AQA GCSE Drama sample

Status One of the main themes in the play is status. Although Edward and Mickey are twins, they have different opportunities in life because of the families in which they are raised. Willy Russell emphasises this in several scenes by contrasting how the boys are treated by others. For example, the policeman is much harsher with Mrs Johnstone than he is with the Lyons about the boys’ misbehaviour; the two schools offer different opportunities; Edward goes to university, while Mickey loses his job at the factory; and, at the end, Edward is a respected Councillor, while Mickey only has a home and a job because of Edward’s help. To explore this theme try Task 7. TASK 7 a Use any props and costumes you can find and put them either into a pile labelled ‘Johnstone’ or a pile labelled ‘Lyons’. Discuss how you made your choices. For example, were you influenced by the fabrics, style or condition of the item? What do you learn about how we judge people’s status by what they wear and what they own? b Focus on the scene when Edward and Mickey at age seven meet in the first act. Concentrating on your vocal skills, explore how you can contrast their different upbringings. Experiment with the following: Use of dialect – would one of the boys have a stronger working-class Liverpool accent? Use of volume – would one of the boys speak more softly? Use of pace – would the boys speak at different paces? Is one more impulsive and one more thoughtful? Enunciation – does one speak with a clearer diction ? Does one use more slang? Use of inflection or intonation – can comic effects be created through vocal tone or emphasis? Note in your script, using a pencil, or in your notebook any discoveries you make. c Focus on the policeman scenes in the first act, when he visits Mrs Johnstone and then the Lyons. Create two still images showing the difference in the policeman’s attitude towards each family. Either take a picture or draw a sketch for each still image and label how it shows the different status of the families. KEY TERM: Diction: how clearly and precisely words are spoken. Mark Hutchinson, actor Playing Eddie at four different stages is a challenge, costumes obviously help, but I also decided to change my hairstyle three times in the show: • tidy side parting for 7 • centre parting for Act 2 teenager • completely gelled back for the scenes when he is a councillor. Vocally, a brighter, open, slightly higher, but not too high tone, to suggest age and innocence, slightly lower and awkward for teenager, and older, louder and very assured for the councillor. Physically, I decided, Eddie was a very still child, an only child brought up by strict parents, so very still as a seven-year-old, with very proper posture and a very calm physicality, very different from Mickey and the other children. I play him more physically awkward as a teenager, and then very confident as an adult. THEATRE MAKER ADVICE 58 COMPONENT 1 UNDERSTANDING DRAMA