all of my coursework evidence :)

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part two sola task 1

Part two

The two theatres I will be comparing are the pomegranate theatre in chesterfield and the national theatre in London. The national theatre is a producing theatre, meaning that it writes and produces its own theatre. Whereas the pomegranate is a receiving/presenting theatre, this means that it makes money from other production companies and theatre groups paying to hire the venue for a certain amount of time. This creates similarities ad difference in how they run and how the hierarchy within the staff works.

A receiving/presenting theatre like the pomegranate will have a technical team which starts with the arts council and works its way down through the different technical roles E.g. sound and lighting engineer, security teams etc. here is a diagram which shows the average hierarchy of a presenting theatre.

A producing theatre like the national youth theatre has two teams, a technical team, like the pomegranates, but also a creative team e.g. costume designers, script writers etc. both these teams are managed by a team of directors. This diagram shows the hierchy within a producing theatre.

The similarities between the two types of theatre is that they both have a technical team who dictate the ticket sales, lighting, sound and stage maintenance. However, because a receiving theatre doesn’t create theatre, it doesn’t need a creative team. Whereas because a producing theatre creates its own shows it needs its own creative team in house to help produce and create their shows.

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tv and film blog 1 unfinished

What scenes have you watched today?

This week we watched scenes from: sexy beast, the wire and dead man’s shoes. These are all tv dramas.

Technically what did you notice about the scenes you watched? (Camera angles, sound, lighting, costume, location)

In the scene from sexy beast we watched, the camera angles showed the eyeline and perspective of the person being spoken to at the time, so for example, when the character, Ben Kingsley is playing, talks to the flight attendant, the camera will be from the eyeline of the flight attendant. I feel this is effective because it means that we as an audience get to see a more realistic visual view point of how the conversation happened. They also used very realistic sound effects of the tannoy speaking to the passengers to create a more believable setting for the audience as they would relate those sound effects to experiences of being aboard an aeroplane. The location was a row of seating on an aeroplane. To add detail to the setting as well as play to the style of naturalism, the lighting Is very bright and has the appearance of lighting you would find on a plane.

In the wire the camera angle appears to be coming from over the shoulder of whoever is being spoken to, this can be seen by the showing of the top of the protagonist’s head at 1:57. I believe that they did this to make the audience feel as though they were looking in on the investigation, this makes the audience know that they are seeing a full over view of events from all sides of the story rather than seeing one persons biased opinions on the investigation, therefore allowing the audience to create their own opinion on the case.

What was most notable in the scenes? (In terms of acting)

In dead man’s shoes, both actors had to portray the tense atmosphere of the scene, I feel they did this by using eye contact with one another that was fixed and focused, this then made the audience focus on the pairs interaction with each other. They also created a very small circle of attention by focusing on just one person intensely, and by standing very close to each other. The acting from the men in the car was very unfocused and panicked, however it was clear by their uncertain reactions to the conflict, that they weren’t expecting this outcome, they were expecting their leader to attack this other man. The actor’s reactions with one another also showed the relationships within that group such as the hierarchy within the group as well as who is most loyal to their leader. These characters reactions were important for the audience, as they helped to create a tenser atmosphere to the scene as the audience can empathise with their feelings of confusion.

What genre was the scene?

‘Dead man’s shoes’ is classed as Naturalism, because it didn’t caricature any of the characters physicality, nothing was enhanced for dramatic effect, the reactions and use of speech we would find in everyday interactions and speech.

The wire is classed as a crime drama, as its main purpose is to explore a crime. However it is classed as a dram because it portrays enhanced/dramatised aspects of human emotion

What skills/ techniques were used by the actors?

The actors in these scenes used skills such as:

circles of attention - in dead mans shoes , the two men used a small circle of attention by focusing on each other , this was effective as it made the audience pay attention to the tension between the two.

 Eye contact - in the end of sexy beast and witching dead mans shoes eye contact between the two main protagonists, this eye contact helps the viewer to feel as though they are observing the scene rather than being a part of the scene, it also builds tension within the scene.

Techniques

What techniques did you learn today?

today I learned to not notice the camera when performing in a tv and film style unless the person I am talking to is behind the camera , this adds the fourth wall to the scene and therefore in keeps with the genre of naturalism that is commonly used in tv and film.

i learned techniques such as detailed facial expression and eye contact

How might this be useful in film and tv acting?

knowing about how to use eye contact effectively because it 

Scene

What was the scene you work on? This week we worked on a scene from /p>

How did you approach the scene?

How did you approach the character?

What were your thoughts on the scene?

What issues are in the scene that you were looking at?

Evaluating your role

What were the strengths of your scene?

What were the weaknesses of your scene?

Choose a scene performed by somebody else in the group what did you enjoy?

What did you think they could improve?

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estimated outgoings MID

final Budget

Pomegranate theatre invoice FINAL BUDGET.  MID.   TASK 7 further info.

