Research Project @pgarthurmiller - Tumblr Blog

Research Project

Phoebe Guildford - 30001892

Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller was an American playwright during the 20th century, best known for his political plays such as Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, Holocaust, and All My Sons. Miller was shaped by the Great Depression, which brought financial ruin to his father and family. This awareness of the insecurity of modern existence followed him through his career as a playwright and influenced his most significant works.

While many writers offer escapism through their work, leaving them where they found them after a performance, Miller provides social and political engagement that matters. Through his work, he seeks to provoke change and bring the injustices of his society to the forefront. When approaching a new play, he has said to look out for what is in the air, always looking at the world around him and seeing how he can raise those topics in a nuanced way. As well as the storyline, Miller seeks to create characters that connect with people, whether it is the good parts that people like or the parts of ourselves we don't want to admit to. He devises assertive characters that reflect the world surrounding them and a storyline to match.

When asked why he writes, Miller's answer was brief and to the point. First, he said he liked to make something where there was nothing before. He mentioned that he enjoyed doing carpentry, for example. And the second reason, he said, was to bear witness. Each reasoning is reflected in his work and his process. Miller creates plays that stand on their own; the themes and issues may not be original, but the concept is unique and influences people in new ways. He takes a vision, creates something understated, and reflects the world around him. His creations ask the audience their role in the injustices they witness. He takes the injustices of his society and turns them back on themselves.

#Arthur Miller #Research Project

Why Arthur Miller?

“I chose Arthur Miller as a playwright to explore due to his bravery in creating outspoken plays. I admire how his plays reflect the injustices in his society, even when it was not wise to speak out against them. For example, his play The Crucible is strongly deemed to reflect the McCarthy hearings in the 1950s, a political witch hunt against potential communist spies in America. Many people in Hollywood and Miller's circle of friends had been accused and banished from the industry. Hence, his not-so-subtle play placed a certain amount of danger on his career and livelihood in America. However, he anchored his theatrical intervention along the witch-hunting metaphor to comment on the politics of his age in search of truth was submerged in an official environment of fear and to change circumstances. Miller's plays never offer optimism. They are firmly rooted in the realism of the world we live in and the events of our lives. His plays are not meant to touch the individual members of an audience aesthetically but to create a collection based on 'mutuality', which is to say, to make society more social.

Another aspect of Miller's writing style that appeals to me is his casual approach to dialogue. His characters do not speak in flowery words but instead use everyday words, including slang, that add relatability to the characters. This aspect makes me feel like I'm witnessing a small fragment of that person's life, and I'm helpless to do anything about it.

Each of Miller's plays centres around a complex and rugged character that encapsulates the themes and issues present in the script. The characters that he builds show the most vulnerable parts of society. They aren't hopeful or perfect. We don't root for them. Instead, we wait for the car crash that will evidentially happen. Miller uses these characters as a message of warning to his audience of the outcome of not conquering their flaws. I find Miller's characters the most crucial part of his scripts and believe the success of any play must contain solid and complex characters that an audience can relate to.

Miller's approach to characters and storylines drew me to the playwright. I will pull inspiration from his work to assist my work plan as I progress towards my project.”

#Why Arthur Miller

Work Plan

#Work Plan #Plan of Action #Work Hard

Topic

In order to create a play that has an impact and reaches people’s minds and hearts I need to be aware of issues and events that need a voice. To do this I watch news channels (not just the headlines), read blogs and online forums to get an idea of public opinion, and also speak to friends and family to understand what is important to them.

After doing this, I will mind map out the different issues that I personally feel passionate about and ones that I’ve learned from my research that I have become interested in. I will expand on the topics, discussing why they are important to me, who they affect, is it talked about much, what are the possibly directions I could take with it. After this, I will narrow down the topics until I decide on the one where I feel I could create an effective play on.

#Topic #Work Plan

Research

Once I’ve decided on the topic, I will begin my research. This would involve reading news articles written about the issue and research public opinion, especially movements and protests that might be started in its wake. I then will look at mediums created for it like poems, paintings, songs, and other plays. Then, I would reach out in person and online and hold conversations with the people affected by the issue.

#Research

Character

As well as an emotive and poignant storyline, Miller builds beautiful characters that stand on their own. To do this I will look back over my research and see if any characters materialise from the people I’ve met, or the mediums I’ve study. I will also do number of character focused exercises:

#Work Plan #Character

Character - The Stranger

Think about a person you’ve seen recently. They could have been someone you passed on the street, a party or at work. Describe what they looked like, their hair, face, body, and what they were wearing. From this, create a character. Describe how they would talk, their tone of voice, pace, and accent. Then create a story for them, where you use what you’ve observed to build a life for this character. Discuss what they do for a living, what their love life is like, friends and family, political and religious beliefs, and what they do for fun.

#The Stranger

Character - The Object Game

From this list of random objects, choose two and using characters created from the previous task explore the character’s motives. Question why they have these items, what they are going to do with them and where they keep them. Answer questions like are these objects important to them, what do they look like and how long have they had them.

