The Staging Techniques and Design Aspects of Silas Marner

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The Staging Techniques and Design Aspects of Silas Marner

A production of George Eliot's novel Silas Marner was held at the

"clwyd theatr cyrmru". The Theatre itself is only small but this was

used to the best advantage. The novel attempts to prove that love of

others is more fulfilling than love of money. The play is set on what

appears to be a simple thrust stage, with a simple sky cyclorama. The

cyclorama although with a simple design over powered the stage, as the

characters shadows where projected on the cyclorama and changed size

depending on there positioning on the stage. Often Silas Marner is

criticized for being such a simple, unrealistic story. It does seem

odd that after fifteen years of almost solitary confinement, Silas can

trade his love of gold for his love of a daughter overnight. This

point about silas's love for gold is a powerful theme in the play, and

needs to be to create the narrative. Heavy representation is used in

making one see that Silas has a love for gold, at the same time one

needs to know that he is a lonely weaver. This is a difficult

situation that the director had to face, but worked perfectly. The

Arena stage was revolving and as the theatre was small all the cast

stayed round the stage even if they weren't performing. This is an

unusual technique as usually too many people on the stage at once may

create a clutter. At the edge of the stage benches were placed evenly

where the cast sat when they weren't performing. This must have been

difficult for the actual actors, as they would have to be performing

at all times, even when they are of the stage. The benches in a way

turned the actors in the audience. This made it feel that the cast

where still; in character and watching over the action. Silas Marner

is set in a small village and villages have a representation for

knowing all the gossip about everyone in the town. This technique of

the cast watching over the performance increased the awareness that

the play is set in a village.

The cast had another role to play once of the actual stage as they

played the instruments that where clearly on show to the whole

audience. The musical instruments where rather old fashioned rather

than modern electrical instruments. I think that this audio was used

to create the setting of the play as electrical instruments would

bring it too much into the future. The atmosphere of the cast being on

the stage playing the instruments again gave the stereotypical village

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