Year 11 Evaluation Scripted Performance

Year 11 Evaluation Scripted Performance  

1.     Give a brief synopsis of the play

Lord of the Flies is about a group of boys from all backgrounds of life. The boys have been sent away to military camp for many reasons which differ from character to character. Some have been sent to the military camp to toughen up; some have been sent because they have behaviour problems others have been sent for their own safety to escape the war.

Lord of the flies has so many different meanings depending on where you are looking at it from.

There are 3 main characters:

1.     Ralph

2.     Jack

3.     Piggy

Lord of the Flies is a representation of the true colours and attributes of mankind. It shows different sectors of society through the characters.

Ralph shows the elected laddered who only wants the best for everyone under him. He assesses his power by trying to stand out by his actions. At the start everyone is in love within but as time goes on they start to notice that he is no different from them which cause a rebellion.

Jack represents the military, he has agonistic manor, always looking for trouble and war where this is none or could be sorted out peacefully. If we where to look at Lord of the Flies as a family, he would represent the breadwinner, as he is the one who goes out of his way to search for and find food whilst insuring the safety of others. He is also a dictator, what he says must go or else. He creates a fear of the unknown, which makes others to conform under him as he provides a feel ‘false’ safety,

Piggy is the most realistic of all characters, which cause others to become annoyed.  He tells the truth and only the truth not spearing anything. He knows how things should be and comes up with an action. Because of his intellect the other children find anything about him which is different about him from them; his size. This cause him to become shy and withdrawal from the group. He uses others as he voice to pass on his agenda.

Lord of the Flies was originally a novel written by William Golding in 1954. William Golding was born on the 19 September 1911, which would make him 102 years old if he was still alive (April 2014). This would also make Lord of the flies 60 years old. The title of the novel comes from the Arabic for one of the manifestations of the Devil. Baal-Zebub - or Beelzebub - means 'lord of the flies'.

William Golding was born in Cornwall, which is in England on Monday 19^th September 1911. From a young Golding was interested in writing novels. He wrote his first at age 12. Golding’s parents urged him study Natural Sciences at the University of Oxford, but he later did change to focus on English Literature.

Golding also has a past time in arts, as he worked as an actor, director, producer and poet. He did later become a school teacher in a boy’s public school. Some would describe Golding as incisive character because he is always changing, whilst others would describe him as a perfectionist; always look for the right path.

Another thing to add to Golding is that he joined the Royal Navy in 1940 a year after England entered World War 2. He was a lieutenant in command of a small rocket ship. While carrying out his duties he ordered the destruction of German ships and submarines and he shelled German troops from sea during the D-Day landings.

Having a firsthand view of the effects of war had affected Golding’s view of humanity and evils which it is capable of. Golding was horrified by what war revealed about people's capacity to harm their fellow humans. He was appalled by what happened in the Nazi concentration camps, and by the way the Japanese mistreated their prisoners. He was appalled too by the consequences of the British and American mass bombing against civilians - and even by what he himself did as a naval officer.

Golding resumed teaching after the war which is when he stared to write novels. Lord of the flies was published in 1954 and became a bestseller in both Britain and the United States.

In a book called Coral Island by RM Ballantyne, published in 1857, 100 years before Golding's book, three young British boys are shipwrecked on a desert island and have to survive without any adults. Brave and resourceful, they thoroughly enjoy their experience and there is never a hint of trouble. As one of the characters, Peterkin, says, there was indeed no note of discord whatever in that symphony we played together on that sweet coral island.

From his experience as a teacher, Golding knew that the idyllic life of Coral Island could never exist in real life. So, he set out to write a novel that showed his ideas about the darker side of human nature starting from the same basis: boys stranded on a desert island, away from all civilising influences. Lord of the Flies was the result.

2.     What specific research did you do? How did this help develop the drama?

I have 5 pieces of research each contains a different aspect which will help the development of the play. I did research because sometimes in life it is better to look into the past to help you look into the future. Each piece of research brings a new insight to background of the play. My 5 pieces include:

1.     Themes

2.     Character profile of Piggy

3.     Plot

4.     Context

5.     Character Analysis

Themes:

Through my research I discovered that there where a total number of 7 themes running throughout the play;

1.     Things breaking down

2.     War

3.     Violence

4.     Relationships

5.     The Island

6.     The lord of the Flies

Once I had done the research it was clear to see the theses themes running though the play. I felt it was important for theses for the audiences to gain an understanding of these themes and also to be impacted by these themes as Lord of the Flies carries a lot of messages if you are willing to listen.

