Characters and Casting Session Workshop

 ‘The Vision’ – Possible ideas to play with in the casting session:

  •    The Gothic revival of the fairy tale as a reflection on society and gender values.
  •      Inspiration/based loosely on Angela Carters deconstructed fairy tales ‘The Bloody Chamber’
  •     I feel the idea of corruption is a theme we should really play with, in acting, set design, lighting it can all tie in together.

“And for the first time in my innocent and confined life I sensed in myself a potentiality for corruption that took my breath away.”-(Countess Bloody Chamber)

  •      Exploring the idea of ‘corruption’ under and positive OR negative light in opposition to the ‘perfect’ fairy tale endings. If we explore the effect of corruption on the countess it actually pulls her away from the fairy tale innocence archetype.

“He sensed a rare talent for corruption.”

Exploration of gender binaries, fairy tale literature representation etc.

  •     E.g. the mirror scene in the bloody chamber shows the sexual awakening of the young woman, she herself views her corruption as positive as she looks at her reflected body.

“Elaine Jordan suggests that the death of the virgin girl is the symbol of ‘killing masculine representations’ not a ‘killing of women’ – (Regarding the Snow Child,  Deconstructed masculine evil in Angela Carter)

  • How do you feel about this?
  • Why is there a feeling that this image is not correct?
  • What sort of message have fairy tales inadvertently been creating?
  • Do you feel Angela Carter represents a female awakening in her tales?
  •     I place the countess as having just  finished her fairy tale ending and  married the count – and what we are left with is the ‘reality’ of her situation. What glitches are created between the fairy tale and real worlds that can transcend into more than just a spectacle. E.g. fairy tale vs. reality becoming childhood memories vs. adult life.

Character Breakdown (various interpretations for you to choose what you feel suits the character you visualise playing)

Count

  •      A typical villain or simply perceived this way through the countess subconscious desires to ‘be free’ from her innocent confined life? Is he used as an excuse for the countess to be corrupted?
  •   Where do you feel the evil really lies in this tale? If any true evil at all?
  •     The Count Vs. The Piano Tuner

As the inversion of binaries is something we are definitely approaching (on what scale remains to be explored, but im thinking big!) I do not necessarily see the count being your typical stalking, dark, piercing figure as like so many other traditional villains. He could perhaps be the most unsuspecting looking character who the audience feel truly shocked when faced with his actions, it challenges how they should feel and what stereotype they have come to expect … even when told that this is dark fairy tale, they still come with certain expectations.

Countess

  •   Is this girl really innocent?
  •   Does she herself have villainous qualities?
  •    Does she become her ‘own woman’ through corruption?
  •    Is this positive or is this negative?
  • How does it make you feel to think about something positive coming from such a deeply negative scenario

She has stepped out of the fairy tale, mundane world of her life and into ‘reality’, with this she welcomes her sexual female awakening. Some arguable villainous qualities that outrank the count. She takes the innocent image of the fairy tale character no longer in a positive light but as female repression. She becomes her own woman after marrying the count. She has longed for excitement and actually places herself in the situation. She is not ignorant or naïve to her marriage. She is curious.

The House Keeper

The house keeper keeps things ordered and is constantly trying to ‘maintain’ relationships, I vision her constantly trying to fix the corruption around her by fixing cracks in the sets, putting paintings back together, hiding broken mirrors etc She is very much part of the furniture, set in her old fairy tale ways – a character who refuses to leave the fairy tale setting but who finds herself placed in this new age of corrupt independence. The world, even this mock-fairy tale world is moving on and she is left behind.

The Piano Tuner

The blindness of the piano tuner gives him insite, as he is blind to the corrupt world around him – he is in his own world and this gives us room to explore what sort of world he imagines himself in

  • e.g. should it be a fairy tale like most people or should it be a version of reality?

He is in love with the countess because of her desire to be free, not because she is reserved or innocent. In some ways she is the very opposite of this innocent piano tuner, he is attracted to the differences between their two worlds.

I vision him being unable to tune the piano so even the music he plays is corrupted, as a literal representation of a dislocated time but which at the same time holds elements of truth and beauty to it that you would not get with a perfectly tuned piece of music.

The Ghost/ Spectre/ Mother/ Ex-wife/ Nature

This character is very much open to interpretation and it is something I want us all to explore in the casting session and reach a decision with.

