Review of Platonov
When we went to watch Platonov there was a few features that stood out for me that I think relates to our performance of The Cherry Orchard. One of them was the background noises. Throughout Platonov they had recorded sounds of birds chirping which helped set the atmosphere of them living in the countryside and there was singing and music coming from the house that could be heard when the scene was set outside in the garden. I felt that these constant noises helped create the atmosphere but it also made the play more natural as in life there is always some noises that can be heard. I felt this related to our play because we also use some backstage noises in order to build the atmosphere. In the opening two characters are waiting for the return of the family and as they arrive there are noises off stage of the family getting their bags and preparing to enter the house for the first time in 5 years. I now feel that our backstage noises will make our performance seem more realistic to the audience as it will bring a general hubbub to the scene and it will break up the silence.
Another similarity is through the characters. In Platonov there is a character called Anne who is the owner of a large house that is having to be sold because she is in huge debt. She hides behind a happy demeanour and she is only holding on to false hope but she will not accept her failure. This is also very similar to my character, Lyuba. She is also a landowner who is having to sell her land and orchard due to debt from the huge change in Russia. She starts of by putting on a brave face but she is more court up in her memories that she doesn't want to except her present. She does hold on to false hope but unlike Anne, Lyuba excepts her defeat and ends up maturing because of it. I find it interesting that Chekhov would write 2 strong female characters with such similar stories as it makes me think that he based these characters on some one he might have known and it therefore makes me see my character as more truthful than before.
Probably the most effective part of The performance of Platonov was the supporting characters. At the end of the play Platonov is shot in front of everyone and everyone reacted in there own way. Fro example the one who shot him collapsed to the floor and was crying and the other main characters were reacting with cries or looking away. However what drew my attention was the 3 servant ( who didn't have mainly line throughout the play) who all stood on stage right and were preying for Platonov but we're all frozen. I felt this was really effective as the death was very fast paced and the sudden freeze from the servant broken the structure of the play. It created this cold atmosphere as it was such a change to the rest of the play. There was also a scene where a merchant was cruel to an old man servant in which he push him to the floor. The scene then persisted to carry on but the old man slowly got up and steadied himself on a log. This actor took all the time in the world to finally leave the scene that it made it seem more realistic as he wasn't rushing and he stayed in character the whole time he tried to get up. I therefore feel that responding to the events that happen to the scene (even if they didn't happen to their character) brings an element of truth to the performance as it means people are aware of the surroundings and they are committed to being their character.
Naturalism Workshops
The main style we are looking at in our Chekhov play is naturalism. Chekhov was a Russian play write in the 1800's who focused on the style of naturalism. He based this style on the practitioner Stanislavsky who created the idea of acting realistically on stage. Chekhov is consider as one of the major literary geniuses of his time due to the fact he helped change the style of plays which are still being played in this time period. In order to learn about and use naturalism we did a series of naturalism workshops which allowed us to explore different story areas in naturalism. These included the "system", emotions and the fourth wall.
One of the workshops that I think relates very well to my character was the emotions.
In the workshop we focused on the emotions anger, sadness and happiness. We had to stand out side the room and enter the room trying to portray a different emotion. I was given anger and my story was that I was angry that my younger adopted sister was given a car and I never was given one. I think what made my performance believable was because of the actions. When I talked I had to improvise the text therefore it seemed staged but when I just stood there staring at my sister or when I paced a bit it built an awkward tension that meant the audience anticipated the next line. I think the most effect task was having too wait outside as it allowed me to get into the right mind set so when I walked into the room I was hit by the emotions and I forgot who I was. I felt that this was relevant to my character as Lyuba has been away from her home for 5 years so entering her house for the first time she would feel a rush of emotions. I have therefore decided to use the technique of emotions as soon as I enter the stage to show the whole impact of being away for so long.