Character profile

To develop my character which was Piggy, I wanted to get a deeper understanding of him. I was still going to play him in my own way of how I depicted he showed be played but i want to gain someone else’s understanding of the peculiar character of Piggy.  

Plot

There is always going to be a fear of the unknown to remove this fear, I researched what was happening in the play. By doing this It made it easier for me to learn the lines that I had because I knew why piggy was talking in the way he was. It also helped me to determine my next move because I knew what was going to happen.

Context

Everyone and everything has a motive and reason why it happened. The same goes for Lord of the Flies. I would describe myself as poet in my own right, before I create anything I must have been affected by what is happening around or willing to explore and reason it through words. Everything and one has a story behind them, that’s what makes them who they are today.

William Golding had a motive of why he wrote Lord of the Flies. Something with such an interesting name must have an equally interesting story. I felt that it was my job to find out what the story was and also to put a face to the name

Character Analysis

I feel a character profile can sometimes be biased but an analysis states the facts but goes into greater depth.

3.     What character did you play?

The character that I played was Piggy. William Golding never actually states Piggy's real name in the book. His nickname is representative of the cruelty of the schoolchildren, how they choose to call him an insulting name, instead of ever asking his name. Although in some versions of Lord of the Flies where it has been made into a film they give him the name Danuel Pipoly.

Piggy is a care giver, because others refuse to show him any he shows them how to care. He looks after the ones. No one truly apprentices him. Piggy can at times come across as arrogant but this is only because what he has said will happen has happened and when he said it they all refused to listening. Piggy’s arrogance is actually excitement.

 

I created my very own mood board of characteristic I associate with Piggy.



 

4.     What specific research did you do to develop this character?

Out of my 5 pieces of research 2 of them where to do with Piggy.

The first was character profile of Piggy, which outlines 10 key attributes that are important.

·        He has physical disadvantages because he is fat and asthmatic and is short sighted. Without his glasses, everything becomes a blur.

·        He is very intelligent - in Chapter 1 it is his idea to make a list of names, and it is he who realises that no adult knows the boys are on the island. Later he suggests making a sundial and hats. "What intelligence had been shown was traceable to Piggy." Ralph recognises Piggy could think: "Piggy, for all his ludicrous body, had brains."

·        However, he does not speak as grammatically accurately as the others:" How can you expect to be rescues if you don't put first things first and act proper". Perhaps this is to suggest he wasn't as well educated as the others and that he is not from the right class of people to be a successful leader. At the time the novel was written most power was still in the hands of the middle and upper classes. "Piggy was an outsider, not only by accent, which did not matter, but by fat, and ass-mar, and specs, and certain disinclination to manual labour."

·        He is embarrassed by his nickname, and he behaves with dignity when Ralph betrays the name to the others. We never know his real name.

·        He is kind and considerate to the littluns. He helps the boy with the birthmark talk about the 'snake-thing' and helps Percival talk about the beast. He is later often left to care for them when the others are exploring and hunting.

·        He has the most mature attitude of any boy on the island. He scornfully sees the other boys "Acting like a crowd of kids".

·        He is pragmatic. When Simon dies, Piggy tries to convince Ralph there was nothing they could have done: "It was an accident... and that's that".

·        Like Ralph, he believes in civilised values and clings to what creates order: "I just take the conch to say this. I can't see no more and I got to get my glasses back". When they go to the fort to confront Jack, he shouts "I got the conch!" to try to show Jack that he has a right to be heard.

·        Piggy and the conch are destroyed together by the rock Roger levers. Thus both intelligence and the symbol of authority are dead, so we know that there is nothing left to stop Jack gaining full control.

·        At the end, Ralph mourns the fall through the air of "the true, wise friend called Piggy".

By use of this research of this research it helped me understand the background of piggy and develop him in my own way. “Piggy was an outsider, not only by accent, which did not matter, but by fat, and ass-mar, and specs, and certain disinclination to manual labour.” My own understanding of this is that piggy is lazy and does not like to do manual labour. This is way I made piggy act like he was above helping to put out the fire. So I used the handkerchief to fan myself whilst watching the others work.

This character profile is someone else perception of piggy so there are pats which I disagree with such as   “However, he does not speak as grammatically accurately as the others:" How can you expect to be rescues if you don't put first things first and act proper". Perhaps this is to suggest he wasn't as well educated as the others and that he is not from the right class of people to be a successful leader.” In my view I feel Piggy is from a higher class than the other boys but because he has been bullied so much he stared to withdrawal which caused he’s speaking skills to decline.