Income

Ticket sales 6670

Outgoings / contra.                              Vat

Theatre hire.              2667.               533.4

Additional hire

Mon 0.5                    27.50                  5.5

Tues 5.75                   632.5                126.5

Wed 5.25                    577.5                 115.5

Tech staff.                  806.85               161.37

Get out                      828                    165.6

NIC.                            225.61              45.122

CC  online agency commisions

                                 184.82               36.963

Total outgoings:          5949.78.            1189.96 = £7139.74

Income - outgoings =  £ - 469.73 (inc vat)

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song analysis 1 - storm clouds

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccrtQUWa8Kw&feature=youtu.be - part 1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoaVRKc-2rc&feature=youtu.be - part 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aHHAmZNAhk&feature=youtu.be - part 3

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video of scene rehearsal in hopkins house

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U8sQ2BYBTU&t=2s

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song analysis 2 - viva eastbourne

https://youtu.be/ttj4igibZNA

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Self assessment 1

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Directors notes - 14/3/17

First scene , cass - remember to take coat off Pace of scene 2 more energy Amy - green nighty hung out under all dresses - need white one.             Accents in Jammy dodger scene - need two mugs.                                       Stay in character in transition. 

 Harold's line - ‘moles’ don't trip.                                                             Barbara's line - stronger , less movement. Beryl's line in pay day/ fight with mc, make it more believable.                                                                              Eddie be more embarrassed by Rita - Stan could give a through line to help Eddie on that journey. Barbara's scene - legs under the table , desk needs to be brought on and off centre. Jammy dodger and grievance procedure scene need to be rehearsed with Sam/monty Be ready for traisitions earlier xx be clearer more energy. Lydia/Lisa - projection x Storm clouds - focus, no fidgeting. Proxemics between the girls and Lisa in the scene before storm clouds. Barbara needs white flight gloves.

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Actors CV - SOLA

Name: Rebecca Clarice Charlotte Burton.

D.O.B: 22/11/1997

Address: 7 spencer street, Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

Postcode: S40 4SD

Mobile: [phone]

Height: 5,2

Hair type and colour: dark blonde, Medium/long curly/wavy hair.

Eye colour: Blue

playing age - 14-18

vocal range - mezzo soprano.

Relevant education, qualifications or training:

Trinity college London Musical Theatre exams:

grade 3 musical theatre in production - distinction.

I am also currently on my second year of Level 3 extended diploma on performing arts at chesterfield college with a predicted grade of DDD.

Education and training:

Heanor gate science college - 2010-2015.

Stagecoach theatre arts Nottingham - 2008-2016.

The One school of Dance - 2016 - present day.

Chesterfield college - 2015- June 2017.

Experience:

I was a scholarship student at stage school for eight and a half years, during this time I performed over 15 different productions, at different theatres around derby and Nottingham. these include:

hnd production - the bedroom farce - college production

made in dagenham - clare - solo song ‘wossname’. - college production

big event - paid work - TIE

rent - ensemble - college production.

One of my favourite roles within stage school, was playing the lead role of Tracy Turnblad in the hit musical ‘hairspray’. This was such a great experience as it boosted my confidence when performing vocally challenging solos in front of a large audience. Another of my favourite productions was our production of sister act in which i had one of my first solo lines, this was performed at the assembly rooms to 2,000 people. this was an amazing step as treacly gave me the opportunity o have confidence in my ability.

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made in Dagenham textual analysis Q1-35.

Made in Dagenham textual analysis

1.) which genre does the piece fit in to?

Made in Dagenham is classed as a Musical, this is the definition of a musical “a play or film in which singing and dancing play an essential part. Musicals developed from light opera in the early 20th century.” In made in Dagenham There are 17 main numbers which involve large amounts of singing and some dancing, these help to tell the story. Making it a musical.

2.) Where is the piece set?

The musical is set in the working class area of Dagenham, a suburban area of East London. It Is set at mainly the Ford factory where most of the areas inhabitants work. It also mainly focuses on the womens sewing department of the factory.

3.) What is the significance of the location?

The location is significant to the story as Dagenham is a predominantly working class area, so the women have to work to contribute to their families a well as most of them being full time mothers as well. Showing a working class population of women shows their strength. which is the message of the story.

4.) When is the piece set?

The musical is set in 1968.

5.) Are there any any specific references to the day, seasons or year?

In the song ‘Busy Women’ it doesn’t specify a season, but eddie refers to it being Tuesday but thinks it maybe pancake day, in 1968 pancake fell on the 7th of February, this suggests it may be in early spring as that’s traditionally when pancake day occurs. but the song ‘storm clouds’ at the start of act two its describing the pathetic falicy as the rain allegorically describes the mood of the number. The fact of the rain could suggest ‘April showers’. Although in the song pay day, its saying that the girls have received their pay, but this means that between the song ‘pay day and the scene in which the girls get their strike pay a month must have passed.

Also the fact that Harold wilson is prime minister at the same time Barbra castle was Secretary of State for Education and Employment productivity describes the year to be between 1968-1970. also  Eddie says in scene 6 just after pay day that “Millwall’s last season in Division 3 South, so that’s 1958. I been married about ten years.” Which indicates that the Musical is set 1968.

however i have found contradictory research that in the actually historical records, the trike occurs in June, but the text implies it occurs in late April as that’s when the Eastbourne meeting for the TUC occurred.

