Higher DramaSet Text

The Crucible

Learning Intentions

To understand how we use the 'set text' in our Higher Drama course.

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.

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.

How do we do all this?

With a lot of work! By using your KNOWLEDGE of the play.

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?

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'.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

'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.

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).

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.

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.

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?

Before we begin!

ENJOY the play, it is a wonderfully emotional and intense play with a powerful message.

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.

Character Map

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.

The Reduced Performance

The Crucible

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

The Crucible Characters

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.

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.

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)

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.

No Fixed Stage

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’.

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)

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.

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?

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)

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?

The Magic Six!

Remember there are 6 types of theatre arts.

Lights

Why would we use lights?

• Stage lighting is used for 3 reasons:1. To see the actors and action.2. To focus the audience’s attention on

particular areas or characters.3. To create a mood or atmosphere.

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).

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).

Types of Lights

• There are 5 types of lights you should know.

Profile Spot Fresnel Spot Floodlight Spotlight Follow Spot

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.

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.

BARN DOORSused to adjust the shape of the beam

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.

Spotlight

A profile lantern can be used to create a SPOTLIGHT which is a beam of light created by a lantern for a person or place on the acting area.

Follow Spot

A follow spot is a powerful profile used to follow actors around the acting area.

Gels• Gels are film placed in front of a lantern to

change the colour of the beam, which can create different moods or atmospheres and symbolise themes in the drama.

Special Effects are achieved by using such equipment as:

1. Disco Ball

2. Gobo (thin metal plate cut out in a pattern and place in a lantern to project pattern or shape)

3. Strobe light

4. Pyrotechnics

5. Effects Projector

6. Smoke Machine

Props

Types of Props

• There are two types of props: personal props and set-props.

1. Personal Props – An item carried by, or worn by a character, such as glasses, handbag, wallet.

2. Set Props – An item placed on the set, usually part of it e.g. a lamp, a clock, a picture.

Remember!

• It is important to get the right stage prop for any production because props will add the final touch to the overall setting.

• Props should be in keeping with the period or style of the production, e.g. mobile phones would not be used in a play set at the beginning of the 20th Century.

Costume

Why wear costume?

Costumes help make the characters believable.

Costume helps the audience identify the characters more easily and can help the actor build up the character he is portraying.

Make-up

Why use stage make-up?Make-up is used for to allow for actors to be seen under bright stage lights.

Make-up is used to help create a believable character or effect.

Let’s look at some make-up effects.

• Every make-up application starts with a foundation base. FOUNDATION can be either pale or dark.

• SHADING: use colours to make facial areas look shrunken e.g. under the eyes.

• HIGHLIGHTING: use light colours to make face areas stand out e.g. cheeks.

• You can create wrinkles and shades by using LINERS.

• See the next slide and think about what has been done to make this character look old or ill.

• A STIPPLE SPONGE can be used to show stubble on the head or chin or cracked veins.

• Latex is liquid rubber which can be used to make SKULL CAP moulds to make people look bald.

• WOUNDS and SCARS can be built up using make-up. This is called SCARRING.

• See what you think has been used in this next picture.

• Perhaps a character is injured and has to be seen with a black eye, wound or cut.

• LINERS can be used to create bruises.• LINERS sticks of make-up in different colours

which can create lines, bruises, shading or highlighting.

• PENCILS can be used in different colours and are easily smudged and blended.

• See what make-up you think the make-up artist has used in the next picture.

NOSE PUTTY is a type of clay that can be used for altering the shape of the nose or chin and or/making warts and wounds. False noses can also be made by LATEX.

Strong red lipstick can be used to show the character is a powerful female boss. Whereas softer lipsticks might be used for characters such as princesses.

TOOTH VARNISH can be used to create the look of a missing tooth by blacking out an existing one, or by colouring teeth.

CREPE HAIR - Plaits of artificial hair can be cut and trimmed to form eyebrows, moustaches and beards. SPIRIT GUM is glue used to attach hair to the face.

Fake BloodFake blood can be used in a variety of ways

(powder, liquid or capsules) to show that blood has been shed.

Make-up can be used to create fantasy characters.

Sound

Types of sound

• There are two types of sound.1. Atmospheric sound e.g. music.2. Sound effects.

Atmospheric Sound

• As it suggests atmospheric sound creates a mood or atmosphere that directly affects the audience e.g. sadness, happiness, romantic mood, scary atmosphere.

• Atmospheric sound can also tell the audience information about the production e.g. the period or style (historic or ultra modern)

• It could communicate information about a theme from the lyrics.

• It could also be used to build tension.