5.     How did your Character fit into the play?

Piggy is the very intellectual with sight problems, a weight problem, and asthma. He is the most physically vulnerable of all the boys, despite his greater intelligence. Piggy represents the rational world. By frequently quoting his aunt, he also provides the only female voice.

Piggy's intellect benefits the group only through Ralph; he acts as Ralph's assistant. He cannot be the leader himself because he lacks leadership qualities and has no rapport with the other boys. Piggy also relies too heavily on the power of social convention. He believes that holding the conch gives him the right to be heard. He believes that upholding social conventions get results.

6.     Describe how you used different tones-volume-pace in your voice to express the emotion of your character?

The definition of:

Tone:  How you want to make your voice sound and what characteristics are associated with it. For example if you use harsh tone you can be showing anger, frustration or and annoyance.

I used a subtle tone when Jack and the hunters had all left to find the pig, and Ralph felt like going because he felt Piggy undermined his authority. By use of this tone it calmed down the situation and allowed for piggy’s view to be her. If an aggressive tone was used it would have provide what Ralph was saying to be true.     

Volume: Volume is how loud or quite your voice is. By using a lot of volume you can show an opinionated, boastful character, whilst using a small volume can show a shy, fragile character.

Piggy is a shy withdrawn character, so he does not use a lot of volume. This something which I am not using to because most of the characters which I have played know loud and loud and not afraid to use it, where as Piggy is still trying to find his voice and where he fits in. Piggy has a loud voice and uses it to grab the attention of others, rather than a weapon.

Piggy is the first character to speak, he a soft volume at the begging but no one listens so he raises his volume to grab their attention which works.

Pace: Pace is the speed of which you use your voice.  For example A fast pace can show excitement whilst a slow tone depression.

Piggy is quite a nervous character, to show his anxiousness I used a fast pace. He uses as soon as he has caught everyone’s attention. He uses a fast tone because he sacred that he has caught everyone’s attention and does not know how they will react.

Simple Precise Exaggerated Clear Slow, I used SPECS when we were all around a dwindled fire. The situation at the time is that everyone had become excited because we caught a glimpse of a ship and instantly thought it was or way off this island. Piggy had been saying we should do things properly from the start but they paid no notice. They then tried to ignite the fire but it was hopeless this caused the other characters to feel down hearted.

Piggy too was upset because he also wants to get off the island. This is when I used SPECS to cause all the other characters to feel what he was feeling because he has been saying that they should do thins properly. By using SPECS the other characters felt worse about themselves.

7.     Describe the tech rehearsal - what did you do to help this run smoothly?

The tech rehearsal was the first time that we preformed a full run through of the play, without any scripts, with all lights, all the music. I feel it was an eye opener because if something went wrong we just had to run with it in a way that not even the audience can tell that nothing had gone wrong.

Doing this meant we had to work as unit. I feel what we did to make this run smoothly. We have all been together for the past 2 years. In those 2 years we have learnt how to tell each other’s characteristics and we have learnt when each other need help, by simply looking at their body langue and hearing different tones in their voice.

I think this is what helped make the tech rehearsal.

8.     Describe how you used different body language to show the different emotions of your character- link this to 3 specific moments?

Isolation- There was a point in the play, where even Ralph turned had turned on Piggy. Piggy only wanted Ralph to show his authority to the others but he got angry. At this Piggy felt so lonely and isolated which was made even worse by the other boys laughing.

I decided to show isolation by reverting to as small a shape as possible. By doing this it showed how small Piggy felt at the time even though he was the biggest. He was also in corner because he was isolated from the other boys.  

Pride- Piggy has been ignored so much through the play that as soon as Ralph acknowledges that what Piggy is saying is true he is overwhelmed with pride. This cause Piggy to puff out his chest and try and get attention and get some recognition from the other boys by trying to wave at them.

Shaken- After everyone has surrounded Piggy and Ralph chanting “Hunt the pig, Kill the pig.” Piggy was shaken at that moment the only instinct that came to Piggy was to hide behind the one whom he thought was able to protect him, Ralph. At the same time Jack was playing a cat and mouse game   Piggy, trying to obtain eye contact. Piggy still vulnerable is trying to find somewhere behind Ralph.

