1984 Dramatic Elements by George Orwell DRAMATIC ELEMENTS Created & performed by shake & stir theatre co Dramatic Elements compiled by Naomi Russell. This Resource Kit is protected by Copyright. Limited photocopying for classroom use permitted by educational institutions.
ROLE Performers will take on one or more roles throughout a dramatic piece. This requires them to embody someone or something beyond themselves to make a believable and credible character for the audience. It is also important to think about their role in the dramatic action. Is it pivotal? Supportive? Language The words that are spoken. It s the foundation of a text-based play. Subtext should also be analysed as well as stage directions when reading and interpreting a play. Movement The way an actor uses their body to show emotions/reactions. Blocking on stage. Movement can be literal or abstract, depending on the piece. Was the piece character or plot driven? How were the roles used to help create the story? Did the actors play more than one role? How did they do this? What changes were evident in their performance? Was the role convincing? How were the roles established and maintained? What role did that character have in the drama? How were words used to create power? What was the subtext behind some of the memorable lines? How did the language help to shape the drama? What was interesting about the language? Was it hard to understand? Was the movement symbolic in anyway? How was movement contrasted by stillness? What effect did this have? How did the blocking change the way you interpreted the play? Was the movement direct or fluid? Why was it done this way? All the actors except Bryan Probets (Winston) play more than one role. Identify with students that they were changed by costuming, props, voice and movement. Think about how different roles served different purposes. EG Parsons was used to lighten to mood and show an innocence in a party member. Charrington s role was of the ultimate betrayal - and this was built throughout the play. He preyed on Winston s weakness (privacy) and used this against him in the betrayal (he was a member of the Thought Police the whole time). Language is pivotal in 1984 - they are creating a new language - Newspeak. Also words have a lot of power behind them - most words used actually mean the opposite EG Ministry of Love is actually torture, friends are enemies, the concept of privacy does not exist. Think about the power of the words used - the impact of simply saying Room 101 and the reaction it draws. It s also important to look at the fact that audience members bring their own meaning to words - each comes with a different level of prior knowledge of the text - and with this comes personal subjectivity. Movement is used a variety of ways in 1984 - including repetition, rhythm, fast and slow paced. During the opening 2 Minute Hate sequence the characters movements are strong and directed, whereas in scenes between Julia and Winston the movement is more fluid and messy. In scenes where Winston is at work movement is used to show the dull and repetitive nature of his work. In the Ministry of Love choreographed stage fighting is used to show torture and violence. Throughout the play there are moments when Winston is still whilst others move around him.
SPACE The personal and general space used on stage. This can refer to the space between or how the actors used the stage space to create a specific reaction. STATUS The power behind a role. Who has control in a scene and how the power shifts between characters. This can be determined through language, movement, gesture, voice, costuming, staging, lighting and A/V designs. focus How attention is directed on stage to what is most worthy of attention. This also relates to an actor s focus. How was the space used? Did it feel open or closed? Was it cold or warm? How did the actors interact with the space? What did the space between the actors tell you about the characters? Who had the power in each scene? How could you tell? How was the status shown? What techniques were used to create status on the stage? Does anyone challenge the status? Where does the power shift in the play? Why does it shift? Can you rank the characters in order of status? What key moments shift this? What do we look at? How were you made to look at this? How did the characters create focus? How did the set, lighting or A/V help focus the action? What or who kept your focus on the stage? The contrast between real and imaginary space in 1984 is used to great effect. There is always reference to Winston s physical space and his mental space - sometimes this is shown on the telescreens behind him. It s clear that he is in two different spaces at the same time. Space is also used in the set design and use of lighting. EG Shafts of light are used to emphasize the small space of the cubicles in the Ministry of Truth. Power is shown on stage through levels, blocking, movement, language and the telescreens. In particular status is evident when Winston is being tortured in Room 101. O Brien is physically strong and stands over a weak and fragile Winston. The status shifts between Julia and Winston, she begins with the power but Winston ultimately takes it when he betrays her and she is left empty and converted - but so does Winston. Charrington is seen as a lower status character - a common shop owner who lives amongst the Proles - but the ultimate betrayal comes when he reveals himself as a member of the Thought Police. Status and power are manipulated a lot in the play - we see children having power of their parents - with Parsons being turned in by his own daughter. The telescreens are used to create and maintain focus throughout the play. The use of A/V is of utmost importance in the play - it is used heavily to shift the focus both between scenes and between characters. The idea of facecrime and thoughtcrime are used to focus the drama - we see Winston on stage with a blank look on his face, but the telescreen behind him gives away his act of thoughtcrime - he cannot keep it in.