6.) How much time passes?

The musical starts on a Tuesday as in ‘Busy women’ Eddie states he day is Tuesday. The ford women walked out on strike on June 7 1968, as the 7th was a Friday, then the previous Tuesday discussed in ‘busy women must be the 4th of June 1968. The strike lasted for three weeks taking the date to june 28th after the TUC conference in Eastborne was held an earned them for an equal pay amendment which was finalised in 1970. So in total the duration of the musical spreads over 24 days.

7.) How is the passage of time represented?

The passage of time is represented in the emphasis of specific days and the emotion of each day, for example, the song ‘pay day’ describes the end of another working month for the factories workers and the relief and element of hope and happiness as they actually get some enjoyment besides work and looking after their families. There is also a scene where the women are given strike pay, this shows that a month has passed within the story, it also shows the ‘change in the time’, from a time f fun and menial purpose, to a time of struggle but also of importance.

8.) How wealthy are the characters?

The characters Lisa , Hopkins, Babara castle, Harold Wilson, the Aids, and tooley are all highly wealthy characters as they all work in politics or are married to politicians.

The factory workers such as Sid, Monty, Bill, Connie, Rita, Clare, Cass, Sandra, Emma, Tracy, Jo, Rachel and Beryl are all lower working class characters, as because they work in a factory their pay grade is b which is classed as un-skilled which means that they are only payed the minimum wage, also the girls only get a fraction of what the men get, so their monthly income is even less.

9.) Is there a hierarchy?

This is a basic diagram I made of what i believe to be the heighrachy in the musical.

I have described the relationship between the characters like this because I feel Tooley is the highest in the hierarchy because he has all the say in who gets to keep their jobs and who gets paid, he creates this control with his violent use of language e.g. ‘mate, ill blow you out of my ass!’. This is an aggressive and intimidating choice of plosive lexis which helps to control his employees by using fear.

I have listed that my character of Clare is lower down in the hierarchy because both beryl Rita and Connie have all told Clare off for something and scolded her in a way that suggests them being of a higher authority. For example Connie dismisses Clare’s offer to assist her to the meeting saying ‘it won’t work’ this is a very authoritive statement, as it’s short and concise and doesn’t ask her opinion, but declares the statement, because she’s got more power over the situation than clare does.

 10.) How does their wealth or lack of it affect their characters?

Wealth and status affects the hardship each character has faced, so the hardships faced by the lower paid and lower classed women factory workers will be hardships such as poverty, poor health and working conditions. So as a result their characters/ personalities have developed to withstand these hardships, e.g. they are more comfortable with the idea of hard labour, working hard and putting u with lower standards of living. The factory wrkers also affects their level of education that they have recieved, for example none of the ladies i the factory went to college because they couln’t afford to as the were expected to get a job and contribute to the household income. this therefor means that their use of language uses only basic vocabulary mixed with idiolects of where they were raised. so for Dagenham raised factory workers, they use phrases such as “’kinell!” to make up for more educated or eloquent phrases. This is shown in the scene between Rita and Mr Buckton, Rita asks ‘Ergo? is that Latin?’. This shows her lack of education and there for, lack of wealth.

The higher classed characters in the story are used to working using their intellect and education rather than with their labour and skill. This means that their characters have adapted to fit their expected role within society. Hardships someone of that class and wealth would be more social or political e.g. Lisa Hopkins is emotionally isolated and ornamented by her husband. Hopkins earns enough money that, it is seen as unnecessary for Lisa to work or raise her own child, so they send their child to boarding school and all Lisa doe is serve Hopkins as a doting wife with nothing more to do other than pick out nice dresses. This adapts her character, as she has become bitter by her situation. Due to her education, intellect and wealth, she puts across her views very eloquently and concisely e.g. ‘I thought Ford was merely in the habit of shooting strikers’ . This explains her complete disdain for the situation herself and society is in, but rather than go on, she intelligently puts it into one sentence. This is largely due to her wealth and education.

11.  What are the social environments of the characters like?

The factory workers social environment is very strongly social, as they all perform manual labour working together in the same space all day, so they all interact with each other and have all developed a strong bond. They all go out to celebrate one another as their relationships are all very informal. This is shown in the song ‘pay day’.

Harold and Barbara’s social environment is the houses of parliament, in which the workers all work in separate offices and get on with their jobs separately, so the environment is much more formal.

12.  Are their differences in the social backgrounds and current environments?

For the factory workers there aren’t any differences as they were all raised in Dagenham and went straight to working in the factory, and so are in pretty much the same environment, apart from Cass, who is used to the poverty and lower classes of Jamaica and so is a lot more serious about working hard and earning her own way of living as she has had to work really hard to be given the job in the first place.

Barbara was raised in Chesterfield, which is a predominantly working class area, so to move to London to become an MP will be a huge change in environments, as London earns a lot more money than working class areas such as chesterfield or Dagenham.