9.     Give 3 clear examples that link to specific moments in the play- What were the strengths of both you and your group’s performance?

Forest fire- In the forest fire we start to see how the boys can still stay as 1 unit. it gives the audience hope that the boys will be okay. I feel the reason why this scene is a strength is because we get to see such diversity in the characters. We see the pain and arrogance of piggy whilst seeing the compassion of Roger for the other children, it is as if all the characteristics have been switched. I feel all the actors did it so effortlessly whist showing diversity which is why I feel it is a strength of the performance.

Split screen- In the middle of the performance it was clear to see 2 packs, on lead by Jack and the other lead by Ralph. Jacks represents society where the is total chaos  but is still held together some how, Whilst Ralphs group represents a totally functioning society, where everyone knows what they need to be doing and when they need o be doing it.

I feel this scene is a strength because of the power of the split screen. The split screen represents 2 different ends of the island. I feel this scene conveyed this well, what made it a strength  was the way that words would follow from one side of the island to another. It was in sync.      

Last scene- One of the most spectacular moments in the performance was the last scene. in this scene there is so much going on, which could be easily washed over the audience if not done properly. There was a lot of violence going on in this scene which helped to convey a message of destruction. The scene was a highlight of the play because it helped it go out with a bang.    
 

10. Give 3 clear examples that link to specific moments in the play- What were the weaknesses of both you and your group’s performance?

On watching back of the performance I feel that there was 3 specific moments that could have been approved. 

Fighting- I feel the first scene at the end could have been improved. I do not feel that my reaction to the punch from Ralph was slow, which made it to seem less realistic. It could have been improved if my reaction was faster.  

Marching- I think the singing at the start was a weak point because, we did not all start at the same time so some seemed out of sync with others. At one point when we were singing it seemed like it lost volume and faded but as soon as the group realised  this we picked it up and increased our volume.

Focus- I feel the finally thing that we could have done is to been more focussed from the start. If we had done this from the start we could have got a lot more done.

11. What aspect of the play did you most enjoy?

The part of the play that I most enjoyed was the forest scene with the glow sticks. I enjoyed it because it seemed so neat and mystical, with the groups positioning. I felt, looked and sounded like and actually forest. It had a  finest to it. In my Opinion the glow sticks where the icing on the cake it made the scene seem more spooky and gave it an airy atmosphere.

12. What aspect did you find most challenging?

The most challenging aspect of the Play for me was learning my lines. I was told that Piggy had the most lines in the play. I had trouble remembering my lines. I had read and read my script many timentimes to try and remember theses lines but it was not working. I knew what my ques where. Ms Jackson helped me a lot to learn  my lines. When I practised my lines with Ms Jackson, there was someone there to help me if I  forgot a  word and to also read the other characters lines.This made it easier for me to learn.

13. What will you do make sure you will overcome these challenges in your next performance? - Give 3 clear examples. If you are not taking Drama next year - What have you learnt from this experience that will help you in later life? 

From a young age I already knew what I wanted to become, from reading what I've typed above your probably thinking an actor. If you are think that then you are wrong. When I grow ( I still have a lot of growing to do) I want to become a doctor.  I've always wanted to become one and nothing's going to change that, but that will not change my love for drama. 

During my 2 years on this course I've lot and lot that will forever stay with me, it's been an experince. It's an experince that I have loved. It's taught me a lot. Like I've said before I'm not going to change my career path but drama has taught me something that I will need to use no matter what I need to do.

In drama we become different characters, I say become them because they are now a part of us. You develop them whilst developing yourself. Physically you take on the character, you are in tune with every movement, you know where they are feeling pain, you do what they do.

Emotionally you change, you can feel when your character is withdrawing, when the character is at their happiest. They say the key to the soul is throw the eyes, and with every look  and emotion you get a look into the characters soul.

When I become a doctor I know I'm going to come incontact with lots of different people, I will never know what I'm going to expect. New day new drama. I love meeting new people, through drama I've learnt how to feel what theses people are going to be feeling, and how emotions are going to be running.

I do not believe that drama is something that can be taught it is simply perfected. It is not perfected by an individual but perfected by a body, in this case the GCA drama department. I would compare this department to a doctor, they take you when you are just being plunged into the world(GCSE's in this case). They make you feel better when you are sick ( being sad and doing quickly removes sadness). But best part is that they are always there when you need help( me with my lines for instance). I think seeing this has made me want to become a doctor even more.

Writing this is almost like a fear well letter, but it's not because something great is about to happen.