Performance Notes for Educators

Transcription

1 Performance Notes for Educators Prepared by Katie Stewart The purpose of this document is to provide Queensland educators with information and resources for Queensland Theatre Company s production of That Face. The activities and resources contained in this document are designed as the starting point for educators in developing more comprehensive lessons for this production. Katie Stewart is seconded to Queensland Theatre Company from Education Queensland as an Education Liaison Officer. Assisted by the Commonwealth Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body. Queensland Government (Education Queensland) and Queensland Theatre Company Copyright protects this publication. Except for the purposes permitted by the Copyright Act, reproduction by whatever means is prohibited. However, limited photocopying for classroom use is permitted by educational institutions that have a license with the Copyright Agency Limited (CAL). This material includes work from the Education Liaison Officer and is reproduced with the permission of the owner, Department of Education, Queensland, PO Box 33, Brisbane Albert Street, Queensland, Australia, Any inquiries should be addressed to the Education Liaison Officer, Youth & Education Program, Queensland Theatre Company, PO Box 3310 South Brisbane BC Queensland Produced by Queensland Theatre Company and Education Queensland.

2 Table of Contents How to Act at the Theatre 3 Synopsis & Artistic Team 4 Curriculum Connections 5 Video Resources 6 Artist Insight Playwright, Polly Stenham 7 Article The Royal Court s Hunt for Talent 9 Post Performance Discussion Questions and Websites of Interest 10 Script Excerpt 11 Classroom Activities & Suggested Assessment 13 Set Model Box 14 2

3 How to Act at the Theatre (when you re not on stage) We recommend that you read through the following points so you get maximum entertainment value when you come along to one of Queensland Theatre Company s productions. Be in your seat five minutes before the show starts Food and drinks are not permitted in the theatre Be respectful to other audience members TURN OFF all electrical devices before entering the theatre Save note taking and discussion for AFTER the show Feel free to laugh, cry and applaud 3

4 Synopsis That Face When faces expulsion from her private boarding school, she turns to her older brother for help. But already has his hands full, desperately trying to keep their fragile mother Martha sober and sane. When their absent father Hugh flies home from overseas to apply a quick fix to the latest crisis, this fractured family must finally face a reality they have avoided far too long. Polly Stenham s debut play is both hilarious and unsettling, a sensitive and darkly comic exploration of the ties that bind a family, but can just as easily tear it apart. Artistic Team Leon Cain Amelia Dowd Eugene Gilfedder Helen Howard Lauren O Rourke Ashley Ricardo Nic Dorward Kieran Swann Carolyn Emerson Steve Toulmin Niki-J Witt Helen Howard Jodie Roche Kylie Degen Alice Hugh Martha Izzy Director Designer Lighting Designer Composer/Sound Designer Movement/Fight Choreographer Dialect Coach Stage Manager Assistant Stage Manager 4

5 Curriculum Connections Themes / Ideas Family Addiction Dysfunctional relationships Performance / Dramatic Elements Contemporary Western Drama Naturalism Symbolism of personal effects That Face portrays the break down of an affluent family. The daughter is rebellious and attends boarding school., s brother, has dropped out of school to look after their mother, Martha. Her addictions control their lives. With dark humour the play exposes an honest interpretation of how some children are forced to parent their parents. [R] 90 mins, no interval [L] Course language [V] References to violence [S] Sexual overtones and references to sex [ELO] This play is suitable for Year 11 and 12 Drama and English students studying contemporary world drama or text analysis. It explores confronting social issues and difficult relationships, therefore it is suitable for mature audiences. 5

6 Video Resources Visit the following link for video resource for Queensland Theatre Company s production of That Face: 6