13.  How will this affect how the characters will interact with one another?

This affects how Barbara interacts with the women factory workers, as she came from an area similar to what the girls have come from, so she understands their points of view and what they want out of the strike. So for example, in the scene after ‘Cortina’, Barbara and Rita converse. In this scene Barbara asks ‘would you like a lift? That my Rolls Royce.’ To which Rita replies with ‘no its not, it’s my car, I paid for it with my taxes.’ Barbara is very honest and down to earth due to her upbringing, so as oppose to getting offended she responds with ‘You’re right, it is. Can I have a lift?’. This shows how much she understands how rita and the other ford women think.

14.  Are any of the characters influenced by events/beliefs?

Sandra gets offered a promotion contract with the marketing team for ford to be a model for the launch of the 1500-e Cortina, this event influences her to quit the strike and become a spokes girl. This therefore influences fall out/argument with Rita at the end of the song ‘cortina’.

One of the main influencing events within the musical is the re evaluation of the women’s pay grade, this triggers all of the women to feel betrayed by the men and as a result they want to change their situation.

Lisa Hopkins is influenced by her knowlagde of Fords history, this includes the michignan 1932 strike disaster.

15.  What effect does this have on the way the characters behave?

Sandra changing to promotions work influences the way that the women treat her in the scene where the women have arrived in London. For example she walks in and says ‘am I late?’ to which all the girls in unison reply ‘yes.’ This is very short and sharp as they all feel betrayed by Sandra leaving.

The re-evaluation of the pay grade causes the behaviour of the women to be very volatile and emotional as they feel betrayed and victimised. So they respond with comments that are disrespectful to the male management such as Beryl’s line to Monty ‘you want a paddle mate, I’ll fucking knit you one.’ This shows her complete aggression and disrespect for the character of Monty.

Lisa’s knowledge of the strike shooting of 1932 in Michigan causes her behaviour towards Tooley to be very abrasive and disgusted as she knows he represents Ford America and its history. She shows this in lines such as ‘I thought Ford was in the habit of simply shooting strikers.’ This sarcastic tone shows to Tooley that she dislikes him and what he represents as well as showing her knowledge of the subject, showing she is not to be fooled.

16.  What clues are there to the past lives of the characters?

In the scene in the Bernie Inn, Connie describes her past life, for example, she describes her love life to Rita ‘I was already married to the labour party, and what a lousy husband he turned out to be.’ This describes her long term commitment to the labour party and how she has never received any rewards from her efforts.                                                                                                   

17.  How will their past affect their futures?

Connie was affected by her past, because she was so devoted to the labour party that she never looked after herself, and as a result never took her cancer treatment seriously, so she died and never had a future. This is due to her past being filled with too much hard work trying to make the world a better place and not enough time taking care of herself and her physical health. ‘what is it? A headache?’ ‘yeah’ you lying?’ ‘yeah’, this shows her health deteriorating but her choosing to do nothing about it as she is committed to attending this meeting and presenting her speech in order to get equal pay.

18.  Are there any references to key events prior to the play?

There is a reference to the home game of 1958 in the scene after ‘payday’ Eddie is asked how long he has been married, and he uses this date in history to measure how long himself and Rita have been married.

There is a reference to The Michigan shooting and hunger strike of 1932 made by Lisa Hopkins in ‘Storm clouds’ ‘I thought Ford was in the habit of simply shooting strikers’ ‘michingan 32 is history’.  

19.  Do any of the characters carry scars or memories from past events?

20.  How does this affect them now?

Lisa describes fords history with strikers in storm clouds with president Tooley ‘Michigan ‘32 is history’ in which Lisa replies with ‘five strikers dead and sixty chained to their hospital beds with shotgun wounds’. I made the link that Connie would have been a mature teen when this occurred and so she remembers the Michigan incident of 1932, here is an article I found describing the tragic events http://www.workers.org/2009/us/ford_hunger_march_0402/. As a result, for thirty years she was scared of holding a strike, for fear of what could happen to them. It’s also why she’s so passionate about trying to put across her views and is savvier about understanding her rights. For example, in ‘pay day’ Connie doesn’t join in with the fun because she has to ‘finish this speech’. Also, in the scene in the Bernie inn, she admits to never getting with Monty because she was ‘already married to the labour party, and what a lousy husband he turned out to be’. This describes how mistreated she has been for her beliefs, this affects how she treats Rita, as she is always very serious and tries to inspire Rita ‘nothing changes if it isn’t challenged’ as she is constantly trying to raise the issues and themes of equality but is ignored by the men ‘I was out voted by the men’, and so tries to get Rita to stand with her.

 21.  Are there conflicts of tension between what the characters want?

Yes, at the start of the show, Rita goes to the TUC meeting to get C grade back, but Connie wants equal pay ‘this don’t just have to be about C grade’ ‘I only came to get C grade back’. This shows the conflicting interests.

Sandra wants a career in modelling, no matter whether the pay is equal pay or not, where as Rita wants to stay in her job but with equal pay. These conflicts are shown in the scene after ‘Cortina’ where Rita says ‘it’s about equal pay’ after which Sandra replies with ‘even if we get equal pay, it’ll still be a shit job, only a shit job with equal pay’.