Another naturalism technique which we used was taken from Stanislavsky's system. It is when you use objects to help show the back story and character through the interaction between the object. In our workshop we were given a chair and we had to relate the chairs to a memory of our own. I chose my great grandpa's chair that I used to sit behind and try to read his Welsh poetry books. We then had to show our connection by interacting with the chair so I decided to sit behind it and then my head on the back of the chair. I think this was effective as it got me to think about the importance of memories of our characters and also the effect of certain objects as they can inflict different emotions on us. I felt this related to my character as Lyuba has a deep connection to the cherry orchard and I feel that her emotions are based on the destruction of the orchard as it resembles the destruction of her life and memories.
Character profile
Who am I?
Name - Lyubov Ranevsky (also named Lyuba)
Age - a middle aged woman
Statues - a Russian landowner who is also a widow
Children - Anya Ranevsky and Varya Ranevsky
Siblings - Leonid Gaev
Lyuba is a kind and generous character, and we get the feeling that she has suffered from her ideals of 'love' and she doesn't believe 'love' to just be empty words. She is loved by her family as well as her friends which makes her generosity stretch to everyone no matter how cruel they are. Her sympathetic nature gives her loss of the orchard a poignancy as she identifies herself with the tree. She says that she would rather be sold with the tree instead of seeing being lost forever. Her character's circumstances has therefore made some people call the play a tragedy even though Chekhov wrote it as a comedy.
Themes for the character:
Lyuba's character is mainly defined by flight, both physical and emotional. Physically, she is continuously fleeing from location throughout the play. It starts with her flight from Paris, home to Russia, after her suicide attempt which is provoked by her French lover stealing from her. The play also later reveals that she left Russia 5 years ago after the death of her son and her husband. It is clear that she is a very submissive person as she runs away from all of her problems instead of facing them head on
She is a woman besieged by the memories of her tragic adult life and therefore is seeking refuge in her memories of her idyllic childhood. Her visions of her mother walking through the cherry orchard reinforces the picture of a woman suffering from illusions, the illusion that she can recapture the idyll of her childhood and block out the tragic events of the past 5 years from her mind. However she finally realises that she can't hide in her past forever when she sees Peter as he reminds her of the death of her son and tragedy of her adult life. So from this point in the story she starts to stop pretending to be happy.
The cherry orchard symbolises all of Lyuba's past memories and the joy she felt as a child so the destruction of the orchard makes her forget that happiness that she had and it gives her a chance to move beyond those memories. Hopefully she will take the opportunity and she will be able to forget her old life and star a new.
What are my obstacles?
Probably Lyuba's main obstacle is the orchard it self as she has such a deep attachment that she can't let it go. She is already fixated on her childhood memories and the orchard only heightens their existence so she might also see her memories as an obstacle as she is haunted by them in her adult life.
What do I do to overcome the obstacle?
I don't think that she makes herself come over the obstacle but more that she is forced to overcome it. When the orchard is cut down she is released from her childhood memories and the structure of her old life. It therefore sets her free to start a new life. But as there is no indication that she wanted the orchard to be cut down, she may find this experience traumatic as she is losing everything she has ever known that links her to her old life.
Basics:
In our performance of the wardrobe, I feel that an especially effective part of the performance was our entrances and exits into each scene. For example at the end of scene 1, Cecily exited through the right door of the wardrobe. As this was happening the two Jewish boys entered through the left door of the wardrobe in order to start scene 2. I felt this was effective as it kept the play moving with the smooth transition and therefore the pace and energy of the scenes kept at the same level.
However we did have one accident with scene 12's exit. As the narrator exited the wardrobe she accidentally bumped into the pole that was used as a coat rack inside the wardrobe. It caused the pole to break off but she recovered well as she took the pole out of the wardrobe when she exited. This meant that the final scene could carry on as she dealt with the incident backstage. I felt that she was very professional in handling the situation as she didn't panic and the play continued like nothing had happened.