  •      Should this character act as a warning? If so, to who?
  •   If it in an ex-wife character did he count truly love this woman?
  •      Do we want a supernatural element heavily involed? It was very common in gothic literature to have characters representative of nature. Reflective of mother nature, human nature etc

I imagine this character to be heavily linked with the design, almost a ‘Puck’ like character from Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream – containing mystical, supernatural elements but with a rational truth or warning attached to them. (Also can help if any narration is needed, although I don’t want It to be heavily narrated!)

The Snow Child

Starting off as a pure innocent picture of perfection. The snow child almost seems out of place in our production because of her links to the traditional, but this is something that will work in creating and blurring the borders between the two worlds. I see the snow child as almost another narrative going on within our play, her own journey could perhaps mirror the passage from child hood fairy tale to the adult world?

  •      What happens to the snow child in the end?
  •     How do you think we can show this journey?

Workshop Tasks (some of this can be done in preparation for the workshop/casting session)

  •        Try to come with answers to all the questions I have posted above, I think it is important to have different perspectives put forward to create the best possible production. We will begin by discussing these so we have a feel for what sort of character we are pushing for in the casting session.
  •     As a short exercise, (if like you can prepare this beforehand alone or in pairs, and you will be given some time on the day) in order to explore the passage of time and the corrupt ‘fairy tale’ image I feel it would be useful to see where these ideas stem from. Take a well-known fairy tale character and move them on 15 years in their life to after their fairy tale ending.
  •        What has happened to these characters?
  •       Has there been a corruption?
  •   Do you feel they’ve maintained the perfect fairy tale ending?
  •  What images of corruption can you see?

This can be a short improvisation; perhaps the character simply reflecting like we will have the countess doing in scene 2, or it could be a quick scene from a day in their lives.

(for inspiration see the video below, a new film based on Hansel and Gretel 15 years into the future)

 

 

After this we will turn to the characters in our production and discuss how the previous exercise can be applied to the lives of our characters.

  •      Have an idea of the character you want to play and why you want to play this. What experience can you bring to this character?
  •    What corrupt images/symbols do you see in your character that you feel can be explored?
  •      You will be given a short extract of your character from the script with someone to read with you if need be, to get a feel for the role and to see if you suit it well and how you feel in this role after the workshop today.

… That’s it!

 

First Drafts.

Each script writer went away and began to write their own take on each scene. We all met and developed a finished scene from each others ideas.

Beginning drafts


Characters

Count

Countess

Snow Child

Piano Tuner

Housekeeper

Ex lover of the Count. Slightly crazed.

Scene One


(The curtain opens to reveal a castle’s boudoir, the COUNTESS and HOUSEKEEPER are in the boudoir. The COUNTESS is sat on a chair in the middle of the room.)


HOUSEKEEPER: You look beautiful. You make a wonderful bride. (pause) From here on your life will start. (pause) You’re so lucky if I may say so Madame.


(HOUSEKEEPER carries on brushing COUNTESS’ hair)


COUNTESS: (staring off into the distance. Pause.) Thank you.


(Silence)


HOUSEKEEPER: He will look after you, you know. He has much to give. Wait until you have a tour of the house. It is magnificent. I know you will enjoy living here. The master has put a room aside just for you so you are able to play music till your heart is content. What a good man.


COUNTESS: (happy and surprised) My own music room?


HOUSEKEEPER: Oh yes. He will dote on you as you are beautiful. The master can’t seem to resist your pretty face. (strokes her face and carries on brushing her hair. Pause)


HOUSEKEEPER: Oh you must be so happy. I tell you I wish I could find a suitor like him. Charming, handsome, wealthy, he is every woman’s dream.


(The COUNT enters)


(Silence)


HOUSEKEEPER: Doesn’t she look beautiful.


COUNT: Indeed. (not acknowledging the COUNTESS)


(COUNTESS smiles)


HOUSEKEEPER: You make such a fine pair, if you don’t mind me saying master. This is a day that you will remember for the rest of your lives.


(COUNT smiles and nods)


(Pause. COUNT stares at COUNTESS)


COUNT: Ready?


COUNTESS: (turns to COUNT) Yes…sir


HOUSEKEEPER: Of course she is. All ready for your new life aren’t you dear?


(Silence)


COUNT: (To HOUSEKEEPER) Good. As you were.