22.  Do the main characters want to change their situations?

Clare wants to change her situation, by working overtime enough so that she can save enough money by for a flat and a wedding for her and ken, so she can live with the man she loves despite her low income ‘yeah I got two hours of – overtime – tonight’ ‘what you saving up for?’ ‘ a – deposit, on a – flat’.

Other main characters such as Rita, Connie, Barbara, Harold, Beryl, Sandra and Lisa all want to change their situations at the start of the musical.

23.  Is there a difference in what the characters say they will do and actually do?

Clare says she is going to tell the manegment what she thinks, this is shown in the number ‘wossaname’. However, she meets Barbara Castle in the scene leading up to the number ‘ideal world’, but spends a lot of the time silent, other than a few remarks which imply that she doesn’t understand the conversation ‘what was all that about eating elephants’.

President Tooley says he will ‘move to Belgium’ if the strike isn’t broken, however the women achieve equal pay and yet there is no evidence of him or ford transferring to Belgium.

24.  How does morality or upbringings affect the characters actions?

The upbringing of the characters affects mainly their re-actions, for example clare hears Barbara say ‘mastication’ and giggles with a smutty undertone, indicating her level of education due to a lower class upbringing. This therefor affects her reactions to the world around her.

Barbara was raised In a lower class compared to most politicians at the time, and as a result still maintained her down to earth, left wing morals, these affect her actions, for example she invites Rita and some of the working class strikers to sit in her office and talk about the situation. Other higher class politicians might not have wanted to talk to working lower class women. Barbara’s morality also shows in the way she treats Rita and the other strikers, ‘I’m gonna do something unheard of for a politician, I’m not going to lie to you’. This shows her understanding of what the lower classes think of politicians, the source of which comes from her upbringing.

25.  Are there direct references to the characters appearances?

There are a few references to the colour of Barbara castle’s hair within the comical line ‘fiery, like her hair’, this describes her red hair to be the colour of fire as well as adding comedy to her character.

Another link I have made through studying the text is that in a scene within the number ‘storm clouds’, Hopkins makes the comment ‘it’s a swiss dish, like lisa.’. Even though Lisa denies this fact, the reference could have been made as a result of her appearance i.e. she appears of swiss origin. When I looked up a swiss appearance, it came up with pale skin, blue eyes and fair hair. This gives an indication to Lisa’s appearance.

26.  Are there any connections between how a character looks and behaves?

The previous reference to barbara’s appearance ‘fiery, like her hair.’ Is also a description of Barbara’s personality, in that it is ‘fiery’ i.e short tempered and brave and at times rash. This is also a common stereotype that people with red or ginger hair are more likely to have short tempers and stronger emotions.

27.  What is the significance of the title? (Metaphoric or literal)

‘made in dagenham’ could be a reference to the trade of the workers who live in Dagenham as they ‘make’ cars for a living. It could also mean that a significant moment in history was ‘made in dagenham’.

In a more literal sense, it could refer to the majority of main characters within the musical were created ‘in dagenham.’

28.  Are there any key lines or speeches that summarise or capture the mood of the play?

At the end of the song ‘stand up’ Barbara Castle gives a speech

This summarises the amazing progress that the characters have made to change history, this creates an atmosphere which is inspirational and full of pride.

Throughout the musical there a few key lines within the larger musical numbers which encapsulate what the characters are thinking and feeling. For example, ‘stand up’ is the main line within the number of the same name. By repeating the same line, it allows for interpretation, so although the literal meaning of the line is asking the men to stand up to vote for the equal pay amendment, the metaphorical meaning could be to stand up for yourself. This repetition is effective as it creates an atmosphere of pride and inspiration.

29.  What is the main plot and how does it develop?

The women Ford factory workers get re graded to an unskilled grade which pays a lot less, as a result they register a formal grievance, and Rita and Connie attend a meeting with the TUC in which it becomes apparent that it’s about getting equal pay. After coming out of the meeting Rita decides that they need to hold a strike in order to achieve equal pay. They strike for three weeks in which they are made poor by strike pay, the Ford factory is closed down which means 3,000 of the men get fired. The women strikers meet with Barbara castle who offers them 92% percent of the mens pay, but Rita turns it down. The ford Dagenham work force then attends a TUC conference in Eastborne, In which Rita gives a speech which convinces the men to agree to the equal pay amendment. This then develops to the women workers of Ford Dagenham getting equal pay.

 30.  Is there a sub plot?

There are a few sub plots within the musical:

Barbara and harolds – PM Harold Wilson has gotten britain into severe debt after owing large amounts of money from the second world war, also the musical is set at a period of severe industrial unrest, in which masses of strikes are causing the trade figures to suffer. In order to find a solution to the situation, he hires Barbara Castle (who at the time is head secretary for transport) to be the secretary for unemployment. Barbara then seeks to ban the strikes, but is denied the order by Harold. Barbara then meets Rita by accident and arranges a meeting with the other girls from the factory in which she offers a deal of 92% men’s pay in exchange for their return to work. Rita also denies this request, Barbara admires this and sends her best wishes to the women with hopes for their success.

