Art Script REVIEW + FEST

List of characters

Marc 
Serge
Yvan
Yvonne (Yvan's step-mum)
Catherine (Yvan's wife)
Frinkzohn (Yvan's therapist)
Paula (Marc's lover)

In our first two periods, myself, Amelie and James had a read through the play 'Art'. We chose this play as a stimulus for our FEST performance, as we like the style and the themes explored within it. Our plan for period 5 and 6 is to look specifically at the characters mentioned but with no dialogue. We will provide the rest of the class with a scene to improvise around.

After period 5 and 6, we gave the other students a scene from Art to take inspiration from. We chose a scene where the character Yvan is discussing his wedding, and mentions the loyalties he has to his wife, his mother and his wife's stepmother. We wanted the students to look at the theme of loyalty and create a piece surrounding it. We then split the cast in two groups, with myself and James working as directors for each, and Amelie worked on taking lines of dialogue and ideas from each groups.

I worked alongside Hugo and Tristan. We chose to look at a man getting married and showed a scene where he meets both his father and his step-father at a pub, at the same time. Something I liked from our piece was the conflict between the father and step-father, and I think it could be something to look into for our devised piece. I believe we could have looked at character variation, as our characters were all too similar.

The other group looked deeper into frantic assembly's style of physical theatre, and did a long chair duet. The idea of mixing naturalistic and non-naturalistic styles is something I really like, as it can cause an exciting contrast.

Dealing with Clair REVIEW

Plot

A couple (Mike and Liz) are selling their house and have an estate agent named Clair, sell the house for them. The buyer (James) is the leading buyer and begins spending more and more time introducing himself into Clair's private life. He ends up exploiting her, as the theme of female exploitation is a theme scene a lot in this play (most clear when direct audience address by Mike, when claiming his wife was crazy for asking if he would rape another woman).

Set

There was an interesting set up as the houses are clearly smaller than the people. This worked well because it meant the setting was clear when the characters were outside, in the garden of the house.

The houses were also used as stools or stairs, as the house (upstage right) was often used so that characters could get up the stairs, while characters often sat on the other houses. You can also see the small cars at the front, used to show the road. The stairs at the back was intended to be the upstairs of the house, as there were many references making it clear that they were shouting up to bedrooms either side of that platform. Under the platform was a room where a man seemed to be hidden. This room was set up with a desk, and a tape recorder/speaker on it. There is a door downstage left, which is the exit to the house. The wall on the left is translucent, so you can slightly see everything going on behind there. Whenever the door opened, you could see trees there, as that area was presenting the garden.

Characters

Clair was the protagonist of the story, as she was the estate agent. Mike and Liz are the owners of their house (the large house downstage) and are intending to sell it. James was a character involved as he was the upper-class male that intended to buy the house. Looking at the image above, James is the middle character, while Mike (left) and Liz (right) are surrounding him. All wearing upper-class clothing, however the couple may be doing this to present a good image of themselves to the buyer.

Lighting

Variation between standard lit up stage, to blue tint towards the end. This was used to show the disturbance in the equilibrium.

Significant moments

The direct audience address was significant moment, as it was not the style you would have expected. Along with that, the ending scene was very significant, as it was shocking. In this scene, you could see Clair's arm reaching out from side stage, clearly connoting she was being abused by James.

Overall

I found the storyline very interesting, however slightly confusing to understand. When the final scene came, I was shocked as it was not what I was expecting. I was confused by some on the characters as well, as I couldn't understand the Italian girl, along with her 'husband'. I really liked the way the set was put together, as it gave the actors a lot of different opportunities to use proxemics in a unique way. However, I found it weird when the Italian girl went to sleep by opening the small house, as that provided a comedy element when I don't think it was appropriate.

Things I know to be true REVIEW

Notes while watching

• Acting/movement
• Series of monologues 
• Physical theatre - series of hands over body - not in spotlight
• Direct audience address
• When addressing family, physical Theatre starts - various lifts
• Girl lifted when mentioning making love 
• Lights pop up and spotlight changes 
• fast paced movement of furniture 
• Family under blue spotlight while dancing
• Constant bell music
• Change of backdrop
• Lighting on fence and father
• Duologue between father and mother
• Father dressed in polo shirt and baggy trousers 
• Mother in shirt and suit trousers 
• Comedy element - identification
• ‘Something’s happened’
• Fast paced speech
• Comedic repetition
• Props -table, chairs, teacups, fence, leaves,
• Tableaux with chairs - comedy
• Music introduced for transition (wind and piano)
• Nonnaturalistic style
• Always something going on during a monologue
• Relationship between mother and daughter - abusive mother - trauma because sister climbed ladder
• Humour due to dads ignorance 
• Argument scene 
• Father dominant in scene - leaving mother alone 
• Original music introduced when physical theatre takes place 
• Cuts back to kitchen where food is being prepared
• A large amount of this takes place in the garden - significant 
• Props of - onion and carrots + bowl and cooking utensils 
• Ben introduced to the scene
• Both parents have contrasting opinions 
• Mother has stronger relationship with son than daughter 
• “She’s me but stronger”
• Pip enters the scene without acknowledgment from others (in the scene but spotlight shows different area 
• Split through a letter and no eye contact
• Young daughter leaves scene - mother daughter either side of a table 
• Link between scenes when singing - diegetic music
• Physical theatre to present families relationship
• Motifs of the character
• Found love in Vancouver 
• Change of set - physical theatre used to bring desk on 
• Phone prop 
• Mother always on stage - showing it’s a letter to her
• Letter ends 
• Lighting changes and whole stage is lit - then a spotlight on left side of stage (upper) showing older sun 
• Raining on him 
• Cigarette being smoked under 
• Comedy in sad elements
• Whole play describing moments taking place within their house
• Change of costume
• Set stays the same when conversation about sex change happens
• Sympathetic for both mother and son
• Son kicked out of the house
• End of part 1
• Part 2 starts with spotlights on each member of the family 
• Scene between son and Rosie packing suitcase
• Transition - gentle spotlight on old brothers monologue
• Ends with blue tint spotlight on parents dancing with lit up light bulbs
• Costumes changed to suit and dress
• Physical theatre including rest of the family 
• Showing relationship struggle
• Direct audience address
• Monologue by younger son
• Passage of time shown by plants in the background 
• Funny ‘sexual’ scene brings contrast
• Duologue between brother and sister
• Ben on drugs - almost hits sister
• Fallout between parents due to love separation 
• Music introduced at end of monologue after “u and me?”
• Rosie enters 
• All other siblings enter
• Physical theatre surrounding rosie
• Rosie says she’s leaving for university
• Rosie exits scene
• Music introduced
• Simple piano along with wind 
• Mother back in work clothes 
• Mother died and blue spotlight on father
• Monologue from Rosie