(COUNT exits)


HOUSEKEEPER: Nothing to worry about madam. I’m sure your nervous, but today will be wonderful… absolutely wonderful.


COUNTESS: I’m sure it will.


HOUSEKEEPER: There all finished. (COUNTESS looks in mirror) Aren’t you just a picture. Come now. It is time.


(They both exit.)


END SCENE


Scene Two


(The COUNTESS enters on stage. There is a stool at the front of the stage with a spot light on it. She sits and after a few seconds of thinking looks up)


COUNTESS: I was unsure of marrying him as I am so young and he a lot older. But the safety and stability he could provide was overwhelming and what girl would not want that? (Looks at and plays with the huge ring on her finger) Even though he is older then I, he is very handsome. He almost took my breath away the first time I saw him. His dark eyes stared at me and I felt like I was drowning in them. I could feel his lust. He just had something about him and I felt like I was under some kind of spell. He was beautiful. (Pause) He had been married before. More then the once. It bemused me as she had died only 3 months before we met. Maybe he didn’t love her as much as he had previously though as he moved on quickly. (Pause) They never found the body. Poor soul. (Pause) My wedding day was just beautiful. A small affair with only a few people but elegant and luxurious. It felt like a dream… I couldn’t believe it was my day. I was treated like a princess. (Pause) Then it was all over and everyone left. (pause) Then it was just us. Me and him.
(Lights come up to reveal the rest of the stage and a bed. The COUNT is stood at the back and is staring at the COUNTESS. She jumps to her feet and hurries back taking the stool with her and places it somewhere near the bed. The COUNT stares at the COUNTESS for about 10 seconds before speaking)


COUNT: Darling.


COUNTESS: (Hesitates)… Sir.


(The COUNT stares at the COUNTESS and she begins to feel uncomfortable and begins rubbing her arms and looking down)

COUNT: Well look at what I have managed to get for myself.

(He approaches her slowly. She stands rigid. He walks behind her and smells her. Breathes out a huge sigh)

You smell like a pure rose my darling.


(The COUNTESS begins to take a step forward but the COUNT grabs her and pulls her close to his chest as he is still stood behind her. He keeps her here for a few seconds and then he begins to stroke her face and jolts it to the side and begins to kiss her neck. The COUNTESS does not move and remains rigid and scared)


COUNT: (Pushes her forward and she spins around to look at him. He stares at her) What a pretty little doll you are.


COUNTESS: Sir. I…


COUNT: … Sh. I did not say speak! (The COUNT looks angry)


(The count walks over to the COUNTESS and begins to feel her body etc. He stares at her and begins to take off her jacket then top leaving her stood with her arms trying to cover her body with her head down. The COUNT take a step back to admire what is his. He stares for a few seconds then steps forwards to the COUNTESS)


COUNT: (Walks up to COUNTESS strokes her face and strokes her lips) Soon.
(Pause) Come, we will now take a walk.

(The COUNT exits.The COUNTESS is left to quickly put her top and jacket back on and swiftly runs after the COUNT)


End Scene.

Scene Three

(We see the PIANO TUNER attempting to tune a piano in the music room. The HOUSEKEEPER enters the room and looks around and she spots the piano tuner on the floor looking for a tool)


HOUSEKEEPER: Hello.


PIANO TUNER: (The piano tuner stands up. Pause) Hello?


HOUSEKEEPER: Hello dear, I’m the housekeeper (NAME) (She reaches for the piano tuners hand and lifts it from his side to shake it) Just thought I would introduce myself to you. The master said you would be coming. I’m glad you found your way to the room. This castle is rather grand.


PIANO TUNER: Yes, it is. The master showed me up earlier as he wanted the piano fixing for his new bride he said. I’m (NAME) by the way.


HOUSEKEEPER: Yes, he mentioned getting someone over to sort it out. Are you from the village?


PIANO TUNER: I am.


HOUSEKEEPER: I thought as much. The master tries to get all his staff close as they may have family. He is a good man.


PIANO TUNER: Yes, I’m sure he is mam. I lived with my father so hopefully I will be able to see him. (Pause) My father was in the business. He passed it down to me. Unfortunately, I was able to do little when it came to work so he taught me to tune pianos so I was able to make a living. It’s more about feeling the vibrations and hearing the correct notes more then anything.


HOUSEKEEPER: (looks at him sympathetically) I’ve heard you’re nothing but the best dear. Thats why we simply had to have you.


