The Crucible Play Guide for AQA GCSE Drama

COMPONENT 1 UNDERSTANDING DRAMA 44 Sound When creating a sound design, you might consider using: 4 Live or recorded sound 4 Sound effects or music 4 Volume and means of amplification 4 Particular sources of sound or directions of sound. Task B14 Here are some effects a sound designer would like to achieve. Write down your ideas on how they could go about creating these effects to reflect the play’s context. An example has been suggested to start you off. For this section, I would use some abstract or symbolic sound choices to reinforce this belief in the supernatural. When Abigail refers to a ‘cold wind’, I will have a violin sustain a soft, high, haunting note. As the scene continues, this will be accompanied by recorded sounds of a storm, which will grow louder. To create the oppressive effect of the girls turning against Mary, in addition to the voices of the characters on stage, there will be a recording of the girls’ voices murmuring in overlapping phrases, until Proctor shouts, ‘How do you call Heaven!’, when all the sound effects will snap off, making his following words stand out in the silence. Task B15 Look closely at page 73 of the script, from ‘Proctor: I will bring you home’ to ‘Proctor: Out of my sight!’ How could you use sound design as part of the representation of a Puritan household in 17th-century Massachusetts in this extract? LOOK HERE Go to page 129 to learn more terminology for writing about lighting, and page 134 for more on sound. CHECK IT OUT See pages 236–243 in AQA GCSE Drama to learn more about lighting and sound, including advice from a lighting designer. KEY TERMS Abstract: Not realistic or lifelike; instead using colours, shapes, textures, sounds and other means to achieve a symbolic effect. Symbolic: Using something to represent something else. A symbolic stage design, for example, might be a non-naturalistic design to suggest something about the play and its themes, such as a red set to suggest violence, or a house with a crack down its middle to suggest a family that is torn apart. A At this time, there was a genuine belief in the existence of witches and the Devil possessing people. Therefore, towards the end of the Act 3 court scene, I want to use sound to indicate that, in the minds of some people in the court, there is an evil spirit in the room. C At the beginning of Act 2, I want to show the contrast between the relative peace of the empty vestry with the activities of the court, which can be heard in the next room. B I want show the contrast between the religious Puritans singing the psalms outside the Parris home and the dialogue inside the room. D At the end of Act 4, I want to indicate the fearful ordeal that Proctor faces when he leaves the room.