Set Text

1. Set Text Essay Writing Created by L McCarry

2. Set Text • In your exam you will have to write an essay based on the play ‘Lovers,’ this is called the Set Text essay. • It is worth twenty marks, as are all of the elements of the Higher Drama course. • To successfully gain a good mark in an essay you need to know the play inside out, you also need to have read the ‘Full Notes’ and fully understand the themes of the play. Created by L McCarry

3. Writing a Set Text Essay • The set text essay questions tend to fall into a few categories: Design/ Staging, Genre, choosing a scene, powerful/important character, the playwright’s use of a technique, setting or language. • When you are choosing a set text question you would be particularly focusing on a design/staging question, a question on character or a question that requires you to choose a scene. Created by L McCarry

4. Writing a Set Text Essay • Click HERE to see these types of past paper questions on the website. Created by L McCarry

5. Writing a Set Text Essay • You will have to select one question in the exam from a choice of four. • You should firstly read all questions carefully. A lot of the questions are in two parts: (2010) Identify two characters from your prescribed text that could be described as having conflicting personalities. Give reasons for your choice. As a director, how would you help your actors to develop these two roles in rehearsal? Created by L McCarry

6. Writing a Set Text Essay • A question in two parts is marked in that way. The first part of the questions ‘part A’ is allocated a maximum of ten marks and the ‘part B’ the same. • This means that you must balance your answer and not just focus on the ‘part A’. In this instance this would involve discussing two characters with conflicting personalities such as Mag and Joe. You would then give quotes and examples from the play to help you to illustrate your points. Created by L McCarry

7. Writing a Set Text Essay • With a two part question you have to try to answer the first part and then the second part almost as one point. This will ensure that you are picking up marks all the way through the essay, see an example of this on the next slide Created by L McCarry

8. Writing a Set Text Essay Mag and Joe have conflicting personalities and we learn this almost immediately in the play. Joe is a pragmatist and is serious about his studies, he also feels under pressure because of the responsibility placed on him to provide for his family. We see this when he says: ‘And you needn’t stare at me like that: any qualification is better than nothing. You’ll always get some sort of a job.’ Mag on the other hand is a dreamer, she finds it difficult to concentrate on any one thing, we see this when she says: ‘I don’t know what things I take seriously…Never books or school or things like that..’ This difference between them creates lots of conflict and is a result of many arguments, Joe: ‘…you’re the stupidest person I ever met!’ As a director I would ask Joe to stay completed focused on his books while Mag speaks. I would ask the actress playing Mag, in contrast, to use lots of comical expressions and exaggerated gestures to try to get Joe’s attention. I would ask Joe to speak to her in a stern tone with an annoyed expression to show his growing frustration at her not taking her studies seriously. I would also ‘Hot-seat’ the characters to encourage them to work on building their characters personalities, to make these more believable in performance. Created by L McCarry

9. Writing a Set Text Essay • Where questions are in one part, the marks will be awarded where a relevant point is made, illustrated and justified: ‘You are to direct a production of your prescribed text and have been given the choice of a large proscenium arch theatre or a studio space with flexible seating arrangements. Which performance space would you choose in order to realise your design concepts and communicate important ideas in the play?’ Created by L McCarry

10. Writing a Set Text Essay • This question is perfect for the play of Lovers as the key elements that you will want to discuss in ANY essay will be the themes of the play. These are what make the play interesting and these are the ‘important ideas’ of the play. • I think quite often the design/staging questions are usually the most accessible questions for writing about Lovers. • As with any essay question you must read the question FULLY and not just write down everything you know about Lovers and the themes. Created by L McCarry

11. Writing a Set Text Essay • A mistake that is made every year and reflected back from the SQA is of candidates regurgitating information and NOT ANSWERING THE QUESTION SET! • You must answer the question. Underline the key parts if that helps or write the question at the top of the page or even highlight the question to keep drawing your attention back to WHAT YOU ARE BEING ASKED TO DO. Created by L McCarry