MOOD The atmosphere created. It helps to focus the action and move the audience into different feelings and emotions throughout the piece. SYMBOL The deeper or implied meaning of props, costumes, lighting, text, sound or movement. TENSION The driving force of the dramatic action. It must be built, maintained or broken at various points in the dramatic action. What did you feel throughout the drama? Do you think this was the intended reaction? How were elements such as lighting, set design and A/V used to help create and maintain the mood? What could the deeper meaning have been for things you saw on stage? Was lighting, sound or A/V used in a symbolic way? Was this effective? Were props or costumes used in a symbolic way? How did the tension engage you? What were you invested in? How was it built between characters? Why was the tension broken? How did it happen? This is a dark play. The mood is almost constantly down, but it still goes through waves. See if students can plot the mood on a graph, showing key moments of heightened mood. The mood is lightened through Winston and Julia s relationship. They manage to find some pleasure in their lives, and this changes the atmosphere on stage - particularly when in the golden country. Music is used to shape the mood onstage - Oranges and Lemons and the song sung by the female prole are used to establish atmosphere and foreshadow Winston s capture. 1984 is full of symbols. Discuss the symbolism of the following: Oranges and Lemons (symbol of the past, foreshadow of the future); Julia s red anti-sex league sash; Winston s diary; the telescreens; the song the Prole sings & the lady herself; Charrington s shop;the piece of coral; the rats, Room 101; Winston s skeleton like face on the telescreens; the bells (of St Clement s) are used as a symbol of warning. Also characters are symbolic: Winston represents the everyman fighting against authority; Parsons is symbolic of innocence/ignorance; Charrington - the wolf in sheep s clothing. Tension exists in every scene of 1984. In particular: the tension of relationships between Winston and each character can be explored in great detail. Tension of mystery is a constant as we never know when Big Brother is watching; when the Thought Police will strike; who the enemy is and when betrayal will come. Tension of surprise comes with Winston and Julia are captured. Tension of the task surrounds all that this play stands for: standing up against Big Brother - but it breaks when Winston does. The telescreens and voice overs are used to highlight the tension and at times, to break the tension.
CONTRAST The use of polarised or opposing elements is important to highlight differences in the dramatic action. costume The clothes and props a character has are important when creating and establishing role for both the actor and the audience. lighting Lighting can be used for several purposes - to establish mood, emphasize space, show a change in day/night, or to symbolise a variety of things. What binary oppositions were used in the drama? (EG light VS dark) How were these highlighted? How did they help to create dramatic action/meaning? Were they effective? How were costumes used to show role? Were they symbolic? Were they effective? What changes were made by characters playing more than one role? Were the lights used to show time passing? Was a spot light used to highlight key characters/scenes/ elements? How effective were the use of blackouts? Was colour used in the lighting? If so, why? Language is constantly contrasted in the script. Words can mean their exact opposite: Ministry of Plenty (rations), Ministry of Truth (rewriting the past), We shall meet in the place where there is no darkness - Winston interprets this light to be good - when it s the lights used in the torture chambers. Telescreens contrast the real and the unreal - particularly Winston s thoughts, the entity of Big Brother and Goldstein. The ideas of facecrime and thoughtcrime are contrasts. We give away our thoughts on our face, or are we always wearing a mask? Binary opposites drive the narrative: good VS evil; hope VS hopelessness; dark VS light; truth VS untruth; we must understand and experience one in order to fully understand its opposite. The dark blue boiler suits are worn by all actors and help to show the conformist nature of Big Brother s power. The also highlight the lack of personality and the extreme control of this totalitarian society. When characters change role they substitute an element of their costume - Parsons has glasses, Charrington is in normal attire, O Brien wears an all in one black boiler-style suit, Julia has a red anti sex league sash and wears a dress at one point - signifying her change into a more feminine and individual role. Unconventional lighting was used in 1984 as the telescreens also act as a lighting fixture. The ever moving spotlight starts the show and stops on audience members, highlighting our voyeuristic role. Lighting was also used to show space. Shafts of light highlight the characters at work at The Ministry of Truth. The lighting changes when Winston and Julia are in Charrington s shop and out in the golden country - this is also symbolic of the double life that they are trying to lead. Lighting was also used in the A/V on the telescreens - EG Winston is lit to resemble a skeleton.
audio/visual Any external sound or image that is used on stage to help tell the story, create mood, establish the setting, show inner thoughts and/or subtext. Set The design on stage. It may be minimal or detail, moveable or stagnant. context Context is the lens in which we view the drama. It is the background information that audiences bring with them to a performance, which ultimately influences their interpretation of the play. Context can also be created on stage through the way the narrative is shown. What did you see or hear that didn t come from an actor onstage? What impact did the A/V have on the telling of the story? Did it support your understanding of what was going on? Was it effective in creating mood? Did it help to show emotion/thought? How was diegetic and non-diegetic sound used? What did the set look like? How did you react when you first saw it? Did it move during the play? How effective was it in establishing the setting? Was it symbolic? What do you already know about the text before seeing it? When was it written? Why was it written? Can it be set anywhere/anytime or is the setting and time pivotal to the meaning? What do you need to know in order to make sense of the narrative? Orwell s novel is full of technology - and so is the stage version. The A/V design is beautifully woven into the production and the use of the plasma telescreens and voiceovers are of extreme importance in 1984. Many elements of the story are told through inner monologues, voice overs, flashbacks and images that are played on the telescreens. Winston s inner thoughts are of particular importance - they are an example of thoughtcrime, and, as the audience we have a sense of dramatic irony as we can predict his downfall much more easily than him. Live cameras are also used when Winston is being tortured - this adds to the voyeuristic nature of the play. The use of non-diegetic sound also highlights the impersonal and detached feeling surrounding the control of Big Brother. The booming voice overs and lack of face to face interaction create this sense of separation. 1984 has a minimal but effective set. The huge plasma telescreens form the back wall of the set and stage left has a moveable wall to create Charrington s shop. Tables protrude from the walls and slide back in when not in use. Props are kept to a minimum and are used simplistically and symbolically. The colour of the set is also important. Most of the set is grey, dull and industrial, whereas Charrington s shop is brighter and full of hope (albeit false). When going to see 1984 every audience member brings their own context to the show. It is a novel that has sparked much political debate and conversations. It has been banned in some countries in the past and Orwell s own political beliefs are steeped in the text. The great thing about the work is that it could have been written anytime in the last 50 years - the text was written in 1948 - but projected and predicted a future that is not too dissimilar from what we see today. CCTV follows us, computers are monitored, internet usage is watched, the government likes to be ever present in the running of our day to day lives...