Sound Effects

• Sound effects are noises used to signal something e.g. a gunshot, an explosion, a knock etc

• Sound effects can be pre-recorded or live.

Set

Set

• Set includes any furniture that is used in the production.

• This can include tables, chairs, etc.• It can also be theatre created set, like flats

or backcloths with scenery painted on them, or door flats, window flats.

• Rostra are raised platforms used to represent objects e.g. bed, platform, counter, sink, fireplace, etc.

What is a design concept?

• When a Director has a design concept, they have thought about the overall style of the drama in terms of theatre arts.

• They have ideas about how to use theatre arts to represent where and when the drama takes place.

• They have thought about ideas to represent the message of the drama or the overall mood and atmosphere they wish to create.

Set Design

• There are two types of set design:symbolic or realistic• Realistic – where the set appears real and

life-like, exactly how it should appear.

Here is a realistic set design in a play called ‘Proof’ by David Auburn

Symbolic Set Design

• Symbolic - where the set represents elements of it’s location to symbolise where and when the drama takes place, or represents the drama’s message.

Here is a symbolic set design in Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar

Have a guess!

• Have a close look at the next picture of a set.

• Think about what the Director is trying to achieve by designing the set this way.

• Is it a symbolic or realistic set design?• How do you know this?• What is the Director trying to represent or

symbolise?

Staging• Staging is not a theatre art but there are many

types of stages that you could perform ‘The Crucible’ in.

• However, you have to complete a ground plan in your exam and it must correlate with your essay. This means that you should choose a stage type which you can comfortably do a ground plan with, i.e. end-on staging.

• End-on staging allows all the audience to have the same view of the acting area, with more space in the acting area for movement and scenery – making it easier to direct, but can distance the audience so it is good to have the performers come close to the audience for an intimate atmosphere when using end-on staging.

What are the 6 theatre arts?

• Remember all of these when thinking about your no fixed stage essay question, or any other question involving set design, a director or design concepts.

Learning Intentions

• To know how to structure your essay.• To complete your essay plan.

Tasks

• Class discussion about structure.• Your essay plan.

Structure

• What basic structure should any essay have?

• What structure would you divide your ‘no fixed stage essay’ into?

• Create your essay plan for your ‘no fixed stage essay’.

No Fixed Stage Essay Structure

• Possible essay structure1. Introduction – Historical background: who wrote

the play and why it was written.2.Social background of the play - Puritanism. 3.State choice of venue, and the mood and

atmosphere you wish to create.4.Act 1 – what theatre arts you would use and how

you would direct actors to create intended mood and atmosphere. Take new paragraph for each act.

5.Conclusion – state why your choices would be effective.

Learning Intentions

• To think about how to open an essay.• To create your opening paragraph of your

‘no fixed stage’ essay.

Tasks

• In pairs discuss what you would include in your introduction.

• Class check – What do we not want?• Individually create your opening paragraph

of your essay. You may use your background notes to do this.

Ground Plans

Learning Intentions

• To know the ground plan for each act of the Crucible.

• To have a copy of these ground plans to keep and study.

Tasks

• Split into four groups, each with a different act.

• Draw a ground plan for the act.• Present the drawn ground plan and real set

design for each act.

The Crucible – Dramatic Commentary

Learning Intentions

• Apply what we have learned about dramatic commentary and use this information to help us create a dramatic commentary for ‘The Crucible’.

• Be able to apply what we learn from our practical direction to our written dramatic commentary.

Tasks

• Remember what a dramatic commentary should include.

• Direction of a scene.• Begin dramatic commentary.

Dramatic Commentary

• What do you remember that you have to include in your dramatic commentary?

• Moves, Justification, Technical Effects

Directors• Tell them WHERE to move (stage

positions)• Tell them HOW to move • Tell them HOW to speak• Tell them WHY they are acting this way1. Their personality2. Their motives3. Their background4. Their status5. Their relationships

Directing

MOVESIn what manner are they moving?Where are they facing?• Facial expressions• Gestures• Body language• Posture• Eye contact

Directing

VOICE1. Volume2. Pitch3. Pace4. Tone5. Emphasis

Moves Column• The director should describe the moves of the actors

including:• STAGE DIRECTIONS: To place the characters on

the ground plan, i.e. USC, DSR and include entrances and exits.

• MOVEMENT: To describe how characters are moving by using movement terminology, i.e. facial expression, posture, body language.

• VOICE: To describe how the line should be delivered using appropriate voice terminology, i.e. tone, pace, volume, pitch.

• INTERACTION of characters: To describe how they interact, e.g. stare, cuddle, etc.