Rita and Eddie – husband and wife, their storyline is based on how the marriage copes with rita being on strike. Eddie leaves rita half way through act 2 and takes the kids because he feels so neglected by his wife, he then makes it up to her when he comes to see her perform her speech to a large TUC audience.

Lisa, rita and mr Buckton – Rita and lisa’s sons are both getting caned at school by the latin teacher mr buckton, so Lisa influences rita to sign a petition to fire mr buckton for abuse to students. This is successful and mr buckton is forced to resign. This event happens at a time in the musical that it shows rita what a difference she can make if she stands up for what she believes in. making it a key subplot in the character development of Rita.

Hopkins and tooley - Throughout the musical Hopkins and tooley plan to try and bust this strike by using unethical tactics which will break the womens solidarity, so they originally they offer sandra promotions work, which she accepts. But after she walks off on the job due to persuasion by her colleagues, they shut down the assembly line and fire 3,000 of the men, as they know that these are the husbands of the women strikers and this will divide the working class solidarity that is keeping the strike going. But Rita takes the strike to the TUC conference in Eastborne, this means that Equal pay is given to women working at Ford UK. 

 31.  How can the shape of the play be best described – a story? Episodes? A journey? As a diagram or map?

See appendix one.  

32.   Which scenes are the most important? Why?

In my opinion the three most important scenes are:

The scene before ‘age old story’ in the Burnie Inn – This is a crucial scene because this is where Connie makes Rita realise what the meeting is really about, Connie also makes Rita realise why it is important for women to have equal pay, that it isn’t just her pay, but Sharon’s pay and her future. I feel this is a crucial scene as this is when Rita is inspired to change her situation.

Stand up speech – This falls at the end of the musical, when Rita is so utterly desperate for this whole situation to be resolved, she has lost her husband her kids, her job and Connie has passed away before seeing her dream through of presenting the speech at the TUC conference. So her speech in this is very heartfelt and desperate, this has a huge impact on the story as it makes the men vote for the equal pay amendment. This speech resolves most of the issues throughout the musical.

The meeting in front of the TUC management in the Burnie Inn – This is the scene in which a lot of Rita’s character development happens, as we see her go from being silent when asked as a submissive subdominant female, to standing up for herself, speaking her point across eloquently and effectively to the managers of the TUC. This is a very important scene as for the first time Rita finds her voice and gains a little bit of confidence in what she believes is right.

33.   Which scene is the least important? Why?

The least important scene in my opinion is the first scene between Lisa and Thomas Hopkins, they are sat in their kitchen discussing the food they are eating and their relationship. So although this scene gives a background to the two characters involved, it is the least important as none of the actions performed influence the rest of the plot.

 34.   How important to the piece is the set/lighting/costume/props/sound?

The set is really important as there are a very large amount of different settings in which the scenes and songs are held, so in order to show the separate locations described, a detailed yet effective set is needed to fully describe the transitions in location. For example, the trainsition between pay day and I’m sorry I love you is very fast and the location changes from being inside a pub to on a park bench, the only way to effectively show this to the audience is by having an effeicient set that could smoothly transition between one setting to another.

The sound is crucial for a smooth production of this as it is a musical, so a lot of the storyline is told through singing to backing music, this music helps the performer to keep the vocals on the correct melody and key, the backing sound also helps the performers on stage to pitch the correct harmony lines in order to create a more accurate and in depth vocal sound.

Props is important in numbers such as busy women, as not having a hair brush to brush Sharon’s hair within the number would look like mime and would look highly staged and take away the illusion of reality.

35.   What is the climax of the play? Are issues resolved at the end? How much direction is given by the playwright in terms of stage directions?

The physical climax of the musical is in the lines just before’ Everyone out, as this is when Rita makes the executive decision to strike for equal pay. ‘right, we’re having a vote’ ‘what are we voting for?’ ‘A strike’. This is the physical climax of the musical because although the emotional journey of the characters has not yet peaked, the physical journey has.

The emotional climax of the musical occurs within the end of storm clouds, when Connie is rushed into hospital, and the lines that follow. I believe the climax to be within the pause within the last chorus of storm clouds, as this is when all characters have taken a second to breath and to take in the emotions.

In the story, the issues of equal pay are resolved, as the men vote for the Equal pay amendment, however according to my research, the Equal pay act wasn’t signed until 1970, two years after the TUC conference. However, I do feel that the way ‘stand up’ is portrayed to the audience shows that the issues are resolved at the TUC conference in Eastbourne.

36.   Which character is the antagonist? (Opposes the main action)

President Tooley would be classed as the main antagonist, as he foremost opposes Rita and Connie’s action to get equal pay for women. This is shown in moments such as ripping up Connie’s speech before Rita publicly speaks in ‘stand up’ at the TUC conference in Eastbourne. He shows this also throughout the piece especially in the sexist ways he talks to Rita ‘don’t forget you’re just a little girl’. This shows him belittling and trying to have authority over rita as he opposes the main movement of womens rights and sexual equality. By referring to her a s a little girl, he is saying that she is less than he is.

