Higher Drama Set Text The Crucible

1. Higher Drama Set Text The Crucible

2. Learning Intentions • To understand how we use the 'set text' in our Higher Drama course.

3. Your set text • This is the first play you will study in Higher Drama. • You should read it more than once! • You want to know this play inside out as it will help you gain marks in your exams.

4. 3 main outcomes: • You will perform an ACTING piece from a scene in your set text as part of your acting exam. • You will write an ESSAY on your prescribed text in the final written exam (from a selection of 4 questions) • You will complete a DRAMATIC COMMENTARY and GROUND PLAN on a scene from your text in the final written exam.

5. How do we do all this? • With a lot of work! • By using your KNOWLEDGE of the play.

6. What Do I Need To Know • All the CHARACTERS in the play and their motivations. • Understand RELATIONSHIPS in the play and how they develop. • Understand the THEMES and ISSUES explored in the text. • Where and when each scene/act is SET. • How you would act, direct or stage the play?

7. Study of a text in its Theatrical Context • You must understand when the play was written and set. • The play which you are going to study is 'The Crucible' by Arthur Miller. • Here are some facts about Miller and when and why he wrote the play. • 'The Crucible' was written by the late playwright Arthur Miller from New York in 1953. • Miller had already written successful plays including 'All My Sons' and 'Death of a Salesman'.

8. FACTS • Miller was know for his success in writing these plays and received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He is also known for being married to Marilyn Monroe from 1956-1961. • However, there is one more reason why Miller has been in the public eye. • Miller was called to testify before the 'House Un-American Activities Committee' (HUAC). • This committee was chaired by Senator Joseph McCarthy.

9. FACTS • The committee existed at a time when FEAR was rife in America. • Context: The Second World War had only just ended in 1945, leaving a strong determination that no totalitarian forms of government must ever be allowed to develop as Hitler's regime developed. • Russia was now being watched uneasily because of the totalitarian aspects of international communism.

10. FACTS • There was an exaggerated fear in America that Communism might infiltrate the government. • Communism (a system of social organization in which all economic and social activity is controlled by a totalitarian state dominated by a single and self-perpetuating political party – everything controlled by a government). • Investigations were vigorous and aimed to seek out any person in any way sympathetic to communism.

11. FACTS • As it was led by Joseph McCarthy, the process of routing out of Communists was called 'McCarthyism'. • As many artists (who were forward-thinking) became accused Miller became aware of the manner in which suspected communists were accused and questioned and didn't like what he discovered. • If accused you were asked to name names of others you know/suspected of communism. Many people NAMED NAMES out of fear of being blacklisted.

12. FACTS • In this 'naming of names' Miller noticed a parallel between the McCarthy trials and the history of the Salem witch trials of 1692. • In puritan Salem, witchcraft was terribly feared. If you were accused of witchcraft you would be forced to say who else bewitched you. If you did not NAME NAMES you would be hung! • This resulted in the hanging of many innocent people in Salem.

13. 'The Crucible' • Miller had found a way of commenting on McCarthyism without directly commenting on it. His vehicle was the Salem witch trials. • Miller studied the facts of the time and used it to create the fictional 'The Crucible', which is loosely based on real people and real events.

14. Summarise • You should now understand how you will use your set text. • You now know a little about the playwright and context in which the play was written! (by Arthur Miller, 1953, America, during McCarthyism) • You are about to learn a little about the context in which the play was set! (1692 Salem, Massachusetts, Salem witch trials).

15. Reading 'The Crucible' • Before we begin reading The Crucible choose a character from the play (any!). • As we read the play think about: • what the character's personality is • what their motivation is • what their relationships are • how the character develops throughout the play.

16. Reading 'The Crucible' • As we read the play make note of the following: • Key characters • Relationships • Themes/issues • Important scenes/key moments • Important quotes • You should use your summary sheets after each reading and complete your notes.

17. What else to look out for? • Pay attention to the playwrights stage directions as you can refer to these in an exam. • Imagine you were going to direct this play, how would you stage it? Or act in this play, how would you play the characters? • What reaction would you be looking for from the audience?

18. Before we begin! • ENJOY the play, it is a wonderfully emotional and intense play with a powerful message.

19. Character Map Aims • To have a full understanding of who all the characters are in the play and how they are connected. • To have a visual aid to use when studying The Crucible • Your character map might look a little like this.

20. Character Map

21. Character Map • What things do you think you could include in your character map? • Details on character’s personalities • Details on character’s relationships • Details on how relationships progress in the play.

22. The Reduced Performance The Crucible

23. Aims • To strengthen our memories of the text. • To discover all important moments in the play. • To communicate to an audience, all the important aspects of the play. • To have the chance to adopt the roles of many characters in the play.

24. How do we perform a reduced performance? • Each group will present a shortened version of each Act, which can be in your own words and also use quotes from the play. • The idea is that if you presented this to an audience who knew nothing about the play, they would know almost everything about it after viewing the presentation.