(The PIANO TUNER looks embarrassed)


PIANO TUNER: Thank you, mam. That means a lot. (He smiles to himself. Long pause) Do you have family in the village too?


HOUSEKEEPER: Oh no my dear. I have worked for the master for as long as I can remember.


PIANO TUNER: You must be the best as well then.


HOUSEKEEPER: Well he likes things a certain way and expectations are always met when it comes to me. I always strive to meet perfection and often do if I say so myself. (Long pause) The master took me in at a very young age you see dear and has looked after me ever since. I owe him a lot as he has helped me a lot. I guess he is like my family.


PIANO TUNER: I am sorry mam. I didn’t know that you didn’t have…


HOUSEKEEPER: …Thats perfectly fine, dear. I don’t mind sharing my story. It’s the truth at the end of the day. He’s been good to me and is such a good man. I couldn’t have wished for better (She gives a small smile to herself. Pause) If you don’t mind me asking… How did you lose your sight?


(The PIANO TUNER hesitates but reluctantly talks. He is emotional)


PIANO TUNER: I was like this from birth. My mother had complications and was ill during her pregnancy. When the birth came around unfortunately she did not make it and passed away. I was blind and my father was left to look after me. It was hard for us but we managed.


HOUSEKEEPER: (Pause. Walks up to the PIANO TUNER and takes his hand in her hands) I’m really sorry to hear that. I can’t imagine how hard it would have been. Your father sounds like a strong person and I can see that has reflected on you. You’l be happy here and if not you come and see me.


PIANO TUNER: Thank you.


(The COUNT and COUNTESS arrive home from their walk and enter into the room where the HOUSEKEEPER and PIANO TUNER are)


COUNT: I see you’ve had introductions. Good. (HOUSEKEEPERS NAME) I need you to go and pack for a night away. I have been called to business.


HOUSEKEEPER: Yes, sir. Come (PAINO TUNERS NAME).


(The HOUSEKEEPER and PAINO TUNER exit. The COUNT turns to the COUNTESS)


COUNT: I have been called to go on business. I won’t be gone long but it is a very important trip.


COUNTESS: I don’t understand. We have only just got married and you’re leaving. I thought we were going to…


COUNT: … I won’t be gone long. Only a few days.


(The COUNT pulls out a large set of keys from beneath his jacket and unhooks them from a chain. He puts them into the COUNTESS’ hand)


COUNT: Here. These are keys to all the rooms in the castle. Feel free to go anywhere. This is your house now. Wear as many jewels as you desire and have as many dresses made as possible if you wish. I ask one thing… Do not go down to the west wing. (The pulls one small key from the bunch and shows it her and she stares at it) This key is forbidden. Do not use it.


(The COUNTESS looks at the key then into the COUNTS eyes. She feels scared but curious. She slowly nods her head)


COUNT: Good. (The HOUSEKEEPER enters with his case. He nods at the HOUSEKEEPER and he puts his hand on the COUNTESS’ chin and lifts up her head and gives a long kiss)


COUNT: Ill be a few days. (He exits)


(The HOUSEKEEPER and the COUNTESS are left standing in the room alone)


HOUSEKEEPER: Do not worry my dear. He will be back soon. The master occasionally has to go away on business but its never for too long.


COUNTESS: Thank you. Will you leave me now please?


(The HOUSEKEEPER exits)


(The COUNTESS looks through all the keys like she has never seen them before. She begins to wander around the room and around the castle opening boxes and putting on jewellery. She then finds a box full of letters from the COUNTS ex-wives. She looks through them)


COUNTESS: (Reading the letter out loud) Darling, I can’t wait to be in your arms. Its been such a long time since I felt your touch. You’re the one I want and the one I need. My darling to be with you I am willing to do anything and for fill any fantasy. I crave your skin on mine and will do anything for you. I’m willing to do what we discussed. Till we meet again my darling. All my love.


(The COUNTESS stares at the letter for some time in confusion. She is curious to what the letter is talking about)


COUNTESS: I’m willing to do what we discussed? What did they discuss? I don’t…


(The COUNTESS carries on looking through the box of letters and we see her reading more but she doesn’t say anything. She puts the box back and carries on looking through the rest of the castle. She comes to the key and starts to walk towards the west wing. The HOUSEKEEPER then shouts her name)


HOUSEKEEPER: (COUNTESS’ NAME!)