Another antagonist is Stan, Eddie O’Grady’s friend at work. He constantly demotes the women’s main action for equality this is shown in payday when he says ‘you can’t have 3,000 hairy arsed blokes earning less than a woman.’ This statement is very assured as he says ‘you can’t’ this shows that the statement isn’t open for discussion, it also shows the general opinion of working class men, as he includes everyone in the statement ‘3,000 hairy arsed blokes.’

37.   Are their other protagonists or antagonists?

There are more than one protagonist in made in Dagenham as there are many strongly shown characters who support the main action, the main two I would say are Connie and Rita as they are the driving force behind the women’s equal pay movement. However, all of the main factory women e.g. Clare, beryl, Cass and Sandra are protagonist as they support the cause and join the strike in an act of solidarity, this is shown in the first four bars of music within ‘everybody out’ when all the girls vote for a strike, this shows each women empowering herself with the right to vote and the right to strike. I feel that Barbara castle and Barbara Castle are also protagonist character, as she wants what’s right for women and understand what political games are needed to be played in order to achieve women getting equal pay, this is shown in their individual actions towards Rita and the Girls which guides them on their journey to getting equal rights for women.

 38.   Do any of the characters change from one to the other?

The character of Eddie starts very neutral and mildly supportive like the rest of the male factory workers, but as Rita’s strike pay and his own unemployment puts a strain on family life Eddie becomes an antagonist, but opposing Rita’s choice to strike and Leaving with the kids, this action opposes the main action as it prevents Rita from believing in her own abilities and that her actions are right, which almost stops the strike all together. However, at the end of ‘stand up’ Eddie apologises to Rita and they make up as he is positively supporting her actions and is regretful of his prior actions making him a protagonist.

39.   How formal is the language used by the characters?

Lisa Hopkins uses quite formal language as it is very concise and uses more educated vocabulary e.g. ‘they are trying to break your solidarity.’ The word solidarity is a word that would only be known through education, this shows her class and wealth.

Beryl has very informal language as she fills in more intelligent words with abbreviations and swear words e.g. “‘kinell” this is an abbreviation for fucking hell, which is an expletive that indicates her short temper and lower class. She is even too informal in her use of language to say a full swear word, instead she is lazy with her speech and abbreviates it.

40.   What is the level of education of the characters?

As mentioned before, Lisa is over a higher class than beryl, which is shown by the use of their language.

Lisa has a first class honours degree in modern history as she shows with comments such as ‘did you know women in America have had equal pay since 1963?’. This shows advanced knowledge of modern history. This is due to her higher level of education.

The education of most of the factory girls is very minimal, as most of them left school at fourteen to work in the factory and support their families. This meant that they didn’t finish their education, or get any significant qualifications. However, they had to take three tests in order to be allowed to work at Ford; therefore all of them must have a basic level of intelligence in order to pass the tests. This is evidence in quotes such as ‘I been at this game, since I was 14’ and ‘yeah we had to take 3 tests to get in here!’

40.   Do the characters use certain phrases or words or ways of speaking?

Barbara – chesterfield/ northern accent + Harold Huddersfield

Musical phrases i.e. motifs

Beryl has a very distinctive way of speaking, as she uses a lot of expletives and Slang e.g. ‘kinell!’ this is due to her lower working class, this also adds to her character, as by understanding her language is so blunt we understand that her personality is also very rough and blunt, but also she is very vulgar so her using explete terms such as ‘you couldn’t find your arse with both hands.’ This is comical as well as effective at describing Beryl’s character to the audience.

41. How are the songs structured? (Monologue, dialogue, duologue, triologue, short sentences

etc)

 My character, Clare has a solo song which is called wossaname, this is structured as a monologue, as she is the only person speaking and she is describing her own thoughts and feelings. Throughout this song, Clare only speaks in short sentances, I believe this is due to her lower intelligence, as this means she struggle to form and eloquent or structured sentence. The song has two very repetitive verses, which is followed by a middle 8 starting from ‘life aint fair’ and then leads in to the schorus on ‘ooja ooja!’. The end of the song has the same rhythm and melody as the first to verses but is slightly slower as well as being the outro. The song ends with Clare saying ‘do I make myself clear?’ and her sitting proudly back down on her seat.

 everbody out – scenes and chorus

42.   What kind of imagery is used?

In the song the storm clouds, the line ‘storm clouds on the horizon’ describe the appearance of the sky being dark and cloudy, not only is this pathetic fallacy (describing the mood with the weather), but it also creates imagery of there being dark clouds in the sky, also the repeating pedal note that is at the front of the music in the first eight bars gives the feeling of the sound of raindrops, further adding to the illusion of a stormy day.

 43.   What is the objective of each scene/unit? What is the super objective of the play?

The super objective of the musical is to tell the historical true story of the women who striked for equal pay and giving them the recognition that history denied them.