25. The Reduced Performance • Each group will be given a different Act to study. • In groups you will discuss the Act in detail taking note of all events that happen, and of key events. • You can take notes of important quotes that you want to include. • You can plan and rehearse how you want to present each Act. • Costumes/Props can be provided to show character changes. A narrator is also a good idea to show the passing of time (etc), and other conventions can be used, e.g. tableau to perhaps show important relationships.

26. The Reduced PerformanceTips • Do not spend too long planning your performance. • You can use your summary to help you establish key moments as a starting point. • Quickly establish what type of presentation you want to do – will people play multiple roles and show scenes? Or will you use still images and a narrator? How will you use the quotes to perform?

27. More Tips! • You cannot communicate everything that happens in the Act! • You might decide to represent the present themes in the Act. • You don’t have long to create and rehearse this! • Do not worry to much about the performance being polished – this isn’t your acting exam. • Experiment with new ideas of how to present information about the play.

28. Success Criteria • Have we strengthened our memories of the play? • What are the important/key moments in the play? • What have you learned about characters in the play by adopting their roles?

29. The Crucible Characters

30. Learning Intentions • To study a character from the Crucible in depth, in preparation for your written exam. • To have a bank of quotes about that character that you can use in the exam.

31. Tasks • Choose your character. • Write out a summary of what that character experiences from the start of the play until the end. • Complete a character description including information about that character, e.g. background info, personality, relationships. • Look through the play for quotes that support any information you have given about that character. • Does Miller use the character to show any themes? How does he do this? Use quotes to support your argument.

32. Choosing a character • You should only choose a main character to write about. Here are some good suggestions: • John Proctor (tragic hero; represents the theme of guilt/individual conscience) • Elizabeth Proctor (virtuous wife; represents the theme of honesty) • Abigail Williams (manipulative female; represents the theme of fear, adultery) • Reverend John Hale (intelligent expert on witchcraft; represents the theme of integrity)

33. Final Check! • You should now have detailed knowledge about at least one character which you can comfortably write about in the exam. • You could do the same activity again, but this time with another character, or you could highlight an important relationship in the play.

34. No Fixed Stage

35. Learning Intentions • To begin to realise how you would breakdown exam questions. • To do this with your ‘no fixed stage’ essay question. • To think about how YOU would direct ‘The Crucible’.

36. Tasks • Group discussion of question. • Feedback and class discussion of question. • Group/individual rough essay plan (i.e. what topics you will cover in essay)

37. Question • IF YOU WERE ASKED TO DIRECT THE CRUCIBLE IN A VENUE OF YOUR OWN CHOICE WITH NO FIXED STAGE, WHERE AND HOW WOULD YOU DO IT? REMEMBER TO JUSTIFY FULLY ALL YOUR DECISIONS.

38. Final Check! • Do you understand the question? • Do you feel you that you know how to unpack an exam question? How would you do this?

39. Learning Intentions • To learn all theatre arts. • To begin to think about what theatre arts you would apply to the Crucible (there are already clues in the play – look for them)

40. Tasks • Powerpoint on theatre arts – take notes. • Study the play to look for already existing theatre arts e.g. sound, lighting, set, etc. • Clue – Miller’s stage directions at the start of each act will help you with this, but also think of any other theatre arts throughout the play that already exist. • Your design concepts of the play – plan what theatre arts you would use and why. Would your set design be symbolic or realistic?

41. The Magic Six! Remember there are 6 types of theatre arts.

42. Lights

43. Why would we use lights? • Stage lighting is used for 3 reasons: • To see the actors and action. • To focus the audience’s attention on particular areas or characters. • To create a mood or atmosphere.

44. What can we do with lights? • Here are some basic functions with abbreviations. • You can program lights to switch on/off. • You can fade lights up or down (F/U or F/D). • You can fade them fast or slow (Q/F or S/F). • You can CROSSFADE the lights (C/F). • You can snap to blackout (B/O).

45. What else can we do? • You can change the colour of lights by using GELS. • You can choose to light separate areas of the stage, e.g. USR, CS by ANGLING the lights. • You can have the lights brightly or dimly lit by choosing the LEVEL. • You can spotlight characters by SHAPING the beam of light (e.g. narrow/wide).

46. Types of Lights • There are 5 types of lights you should know. • Profile Spot • Fresnel Spot • Floodlight • Spotlight • Follow Spot

47. A PROFILE SPOT gives you a HARD-EDGED BEAM OF LIGHT. They are fitted with shutters, usually four, which can be pushed into the light beam, shaping its appearance on stage. There is usually a slot cut into the body of the lantern, which accepts Gobo’s – cut out metal patterns whose image is projected onto the stage.

48. FRESNEL lanterns give a soft-edged beam of light. Used to create large washes of light (like a flood), They have external BARN DOORS, which shape the beam.

49. BARN DOORSused to adjust the shape of the beam

50. FLOODS are used to provide large area washes of light. They come equipped with a gel frame and are especially useful for lighting backcloths. The beam cannot be shaped, so generally other lantern types are more flexible.