Blood Brothers Play Guide for AQA GCSE Drama

COMPONENT 1 UNDERSTANDING DRAMA 42 Focus on Act 2, pages 77–78, from ‘As they run off’ to ‘Mrs Johnstone: He is yours.’ You are designing a costume for Mrs Lyons for a performance of this extract. The costume must reflect the context of Blood Brothers , set in a working-class community during the 1970s. Describe your ideas for the costume. [4 marks] Earlier in the play, we saw Mrs Lyons as a neat, affluent middle- class woman. Although her costume in this extract will still reflect clothing that a woman of her status in 1970s Liverpool would choose, there will also be signs of her deteriorating mental health. As she has been ‘concealed’ in an alley, I would have her wearing a dark-patterned silk headscarf that women often wore during this time to protect their hair from wind and rain. She will also have a good-quality, belted trench coat on over her well-made, conservative woollen dress, suitable for her affluent background. The plain coat will show that she doesn’t want to stand out in this unfamiliar neighbourhood. In Mrs Johnstone’s kitchen, she will take off the headscarf, revealing that her hair is untidy. She will be wearing less make-up than in earlier scenes. This will help to indicate that she is beginning to lose control. Mrs Lyons will wear a dark, knee-length tweed skirt and a black, cashmere, long-sleeved jumper. Over this outfit, she will have a loosely belted black coat. These items of clothing are appropriate for a middle- class woman in 1970s Liverpool and for the chilly weather, but the dark colours also suggest her darker mood. This will contrast with the brighter colours of Mrs Johnstone. Mrs Lyons will wear dark-red lipstick, which will look like a gash across her face and hint at her later violence. Her hair will be tightly curled, but not fashionable. It will show that she hasn’t moved with the times. She will wear dark leather gloves, which she keeps on, indicating that she doesn’t plan to stay long and lending her a menacing appearance. KEY TERM Affluent: Wealthy, prosperous, well off. Sample answers for Component 1, Section B, Question 1 Task B22 On the right are two extracts from different student-style responses to the same question. Read them through and highlight or annotate them. • Next to every mention of context , write C . • Next to each precise design detail, write D . • Next to every point which shows understanding of the play and character, write U . Task B23 Now write your own response to a costume design for the same extract, but this time focus on a costume for Mrs Johnstone. Afterwards, check that you have: • Related it to the play’s context • Provided precise details of the costume • Shown an understanding of the character and play. TIP There is not just one correct answer for questions like this. As long as a response is based on an excellent understanding of the play and its context and gives precise details of how design could be used to create appropriate effects, it can gain high marks.