In my opinion there are three possible objectives for the scenes:

Scenes that describe a sub plot – these are scenes that only mildly affect the main plot as they are following the journey of certain characters in their own subplot e.g. scene 8, the school. This scene doesn’t affect what is going on in the story for equal pay, but its objective is to describe a separate story/sub plot to the audience.

Scenes that describe the main plot – just like there are scenes which purport to tell the sub plots, the a re likewise scenes whose objective is to describe the story and journey of the main plot. E.g. Scene 11, this scene describes the conflicting views between the men and women as to whether equal pay should be given to the women factory workers. This dispute and the content of this scene influences the main action and so there for is a scene that Is crucial to telling the story, such is its objective.

Scenes that describe and give background to the characters – Some of the scenes don’t have much effect on any story line, but their main objective is to show depth of the characters to the audience. For example scene 2 shows the character and background of each person as they enter the stage before the main story begins, this is crucial in getting the audience to connect with the characters created.

44.   What are the characters motivations and do they change in each scene?

45.   Does the play relate to any previous theatrical or written work?

46.   If so what are the links between them?

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Evidence of complete character sheet 2 xx

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Action plans for 20/02/17

Action plans Reactions - focus on specific points in the numbers in which reactions need to be improved on. E.g storms clouds scene , lines in payday such as beryl saying 'don't let this worry you Clare' To improve this we will record a rehearsal of these scenes in which we will work on creating a realistic reaction Accents - make sure the vowel sounds are correct for a Dagenham accent. I will do this by record vowel exercises and saying phrases in appropriate accent. Giving feedback to peers on how they could also improve. Truth and belief - making sure that all characterisation is built on the basis of a believeable interpretation I will improve this by completing a character sheet this lesson and performing some hot seating questions.

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SOLA task 1(unfinished)

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evidence of contribution to production process.

I initiated conversation with super kitchen a follws:

 they have then reponded via email:

i have also been given a number to contact them by, but for security reasons, will not post.

[chriswilliamblackshaw]

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Minutes from the first production meeting 

Made in Dagenham 

27/1/17

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notes taken by maddi in the tam meeting on thursday 27th xx in this w created action plans to complete by the next meeting.

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Notes from today's session - 23/01/17

Notes on performance Made in dagenham - more energy at the start, good reactions from Declan and joe when joe ruffles his hair x Connor smiling and projection at the end when he came to the front but physicality needs to be stronger. Payday, me and Matt need to rehearse our This is what we want, rehearse harmonies for 'change Chang change' Scene 3 - sid very good maybe more energy Jacob Prime minister scene - amazing characterisation even in the gesture and voice , just make sure you are still changing the pitch of the lines to add expression as well as the melody. I'm sorry I love you- nice vocals both Rita good but a bit angrier Eddie cute but maybe a bit more butch Dancers bit more confident on vocals and movement. Lisa Hopkins scene amazing Mr buck ton scene relationship between Lydia and Amy amazing, Age old story - emotion is great , gesture to back and pained look really nice , maybe stand up a bit sooner And when she's reminiscing on the good times , show a bit of light and happiness to the face , to show light and shade xx My notes I've received Busy women , more projection , Rita at the line' I had to shoot them' she needs to open out to he audience General note - open all lines out to the audience. All chorus need to research and develop a character. (Given circumstance) some ensemble need to focus more and have confidence, don't look at other women when the chorus come in with the singing and/ or ' we've got this feeling this wonderful feeling' as all the women are in seperate location. Think about expression. Next time run the warm up x Chloe b , chris and I run a vocal warm up Lizzy and Matt run a physical warm up. Made in Dagenham - volume was great, each character needs to be a bit more masculine and more defined. Maybe a bit more animation. Don't wait for blocking , fill the time with imaginative movements. Listen and respond to the soloists. Women factory scene 2 - no one drinks tea past the line 'yeah yeah yeah!' Expressions and characters defined - much bigger and larger with a more consistent amount of ensemble reactions from the lines monty gives and the jokes beryl delivers eg 'he's a master BAKER is he?' This is what we want - more reactions from the funny lines e.g. 'Doors blown off by Michale cane' - a reference to the Italian job 'blow the blady doors off!' Also he's a cockney like the girls. Lewis Hollis was really. Characterised and detailed in payday Consistency of accents in the sid, bill monty and Hopkins. Ready to the line 'what about the girls in dunton' - Dunton Girls need to be taking the mock of me in wossaname xx especially girls at the back need to come forward and react. Prime ministers scenes deliver lines out to the audience and babara needs to stand ground more and be off script for next week so she can remember movements with confidence. Pay day, need to work on the strength of the vocals and the confidence of the movement as it was quite weak. Scene , comical timing of joke by chubby chuff need improvement to ensure the comedy impact on the audience through the delivery of the jokes. For next week , all cast need a clear and defined character that they have researched and developed , next Monday we will do an hour long hot seating exercise in order to test the strength and depth of your character. Dress like the character and look at where I came from. Babara needs to learn lines. Build strength in character Lisa lovely voice but more physicality and confidence. Variation in vocal tone of characters , no flicking hair. 'Stop it!' - house at interpretations of lines