12. Writing a Set Text Essay • The design question given previously askes you to firstly choose a space to help you to communicate important ideas in the play – THE THEMES. • The structure of this essay would involve you considering the Original Staging of Lovers and your own ideas for staging the play. • Design concepts refer to: lighting, sound, costume, props, set design, drama media. • Sometimes its easier to choose the themes you think are most important, as you won’t have time to discuss them all in one essay. Created by L McCarry

13. Writing a Set Text Essay • The first point you should make as part of your introduction would be that the important ideas that you would wish to communicate in the play would be the themes: In directing my prescribed text of Lovers, the themes would be the important ideas that I would want to communicate to the audience. The themes run throughout the play and help to communicate the historical setting of the play and the influence of the environment the characters live in on their relationships and their happiness. The main themes of the play are ‘Influence of the Catholic Religion, Frustrated Christianity, Frustrated Love and Moral Responsibility. These would be central to influencing my design concepts. •You then need to ANSWER the question on why you are choosing a particular space. This will enable you to discuss a variety of design ideas in your essay. The performance space which I would choose in my direction of my set text play Lovers would be a Proscenium Arch. This would enable me access to a back wall/drop or Cyclorama for projection and scenery, it would also enable me to use the wings of the stage for set changes and would provide me with the use of an apron. This type of stage would also enable me to have full access to lighting equipment, essential for my design. Created by L McCarry

14. Writing a Set Text Essay • As you start the main part of the essay link back to the question being asked. Then structure your essay by using the themes to help demonstrate your design concepts for the play. • Try to state what the meaning of the theme is or what it tells you about the characters/why it is important as a director. Then say where in the play the theme(s) are most particularly highlighted, through using appropriate quotes. Then answer the question from a design point of view. • After every quote you must justify why this links to the question. A good way to do this is to say after quoting ‘This quote shows…’ • If you are speaking about design or directorial concepts, such as lighting, try give a few examples, as this can also pick you up more marks. See ONE example of a possible answer on the next slide Created by L McCarry

15. Writing a Set Text Essay • The theme of Frustrated Love is very important within the play and will influence my design concepts. This theme is central in communicating the characters true feelings and the strains in their relationships. Mag and Joe demonstrate this as they struggle to deal with being forced together due to the religious influence and community pressures placed on them. They clearly have very different personalities and their situation highlights the insecurities and underlying feelings of doubt that they have about each other. An example of this is when Joe declares to Mag: ‘You trapped me into marrying you – that’s all right I’ll marry you. But I’ll lead my own life.’ This shows his clear frustration at being forced to have the baby with Mag and suggests resentment at his own life being put on hold. Created by L McCarry

16. Writing a Set Text Essay • After explaining how the theme links to the question and exemplifying this from the text, state which design concepts you will use to communicate the theme. Remember you can make reference to set design, lighting, sound, costume, props and media. • The theme of Frustrated Love will influence my design concepts as I would use lighting to communicate this. My design would involve red gels on Fresnel Lanterns, when Joe is saying hurtful things to Mag, to communicate his resentment towards her. I would also project images onto the Cyclorama of some of the faces of the community who have placed immense pressure on the couple and in turn, making Joe feel frustrated and ‘trapped’ in the relationship. Created by L McCarry

17. Writing a Set Text Essay • You should continue using this structure but give further examples from ‘Winners’ and ‘Losers’. • Then conclude your essay, once again going back to the question posed. • Remember this is only one type of DESIGN question, but it will give you an idea of how to structure an essay of this type. Created by L McCarry

18. Set Text EssayTasks • To prepare for any set text essay it is useful to have good examples and quotes ready. • Take four of the main themes: Influence of the Catholic Religion, Moral Responsibility, Frustrated Christianity and Frustrated Love and find quotes and examples from ‘Winners’ and ‘Losers’ which help to illustrate these themes. • You are now going to create your own ‘Flashcards’ to help you to revise these quotes. You will use these as a study tool to help you to prepare for essays throughout this course. Your teacher will show you the ‘Innovid’ on how to create Flashcards. • Then Click on FLASHCARDS to begin creating your own study deck. • Use the design question given as an example in this presentation as your essay question. Complete this and hand it into your teacher. Created by L McCarry

19. Well Done! You have now completed revision on ‘Set Text Essay Writing!’ Created by L McCarry