Stylistically:
Our main aim in the performance was to perform in a naturalistic style of a contemporary play. I felt that we achieved being able to act naturally in the play and we able to express our own truth into our characters. For example in scene 6, Dido was talking about thankfulness and she said "today I am grateful that I was not enslaved upon a ship as my mother was". When she said this line she said it through her teeth. When I heard her say this line, I thought she was almost about to cry as her voice was so haunting that I felt the sadness, angry and shame of her character. I believed her so much I went up to her backstage to see if she was alright after her scene.
Actors skills:
One part of the play that I wish I did better with was my vocal delivery of some of my lines as I messed up some words which meant that some of my lines didn't make complete sence. For example one of my lines was meant to be "you will marry a gentleman and have babies" however in our performance I said "you will marry a husband and have babies". I felt that this broke my performance as I was able to say the more complicated words like "ascertainth" correctly but I messed up on the easier lines. Therefore I felt that I needed to work more on learning lines or being more fluid with them as I felt that it effected my ability to perform in a naturalistic style.
Ensemble:
I think one of the most effective elements of the performance was the teamwork. Every cast member supported the performance both on and off the stage by staying quite during the show, playing their parts to the best of their ability and helping the other performers during the show. For example Chloe had to do a quite change from a maid to a lady in between scene 4 to scene 5. She asked me to set up her dress so that as soon as she exited scene 4 we could slip it over her maid costume in order for her to walk in for scene 5. This was effective as the scene had a smooth transition and I was able to support Chloe in order for the performance to carry on.
In scene 1 there are 4 main components that drive the plot of the scene, the first being the historical context of the scene. The scene is set in 1485, London, The Royal Court. In this time period there were many limitations for women. For example women had no legal rights and they were seen as property to their husbands and their fathers. From their births, women were taught that they would be inferior to all men and they were not allowed to have jobs so they were seen as burdens to their parents. Their main purpose was to marry wealthy and bare children for their husbands. For Elizabeth and Cecily these limitations were very apparent in their lives as they were both girls and Elizabeth was due to marry the King even though she was the rightful ruler of England. We learn this in the scene when Elizabeth says "If I weren't a woman, Cecily, no one would question my right to rule my country. But because I have a womb and breasts he'll not share his crown with me, only his bed." I feel that without these limitations there would be no real struggle for Elizabeth as she would be able to do what she wanted as Queen and she wouldn't have to be separated from her sister. I think that Sam Holcroft has used this theme as a way to show the difficulties of women over time and to question why women aren't seen as strong leaders or capable of looking after themselves.
Another key component that drives the story is the pre scene event. Before Elizabeth enters the wardrobe, her uncle, the king, has been killed by the enemy Lancaster and she has received a letter to say that she is to marry the new king. the audience knows this when Elizabeth says "Well tis official: a letter for the King was published in parliament house just this morn. Shall I read it to you?" The letter that she receives is the first key moment that drives the scene as without the letter the sisters wouldn't be be questioning their future and they wouldn't know that the enemy had won the crown. I feel that the letter is a symbol of people's realisation that they have a problem as without the letter the girls would known that they were in trouble. Therefore I think that the pre scene event not only starts the scene buy it also make the girls realise that their lives are never going to be the same again.
A definite key component to the scene is the dramatic event. Probably the biggest change in the scene is when Cecily starts considering to kill her sister due to the fact that she knows her life is going to be terrible and she would rather have Elizabeth's assured life that has been planed for her. We know this because Elizabeth says "Oh yes. he said something else. If I die, he intends to marry you." Cecily looks at the dagger in her hand and then at her sister's exposed back. Not only is this line tempting Cecily but it also drives her want for freedom and control of her own life, it therefore shows her true selfish nature. I feel that this is a very poignant moments as it questions how far people will go to get what they want in order to be happy. it also relates back to the limitations of women as the King will just chuck away his wife if she dies and marry another without thinking about it.