(The COUNTESS hesitates and turns around and walks away from the west wing off stage)

End Scene

– Written by Hannah Smith

These are all original from the original written script and will be built upon and used for the final master script.

Hannah Smith.

Market Research

As soon as we had our manifesto written, as a group, we had a better understanding of what direction we wanted to take our theatre company. As Progeny Theatre Company we wanted to take well known children’s stories and adapt them into adult’s theatre. We decided that our first step should be to go out into the public and carry out market research. Although we did not know our specific target audience at the time, our initial idea was to make theatre for adults so we targeted eighteen years and over. We thought it was of importance to find out what Children’s stories stand out to adults now and what stories they remember from their childhood. We did this to compare what stories children have nowadays and whether they were the similar to what the participants remembered. From our research we gathered that although newer stories were mentioned (mainly Disney), Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White were also popular. The main reason for this was due to reading these stories to the younger generation. We also wanted to discover why these stories stood out to our target audience so that we could understand the popularity of these stories which could help us in framing our own adaptations. We had many different responses to this question; however the main reason was simply because that is what they read as children. We also wanted to find out what genre they preferred as children and what genre they prefer now. We did this to compare the two and see if their preferences had changed as they grew older. We actually discovered that a lot of people who liked fairy-tales or adventure as children preferred horrors as adults (this is shown in the other category). This is the best response that we could hope for as it fits with exactly what we are doing with our Theatre Company, as we are combining both genres. The top genre that people enjoyed as children was adventure; this sparked our curiosity and made us wonder why. So we created a poll on our Facebook page to find out why. The poll results were as follows:

Facebook poll - Adventure stories

The clear outcome was that people preferred the plot/story of adventures. However, we found Samantha Woodhouse’s response interesting, “The journey you can take with the characters and the adventures you can have yourself with friends when you re-enact the stories” (2013). We found this interesting due to the element of imagination involved within children’s stories as we are trying to recreate this for the adults. We also wanted to know if the public had ever noticed any underlying issues within children’s stories. The example that we used to explain it to them was The Ugly Duckling and how it could be argued that this story sends the message that being beautiful is of great importance and that if you are not beautiful then you will be bullied. Many people did not notice the underlying messages but a few people did. One response we received was “Yeah pretty much all fairy tales tend to have stereotypical things such as the ugly sisters and the roles of women are very set so they can be quite sexist. Oh and then there’s the stereotype of that beautiful princess’ are skinny with big eyes etc.” (Rebecca Walker, 2013). We found this quote suitable to our project. We feel that the fact that many people did not notice any underlying issues will be a benefit to our company as it shows that what we are doing is quite unique. We finally asked the public if they would be interested in seeing a performance like ours and we only received one no from all of the people we asked. The reason that he gave was simply because he did not enjoy going to the theatre.

We have collated all of the data into pie charts and tally charts/graphs so that we were able to visually see our results. They are as follows:

Question One.

Hansel and Gretel

5
Snow White

5
The Gruffalo

5
Cinderella

4
Little Red Riding Hood

4
Beauty and the Beast

3
The Chronicles of Narnia

3
The Harry Potter Saga

3
The Ugly Duckling

3
Bambi

2
Goldilocks and the Three Bears

2
Peter Pan

2
The Hungry Caterpillar

2
The Tortoise and the Hare

2
The Twits

2
Alice in Wonderland

1
Basil the Great Mouse Detective

1
Bear on the Pond

1
Bill and Ben

1
Can’t You Sleep Little Bear?

1
Coraline

1
Diary of a Wimpy Kid

1
Disney Books

1
Dumbo

1
Fairytales

1
Finding Nemo

1
George’s Marvellous Medicine

1
Grimm Fairytales

1
Jack and Jill

1
Little Miss Muffet

1
Lord of the Flies

1
Mary Poppins

1
Moby Dick

1
Mr Men and Little Miss

1
Mrs Frisby

1
Of Mice and Men

1
Roald Dahl

1
Rowan on Rin

1
Sleeping Beauty

1
Tangled

1
The Beatrix Potter Books

1
The Boy Who Cried Wolf

1
The Hobbit

1
The Lady and the tramp

1
The Little Engine That Could

1
The Little House on the Prairie

1
The Princess and the Pea

1
The Rats of Niamh

1
The Secret Garden

1
The Tales of Paddington Bear

1
The Twilight Saga

1
Three Little Pigs

1
Treasure Island

1
Winnie the Pooh

1
Zanzibar

1

Question Two.

