Transcript Exploration notes - Parker-Pelly

Unit 1: Exploration
Notes
Antigone by
sophocles
The social, cultural, historical and political context
Antigone forms part of Sophocles’ Theban trilogy
and was performed 442-445BC
Athens was the social, political, cultural centre of
Greece at this time.
 In 530BC drama festivals were added to the
Dionysian festivals, which lasted 5 days
Plays presented on south-eastern slope of the
Acropolis, in daylight. Theatres far larger than today
holding between 15,000-18,000 spectators –all male
(the Olivier National theatre only holds 1,110)
Antigone and Ismene – Spartan vs Athenian women?
The social, cultural, historical and political context
Aristotle’s ideas on tragedy, the three unities, fatal
flaw
Eternal dilemma: Man’s law vs God’s law
 Creon’s fatal flaw – relate to modern day examples
and your own work in lessons – Gordon Brown, Tiger
Woods
 Workshop 2 – modern version of the dilemma –
photograph ‘marking the moment’ of defiance/choice.
Women and slaves not allowed to attend the drama
festivals
Non-verbal communication
Workshop 3: Antigone and Ismene
– non-naturalistic exploration via
movement
Workshop 6 & 7: Creon and the
Sentry – creating visual comedy and
modern interpretation. Using cartoon
strips and freeze-frames to convey the
comedic function of the Sentry
Language
Workshops 4 &5 and then lesson for group explorations
of stanzas in first Choral ode
Understand the functions of the chorus
Language sets the mood and atmosphere of the play
Understand the heightened poetic language (imagery,
metaphors, alliteration, assonance, symbol)
Written in verse
Characters speak more literally while the chorus speak
metaphorically
Long speeches pose challenge for the actor – so it does
not become static for the audience.
Social status represented through language – Haemon
is Royal and more educated than the Sentry ‘For this
hasn’t she earned glory bright as gold?’
Characterisation
 Antigone and Ismene Spartan vs Athenian Woman.
Naturalistic and non-naturalistic exploration.
Breaking key scenes into units and objectives.
Role of director to explore characters and visual
interpretations
Creon – how does he represent the state? As a
director what casing decisions would you make?
Conflict improvisation
Character sheets - detailed notes on the following
characters – Ismene, Antigone, Creon, Haelon, Sentry,
Chorus
Vocal Awareness
 Workshop 4 & 5: Using vocal techniques to explore
choral Ode 1
 Pitch, Pause, Tone, Projection, union, echo, diction,
emphasis
 Workshop 8 & 9: The Sentry’s Speech
Vocal warm up
Development of pace and pitch
Role-playing within the speech
How to vocally show his new found confidence
Feedback from each group on vocal choices made
Response to a practitioner - Stanislavski
 Workshop 11 : Improvisation in pairs – a conflict
between 2 people. Select one pair - Repeat the scene
and dialogue exactly. Participants stand around the
room and we add Stanislavskian techniques one at a
time to their scene –
Given circumstances – age, setting, time of day, who
are they? What do they do? Where are they going?
Objectives – What do they want? How do they get it?
Units – Break the scene into units of action and give
the characters objectives for each unit. How has this
changed the scene from the fist version we watched?
 Then worked on scenes with Creon and Antigone
and Creon, Antigone and Ismene using techniques
learned.
Interpretation
 No production can be free of interpretation.
Director’s choices will affect how the production is
received
Anouih famously directed the play set during World
War 2
Do you stay true to the text and the playwrights
intentions? Do you adapt it completely to tell a new
story?
Technical elements? Projection, multi-media, special
effects
Characters and relationships
The visual, aural and spatial elements of the
production
 Designing a set: creating the physical environment
where the action takes place
Should underpin the themes of the play as identified
by the director
The play is set outdoors – outside the Royal Palace in
Thebes
The scene never changes so no break in the action.
Tragic nature of the play – grey and intimidating?
Doors to the palace – tall, heavy painted in dark
colours.
Director may emphasise wealth gaudy, ornate
decorations to suggest arrogance and over-confidence.
The visual, aural and spatial elements of the
production
 Costume and Make-up: show status and personality
of the character as
Should Antigone and Ismene as sisters have similar
costumes or different?
What costumes would you use to realise the chorus?
Would you use full masks? For all characters?
Music and sound effects: triumphant music for
Creon’s entrance? Classical –pomp and ceremony, echo,
outdoor setting sounds, weather?