A final component that drives this scene is the difference between the two characters. both of the girls are sisters so it means that they couldn't chose their relationship which means that they were forced to know each other. I think this becomes a slight obstacle in the scene as they are such different characters. Elizabeth is a dreamer as she thinks about her being the rightful ruler of England and she promises her sister she will have a perfect family even though she won't. On the other hand Cecily is very realistic, she knows she won't marry well and that she will never see her sister again. We know this when Cecily says "But what of her sister, Cecily? Who ever heard of her? I expect she died alone in a convent!" I feel this difference between characters causes a clash in personalities and therefore gives the scene a tense energy because there is this conflict of opinions. I also feel that it shows the two sides of peoples opinions of that time period, one being hopeful for the future and the other being dismissive and regretting their lives. I think that Holcroft has portrayed this in the scene to show how people can chose to have a positive or negative look on life depending on how hard their situation in life.
Character profile:
. Elizabeth of York
. Born in 1466, England
. Parents - King Edward the fourth
. Siblings - Cecily of York, Edward the fifth
. Married - King Henry VII in 1486
. Children - 7 (one of which was King Henry VIII)
Who am I?
I believe Elizabeth to be very protective and argumentative character as she says thing like "how tedious! I shan't have that." She is strong willed due to the fact that she was meant to have the crown but was denied it because she was a woman. I also believe her to be very loving towards her sister as throughout the scene she is trying to assure her sister about their future. She is a very private character as she changes her appearance for the public but within the wardrobe she lets loose and is able to laugh with her sister. She almost feels that she is punished for being a woman and that her life has always been controlled for her. In the scene she defies everything that she should be but she realises she has to do them. She therefore is also hiding from her sister as she pretends to defy her duty when she knows she won't.
Where am I?
The scene is set in the bedchamber of Elizabeth, the royal court, London in the afternoon. I believe it to be a sunny afternoon and her room to be filled with lavished and bright objects but the inside of the wardrobe would be dark and plain. I think that Elizabeth and Cecily would feel safe and very connected to the wardrobe due to the fact that it was owned by their brother's and they confide in the wardrobe with all their secrets.
When is it?
27th October 1485 (Tudor England) in the afternoon, it is sunny. The wars of the roses has raged for thirty years between the houses of York and Lancaster. Henry VII has just killed King Richard III (Elizabeth's and Cecily's Uncle). England is now waiting for the coronation of King Henry VII and the news of his new bride.
What do I want?
Elizabeth wants to assure her sister (and herself) that everything will be alright in their future. She doesn't want to marry Henry VII but she knows she must. She also doesn't want to leave her sister but if she marries Henry VII she know she will never see Cecily again.
Why do I want it?
Elizabeth is only 18 at this point so she is still young as she wants to be free from duty as she has never lived without rules before. She wants to be assured due to the fact that she is scared of marriage and life without her sister. She loves her sister and she has never been separated before and she knows when they are separated, they will never see each other again.
How do I get it?
In order to get her assurance she make a blood bond with her sister to promise that they will look out for each other and stay close to each other when they are separated. Elizabeth convinces Cecily to cut her hand and shake on it but it doesn't go quite right as Cecily ends up eating Elizabeth's blood.
Extras:
She might also want to win points in her games in order to recapture the childhood she spent with her sister before she is sent away to marry the King. I think this want brings to the scene the light hearted nature between the girls and therefore brings hope for the girls future. I order to get this she reveals her spoon and encourages her sister to see if she has done any better. it therefore brakes the ice between the sisters and it brings a little joy in what is otherwise a very depressive topic.
What must I overcome?
My character main obstacle is my sister refusal to accept the fact that we will change to fit into society and that we will never see each other again. Also my fear for the future as it stops my character seeing what I am going to have to do to survive without my sister and the protection of my character's family.
Extras:
Another obstacle that she must overcome is the wedding to the King. She is apart of the York House which means that her enemies are the Lancaster House. She must marry the Lancaster King which means Elizabeth is going against her family because she is forced by the King. She also hates the fact that he has stolen her rightful crown and now she must watch her new husband rule her country without her. The audience doesn't know whether or not she will overcome this but they can see this obstacle as her on going struggle in the scene.
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