Little Red Riding Hood

4
The Very Hungry Caterpillar

4
The Tortoise and the Hare

3
The Ugly Duckling

3
Winnie the Pooh

3
Beauty and the Beast

2
Cinderella

2
Noddy

2
Snow White

2
The Chronicles of Narnia

2
The Hobbit

2
The Twits

2
The Famous Five

2
Adventure Book for Boys and Girls

1
Aladdin

1
Alice and wonderland

1
Basil, the Great Mouse Detective

1
The Beatrix Potter Books

1
Biff and Chip

1
Can’t You Sleep Little Bear

1
The Cat in the Hat

1
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

1
Charlotte’s Web

1
Chip and Kipper

1
Disney

1
Finn McColl

1
George’s Marvellous Medicine

1
Goldilocks and the Three Bears

1
Goosebumps

1
Hansel and Gretel

1
The Harry Potter Saga

1
His Dark Matters Trilogy

1
Horrible Histories

1
Jack and Jill

1
Lord of the flies

1
Madame Doubtfire

1
My Family and Other Animals

1
The Chronicles of Narnia

1
Naughty Little Sister

1
Paddington Bear

1
Peter Pan

1
The Princess and the Pea

1
Roald Dahl

1
Rowan of Rin

1
Rumpelstiltskin

1
The Boy Who Cried Wolf

1
Grimm Fairytales

1
The Cloth of Dreams

1
The Famous Five

1
The Gruffalo

1
The Lady and the Tramp

1
The Land Before Time

1
The Lion King

1
The Little Engine That Could

1
The Philosophy Files

1
The Pig in the Pond

1
The Secret Garden

1
The Silver Sword

1
The Velveteen Rabbit

1
The Wizard of Oz

1
The Three Little Pigs

1
You’re Safe Now, Waterdog

1

Question Four.
Fairytale       21%  preferred
Comedy         17% preferred
Adventure   51% preferred
Other              11% preferred

Pie chart genre childhood

 

Question Five.

Fairytale/Romance        19% preferred
Comedy                               17% preferred
Adventure                         15% preferred
other                                    49% preferred

pie chart genre now

 

Question Six.
Yes – 60%
No -40%
pie chart underlying issues

 

Question Seven.
Yes – 98%
No – 2%

pie chart interest in seeing our performance

 

Word Count – 1074

*Appendices “The Gothic Tradition”

The Gothic Tradition – Romanticism 12/02/13

A genre of writing called ‘Terrorist Writing’ was the eventual name for the Gothic. It was originally viewed with a lack of seriousness and from the work of women writers.

There was a sense of monstrosity in terms of setting. Very stereotypical, stylised gothic buildings containing remote passageways, cellars with a sense of mystery embodied. There were also outdoor settings such as forests with the feeling of the wildnerness and secrecy within.

Very much transgressing moral and social values, with excess of male power, violence and sexual deviancy.  Supernatural features, e.g. giant suits of armor, moving portraits explained supernaturally but with suggestions of a naturalistic explanation in the end. The idea of the ‘unspeakable’ was prominent and the characters tend to be stereotyped. e.g. power vs helpless victims. There was also a fairytale sense in the characters, with extreme emotional registers, literature to excess.

1716 – 1820 – Housed the idea of the pure Gothic novel with all these conventions. After this the Gothic became mixed up with realism e.g. Jane Eyre, Great expectations, Dracula, Frankenstein …

There was also a fad for Gothic architecture with medieval aesthetics. e.g. Notre Dame and Lincoln Cathedral.

In the Mysteries of Udolpho there is the idea of entering the chamber, (similar to Angela Carter’s later work) and the idea of terror dragging your imagination because into the unknown

‘Emily passed on with faltering steps, and having paused a moment at the door, before she attempted to open it, she then hastily entered the chamber, and went towards the picture, which appeared to be enclosed in frame of uncommon size, that hung in a dark part of the room. She paused again, and then, with a timid hand, lifted the veil; but instantly let it fall – perceiving that what it concealed was no picture, and, before she could leave the chamber, she dropped senseless to the floor. (Vol 2 Ch 6)

Introducing stereotypical Gothic themes, haunting, groans, apparitions, mutilated bodies, decaying corpses, violent deaths, sexual threats. Freudian readings etc.

