no color throughout the whole piece. The lighting the entire time is very dim. The background is completely black and a very dim light is shined on the dancers when they are dancing. This makes the tone very somber, and when paired with the music and costumes, really makes the entire mood of the dance come together. The costumes are very plain and simple. They are sleeveless tank tops and gaucho pants for the men, and a plain long brown dress for the girls. It should also be noted that they are barefoot, and have no accessories on. The choice of these costumes sets a realistic backdrop. Additionally, these costumes demonstrate their lack of individuality and freedom since they are all wearing identical
funny parts of the play by creating confusion within characters and lowering the intensity of the
For example in the text of paragraph 38 when it says “I put my handkerchief over my face endeavored to choke the laughter that threatened to spoil my plans. This shows that Nellie was aware of what the joke meant but she didn’t want to blow her secret cover. Dramatic irony is also present when in paragraph 48 where Nellie talks about how Mrs.Standard says a very nice comment toward Nellie says “but it’s rather provoking under the circumstance.” This shows that Bly really wants to go to the island but Mrs.Standard is accidently trying to stop her from getting
Word by word, gothic literature is bound to be an immaculate read. Examining this genre for what it is could be essential to understanding it. “Gothic” is relating to the extinct East Germanic language, people of which known as the Goths. “Literature” is defined as a written work, usually with lasting “artistic merit.” Together, gothic literature combines the use of horror, death, and sometimes romance. Edgar Allan Poe, often honored with being called the king of horror and gothic poetry, published “The Fall of House Usher” in September of 1839. This story, along with many other works produced by Poe, is a classic in gothic literature. In paragraph nine in this story, one of our main characters by the name of Roderick Usher,
reckless with misery? suggesting that his life and possibly other peoples lives are so awful that they could be convinced to do anything e.g. go to the workhouse. Dickens? use of black humour is also part of his criticism of the poor law. He uses black humour well in the fifth chapter where he describes how Mr Sowerberry and Mr Bumble just sat by the fire and read the paper with the clergy man whilst the grieving family sat outside in the rain waiting for them.
Savory, Elaine. “Registering Connection: Masking and Gender Issues in Caribbean Theatre.” (Post)Colonial Stages: Critical & Creative Views on Drama, Theatre & Performance. Helen Gilbert, ed. UK: Dangaroo Press, 1999.
The novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë can be identified as a Gothic novel, in that the eponymous heroine encounters all five of the essential elements: Edward Rochester as the Byronic hero, Bertha Mason as the evil, imprisoned woman, supernatural elements and psychological fears, and a haunted mansion. All of these elements combine to create a strong Gothic novel.