Justify on two levels:

• Explain how your direction illustrates the SHORT TERM objectives or problems/issues that the character is tackling.

• Explain how your direction illustrates the LONG TERM objectives or problems/issues that the character is tackling.

Technical Column

• This must be done on 2 levels:• The physical effect you hope to achieve,

e.g. to create the impression of a warm day in June and to light the faces of the actors.

• The mood or atmosphere you hope to achieve, e.g. to communicate the warmth and love between the characters.

Remember to:

• State opening position of actors in the first move.

• Use adverbs is a very good way of explaining what your intended directorial interpretation is.

• Aim for roughly 12-15 moves per page of script so pick the best moments!

• Try to make your moves and justification detailed.

Character/Acting Essay

The Crucible

Learning Intentions

• To be able to discuss the characters of ‘The Crucible’ play in detail for your essays.

• To have a bank of important quotes you can use to support your argument about characters in the Crucible.

• To be able to write the first part of your second Crucible essay.

Tasks

• Look at 2010 question and discuss this as a class.

• Discussion of ‘qualities and characteristics’• Discussion of characters in groups and

presentation.

Question

Choose a character from your prescribed text and describe their qualities and characteristics. As an actor, how would you perform this role?

Qualities: A personal trait, qualities that make up one’s personality e.g. confident.

Characteristics: A feature that helps to identify, or distinguish a person.

List of possible qualities/characteristics

• Trusting, courageous, jealous, honest, brave, manipulative, honourable, assertive, resentful, individual, affectionate, forgiving, caring, spiteful, unselfish, selfish, devoted, envious, hard-working, spiteful, cold, warm, loving, heroic, proud, strong, domineering, loyal, evil, weak etc

Group Discussion

• Discuss any qualities or characteristics your character may have.

• Go through the characters’ journey in the play to discover where these ‘qualities and characteristics’ emerge.

• Try and find quotes to support your answer!• Prepare your presentation – the group with

the most suitable quotes wins!

Part 2 of the question

Choose a character from your prescribed text and describe their qualities and characteristics. As an actor, how would you perform this role?

• How would you start this answer? As an actor I would want to portray many of these

qualities and characteristics. I would want to show how John Proctor is an honest, proud and brave man who loves and protects his wife. I would also want to show how he is not afraid of authority and is constrained by the guilt he feels over his affair. I would portray Proctor as an individual who is motivated by personal integrity. Ultimately, he is a man who cares about the truth and hence, goes to his death as a tragic hero. I would use various performance skills to do this.

New Paragragh

• In the next few paragraphs go through each act, pin-pointing various moments that are important for this character’s journey and discuss how would use the following acting techniques to portray the character:

Acting Techniques

• Voice (volume, tone, pace, clarity, pitch, accent, emphasis)

• Movement (Gesture, facial expression, body language, eye contact, posture)

• Use of silences, pauses.• Use of space (pacing)• Stage positioning• Character inter-relationships

Tips on improving character essay

• Introduction: introduce the play (info) then introduce who the character is (brief description of role in the play) then begin to answer the question.

• Part A: Answer part A of the question with quotes (referring to the question).

• Quotes: Introduce them, indent them, explain the quote and summarise the point you are making in relation to the question.

• Explain what has happened in the play when relevant.

• Part B: refer to A points and question (must link!) • Point A, point B structure is possible, if you prefer.

Themes and Issues

The Crucible

Learning Intentions

• To have a sound understanding of all the themes and issues in the play

• To be able to say how you would highlight these through your ‘design concepts’.

Tasks

• ‘The Crucible’ basket game.• Pair up and pick themes. Look to see where

the themes are present in the play, try and find some quotes.

• Join pairs – share findings.• Class discussion of themes.• Read worksheets – Themes info booklet and

Question.

Themes/Issues: Pick a few!

• Honesty• Hysteria• Personal Integrity• Good and Evil• Witchcraft• Struggle Between Freedom and Oppression• Individual Conscience• Fear• Courage• Envy• Revenge

Themes Question

As a DIRECTOR, explain how your design concepts would illuminate the themes and issues of your prescribed text.

Opening or Closing Scene

Q. Explain the significance of the opening scene in your prescribed text. As a director, explain what impact you would like this scene to have on the audience and how you would achieve this. (2005)

MOMENT of Dramatic Tension

• Can you think of any moments in The Crucible with great dramatic tension?

• Please note moments are not Acts or scenes they are shorter than this.

• Q. Describe what you consider to be a moment of great dramatic tension in the text you have studied. How, as a Director would you realise this moment in performance?