This became the explained supernatural with suggestions of fear and fear becoming pleasurable.

‘The Romantic Gothic’

It was revolutionary Gothic e.g. Frankenstein, Mary Shelleys parents were both renowned political radicals and both parents were right in the centre of radical political discourse. The monster in political terms presented himself as the victim (e.g. Frankenstein), the monster speaks back and protests and the narrative encourages sympathy. The social construction of monstrosity, symbolic of the french revolution in the terror and execution and violent aftermaths. The monster was arguably used in the Gothic as a warning to society, of society creating its own monster.

The Gothic became more and more an opposition to enlightenment values. It came to symbolise everything deemed ‘other’, a dark barbaric genre in comparison to the literature people were used to. The Gothic houses abuses of power, primitive social power and emotional access compared to enlightenment values of reason. The Gothic was desperate for punctuation, a form of writing that reflected the monstrosity of the writing at the time.

‘The idea of the absolute monarchy and the contemporary resonances of this. Presenting limits to a Kings power e.g. The Magna Carter and The Glorious Revolution. (Horace Walpole, John Wilks)

A certain emotional discourse presented the Gothic with relations to Romanticism, exploring interior worlds, introducing the idea of the ‘sublime’, an encounter with the unknowable, producing feelings akin to awe.

‘Sublimity, then, refers to the moment when the ability to apprehend, to know, and to express a thought of sensation is defeated. Yet through this very defeat, the mind gets a feeling for what which lies beyond our thought and language’ (Philip Shaw, The Sublime)

Suggestions of fear being part of the sublime, in alignment with the unspeakable. Obscurity seemed to be necessary to attain fear.

The attitude to the Gothic has varied quite a bit, are there serious ways to discuss the Gothic?

1) Symbolic Dramas of the unconscious, (Freud)

Fairy tale and dreams embodied ideas of the unconscious, symbolic narratives exploring what lies beneath the conscience. (See Goya painting) Origins of the dream were explored, dream like qualities emerging in literature, events drifting into each other producing powerful symbolic images but not necessarily being coherent (state of the dream or nightmare). In the mid 20th century, the surrealist movement – there was a fantasy of power unleashed paranoia,extreme mental states. Helplessness in nightmares, themes of claustrophobia and entrapment in the passage ways of a Gothic setting (ANGELA)

2) Political discourse

Gender binaries – indirect engagement with social reality. The male tyrant vs the female victim in patriarchal society. Exploration of what exactly makes the woman a victim, power being socially instituted by law, attitudes and culture. Exploration of feminism, women were presented as very unnatural. The representation of the monster in many works were symbolic of the narrative itself. e.g. The monster in Frankenstein was seen as symbolic of ‘the angry mob’ e.g. french revolution

3) Psychological Plight

Mechanics of Gothic machinery became metaphors of an internal landscape. Disturbed states of feeling and mind.

The internalising of Gothic forms represents the most significant shift in the genre, the gloom and darkness of sublime landscapes becoming external markers of the inner mental and emotional states’ (Botting,Gothic, 91-2)

See Coleridges ‘Pains of sleep’ – for images of the tortured mind.

The Romantic and the Gothic had a few things in common also.They were both beyond reason, imagination and feeling reacting against the rational world view. Emphasis on the subjective world and a reinvestment in the supernatural, hauntings, apparitions. Both engage with the sublime

Gothic Set Design: Angel Statue Idea

From collecting a bank of usable creative materials, I have been considering in more detail the possible gothic images which I could use in the set design, building on the ideas of dark connotations, and a grand, imposing stage image which we discussed in our production meeting on Thursday 7th Feb.

I thought it might be helpful for the director, production team and script writers to include an example of an angel which I painted for a previous set design, to show how I could use an image, project it on reinforced mdf, and paint to a desired 3D effect. If we wanted to create a similar set piece for our production, it needs to be projected, sketched out and painted. I will ask the LPAC Tech team if I could use some space in the ‘scene doc’ to paint these pieces. It would also be possible to make a larger design or motif from a stencil if that sounds interesting.

As displayed below, this angel was created from an original photograph which I adapted to look 3D and statuesque.

 

The original photograph

The original photograph

 

My original 3D style painted version

My 3D style painted version

 

Word Count: 187.

 

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