7 Artist Insight Playwright Polly Stenham Polly s debut play That Face premiered at The Royal Court Theatre in London in April 2007, and was met with roaring success. She won both the Evening Standard s 2007 Charles Wintour Award and the Critic s Circle Award for the Most Promising Playwright, as well as the 2007 Best New Play TMA Award. Polly was also awarded one of the UK Film Council s first grants from their developments fund and is being mentored by Pawel Pawlikowski to adapt her play into a feature film. As well as That Face Polly has written Tusk Tusk, which premieres at The Royal Court Theatre on 28 March and Restless Polly Stenham (now 21 years) speaks to Queensland Theatre Company about That Face, the Royal Court Theatre and her first trip to Australia That Face was first produced at The Royal Court Theatre in London, and rocketed to success in 2007, winning several lucrative and high profile awards. How did the script come about? I was 19 and restless. My university contact hours were only eight a week and I was spending all my time in the pub and going out. It just got boring after a while and I thought I should reform a bit so I looked for evening courses. I had this deranged pretentious idea that I might write a novel. So I searched high and low for an evening course in fiction and found nothing. Then I stumbled across The Royal Court Theatre s Young Writers Programme. It was once a week for about 10 weeks. We sat around and read plays and talked and wrote tiny sketches. When you first sit down to write dialogue, it feels incredibly weird and fake. And I think that s the problem, it s very easy to give up then, but The Royal Court pushes you past that point. Encouragement is so powerful. I never planned to write a play. It wasn t a story that had been lurking in my mind for years. It was a completely off-the-cuff decision. The teacher said on our last day By the way, any of you can write a play and submit it to us, we have a festival every two years for under 25 s and it just might get on. I thought about it. Then promptly forgot the whole thing. Then one day, I was sitting in the library and I wrote the word on a page. It just sort of snowballed from there. What s your association with The Royal Court Theatre, and what s it been like working there? I have been seeing plays there since I was nine years old. I did a course there at 19 and they produced me at 20. I guess you could say I grew up with them. Working there has been a joy. They are a writer s theatre. They give you a tremendous amount of artistic control. They are incredibly open minded and willing to take unbelievable risks. I can t think of a place I d rather be connected to. What s behind your thinking of the title That Face? There is a line in the play when Martha says goodbye to, very near the end, I want to see that face my baby s face. 7

8 The close family relationships and their dysfunctionality are particularly strong in That Face. Where have you drawn your inspiration and knowledge of these? I watch and listen a lot. It occurred to me that there are lots of British plays about screwed up dysfunctional working class families. Yet precious few about wealthier characters. I thought it strange because some of the unhappiest families I ve seen are rolling in money. That money is part of the problem as it can veil neglect. It can dress it up as something else. Realising this informed the play. You ve mentioned that with the proceeds of the awards That Face has garnered, you may be interested in setting up a company with actor and film-crew friends. Is this still an interest have you had the chance to progress the idea? I have a group of actor friends. When we can, we get together and very informally mess around with a video camera and some ideas. It s all very playful. Maybe one day we ll organise ourselves properly but it s hard as we re all pretty busy now. I definitely have ambitions to have a production company of my own. Castle in the sky kind of thing. Maybe one day. You ve been awarded a grant to adapt That Face for film. What differences to the script have you made in adapting it for the screen, and what are the differences in writing for film versus stage? It s very different. Relies much less on words and more on image. I have changed the play a great deal for the screen. It becomes s story. She is the hero. Tusk Tusk, your new play, premieres at The Royal Court at the same time as this Australian premiere of That Face. How do the works compare? My new play is, I suppose, a companion piece to That Face. The first play ends with a brother and a sister alone on stage and my new one begins like that. The characters are younger, (16 and 14) but they are brother and sister, alone in a room. Tusk Tusk is a play about siblings. About the strength and volatility of that bond and what happens to it under incredible pressure. L-R: Lauren O Rourke, Ashley Ricardo In what directions do you feel your playwriting is moving and developing? The new play is all set in one room. It wasn t initially, but I had always admired plays set like that. The space almost becomes another character and it allows you to be much more detailed in your set. I found this incredibly hard to do. A real struggle. Hopefully it has made me a slightly stronger writer. Who knows? Maybe not. What are your dreams for the future? I want to write another play. Have a kid, learn to kite surf and work on my cartooning. You re coming to Brisbane in April; what are your expectations of this trip, and what are you hoping to experience in your time with us? I ve never been to Australia! As I write this I m sitting in freezing rainy London. So, I m hoping for sun! Also, I d really like to see a kangaroo. And meet some amazing people. It s an honour to get flown out to see your own play on the other side of the world. Something I never dreamed would happen. So generally, I m pretty excited. Eugene 8

9 Article The Royal Court s Hunt for Talent Internationally renowned playwright Polly Stenham was just 19 when she was discovered by The Royal Court s Young Writers Programme. Their 11 week Introduction to Playwriting course was just what she needed to step up and out of the monotony of student life and into the fascinating world of her own imagination. Polly says, It was brilliant. It didn t teach you how to write so much as give you the confidence to do it. One of Europe s leading theatres, The Royal Court, in London, UK, is dedicated to finding, developing and producing some of the best new writing in Britain and abroad. One of their highly successful programmes is the Young Writer s Festival, a biennial competition for new playwrights under 25. When encouraged to write and submit a play for the festival, Polly created That Face, which astounded critics at its Royal Court premiere in Charles Spencer of the The Telegraph reported, This is one of the most astonishing debuts I have seen in more than 30 years of theatre reviewing A play that sent me reeling into the night. From young or new talent to the more mature writer, The Royal Court provides many opportunities for those looking to expand their creative ability. Their Playwriting Weekenders teach those aged 25 and over the tools and techniques to write works for the stage, and their Critical Mass and Unheard Voices programmes provide support to minority ethnic playwrights. Even local Brisbane playwright Richard Jordan, due to premiere his award winning new play 25 Down with Queensland Theatre Company later this year, was discovered and helped to success by The Royal Court. The Royal Court s influence as a playwriting hub extends far past the boundaries of Europe and the UK, providing many international programs such as residencies and exchanges, forums and workshops, allowing International playwrights to meet with leading British writers, directors, and performers. 9

10 Post-Performance Discussion Questions What are the main themes throughout That Face? Take time to discuss the suggested themes and how they are relevant to a contemporary young audience and society today. How do you think the set contributed to the performance? Consider its meaning, the actors use of space and how this represented the relationships between characters and the mood of the play. How were the characters represented through costume, language, movement and their relationship with other characters? How did the sound throughout the play contribute to the production? Read the interview with Polly Stenham in the following link: And after reading the interview with Stenham on page 7 in these teachers notes, and watching Queensland Theatre Company s production of That Face, do you think the class of the family was important in the play? Why? Why not? What scene stood out to you and why? Consider the characters in the scene, how you relate to the play, the mood in the scene and how it was directed. Websites of Interest It is important to consider the students in your class and their individual family backgrounds because some of the content in this play can be confronting. Please ensure to visit these websites to assist in preparing and debriefing with the students after the play. Children with Parents with a Mental Illness Department of Child Safety Royal Court s Production of That Face and the study guide That Face review for the Royal Court s production Short reviews of Royal Court s Production of That Face 10

11 Script Excerpt He s coming over? Just get me the keys,. Why? Why s he coming? Please. Just go and get them. What s going on? is fingering some of s drawings. This is good, you know. I think you re getting better. You re either sick, or you re in trouble. And you don t look sick. I think I saw one of your paintings by the station. Did you do one there? On the wall behind the car park? What did you do? Why did they call? It was really pretty.? I wish you d draw me. Is he really coming? Just get me the keys.. Not until you tell me. Fine. I ll find them. Just tell me. You don t. You won t. You don t want to know. You ll hate me. No, I won t. Yes, you will. I could never hate you. (Almost to herself) What are they going to do to me? Who? 11

12 The school, you fool. What happened? They re going to expel me, Hen. I just know they are. And Dad. Oh God.. I don t care. I won t hate you. I promise I won t. I promise. Just tell me. 12

13 Classroom Activity After viewing the video resource on Youtube write down and discuss as a class what this video diary tells you about the character of. Consider her body language, costume, make up, voice, dialogue, pauses and what they prompt you to think about. After reading the play excerpt on page 11 and watching Queensland Theatre Company s production of That Face, write a list of characteristics about the character of either or. You are to produce your own video diary for your chosen character. You are to create a mood with your video diary like the one on Youtube does, consider the framing and lighting for the shot and develop a piece that is true to the character you have chosen. Film the video diary that is a response to the excerpt or a moment related to the excerpt when the character is alone. Your main focus will be how you interpret and play your character. Suggested Assessment FORMING TASK After viewing Nic Dorward s directorial choices in Queensland Theatre Company s production of That Face and reading the interview with Polly Stenham in the Royal Court s study guide, students can choose a scene from the play and work with a group of student actors and direct the scene. They are to interpret and shape the dramatic action and meaning. They are to consider the audience that they are directing the play for and dramatic perspectives and languages. RESPONDING TASK After viewing Queensland Theatre Company s production of That Face, students can write their own online article for a specific online magazine that communicates an insightful and justified position about That Face being an emerging play in the world of theatre. The students are to critically analyse and evaluate the dramatic language and perspectives throughout the play, discussing the relationships, roles, the use of space and mood to produce a confronting, yet real take on a contemporary family. Research online magazines at the following link: 13

14 Set Model Box Front Elevation Plan View 14

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