#The Object Game

Character - 30 Questions

After playing around with the previously mentioned exercises, choose one character that you feel is a strong one. With this character, answer the 30 questions in the picture below as though you are the character. Answer how your character would. Maybe they’d avoid certain questions because of their past or maybe they are very open. Write in first person and have fun creating a life for them. Once you’ve created your characters for the play, you can complete this task with them.

#30 Questions

Character - Hot Seating

After developing your character through the previous exercises, take all the information you’ve learned about their personality, demeanour and background and play quick rounds of Hot Seating. Recruit the help of someone to ask short fire questions to you as you embody the character. To help remember what was said, record the session and look back on it when writing your script.

#Hot Seating

Script

After the research and character, start writing the script. Get the words out on the page first and then after completing the first draft, you can go back over and edit it. Once I’ve completed a draft, I’m happy with, recruit some peers to have a table read. Then, make the amendments.

#Table Read #Scriptwriting #Play

Rationale

It is essential to have a plan of action when taking on a big project as it helps you be organised and make the most of your time. A clear and detailed work plan may not remove all obstacles that may come up during my project. Still, it will give me an opportunity to organise my thoughts, evaluate my options and reduce potential difficulties. A strategic plan will ensure that I am on the right track. There is a proper framework through which I can cover each and everything. Work plan makes us adequate utilisation of time, resources, and budget. A clear plan gives me a sense of aim and makes me accomplish short-term and long-term projects. When I make a work plan, new ideas and methods emerge that can be evaluated and then appropriately implemented.

Evaluating my work plan helps me see the benefits of each task and maybe where I can place more of my effort.

Exploring different issues by reading newspapers, watching news shows, reaching out to online communities and friends and family is beneficial to my project. It opens me up to new issues that I was not aware of or fully understood before. It also may reinforce topics that I was passionate about before my exploration. Reaching out to friends and family allows me to hear about issues that affect my community in my area and Wales. Completing this task will help me see the problems that I feel passionate about, new and old, and ideas that I could create from the different topics. Developing the mind map will help organise my thoughts and explore the different routes I could study for each subject. Thus, I can narrow down to the issue I feel most passionate about and the one I believe I could explore the most.

The research element of my work plan is essential in advancing my project. Seeing how others interpret the topic will expand my perception, unlock different facets regarding the issues and help me explore how to produce a play with the case as a base.

Exploring different mediums gives me an insight into how the topic has been viewed creatively and how I can add a unique angle. In my work plan, I will be reaching out to people who connect to the issue I am exploring. This aspect will help me explore even more angles to a problem and get real stories explored in my play. It adds an element of authenticity to my project that will elevate it as a whole.

The Stranger exercise will help me in my initial character development. It allows me to start my creative process by allowing my mind to create a fictional life for almost anyone. It will open my mind to every possibility. I can do this exercise multiple times to get my mind thinking creatively and possibly create the base for critical characters.

My next task will get my thinking about a character's motives. The Object Game allows me to be creative about developing a character's personality. It will start the creation of strong characters that will help me shape a storyline and how they will push the narrative forward.

Completing the 30 Questions will help me get into the character's persona, which I feel has the most potential. It will strengthen the structure of the character, and I will know them very well, which will help me apprehend how they would react in any situation. Understanding my characters is vital in creating a solid and dynamic play because it makes them relatable and realistic. It will also further the creation of my final storyline.

One other game to continue my exploration of my characters is hot Seating. This exercise will help see how the characters will be physically present in the play. It will help me describe their physical presence, voice, and demeanour. The game will further strengthen the characters in my writing and allow the story to progress. It will help my writing and be beneficial for how the actors should embody their specific character.

After creating my characters and finalising my storyline, I will start writing. Instead of over planning my script, writing the first draft will allow me to get my creativity down on a page. It will remove any unnecessary creative blocks and help structure a base for my final draft. Conducting a table read will allow me to see my script's direction, whether the tone is right, and how my characters are being perceived. After the table read, I will see what needs to change, what can be added and what needs to be taken out. This process will also provide me with critical feedback from my peers.

Each element of my work plan ensures that I explore various ideas and utilise my creativity. It will help me keep organised while progressing efficiently. Overall, my work plan will provide a positive progress and finish to my project.

Bibliography

Aziz, A and Korsten, FW. (2021) ‘Actualising History: Responsibilities with Regard to the Future in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible’, Critical Survey, 33(4), 79-92pgs. [Online]. Available at: https://web-s-ebscohost-com.ergo.southwales.ac.uk/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=fd9d96ee-392a-4847-81bc-84657a76191b%40redis&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=152558685&db=hlh (Accessed: 28thFebruary 2022)

Bigsby, C. (2005) Remembering Arthur Miller. Ed 1. eBook Central [e-book reader]. Available at: https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ergo.southwales.ac.uk/lib/usw/detail.action?docID=692111 (Accessed: 27th February 2022)

David Hare. (2018) ‘The best political plays, from The Crucible to The Jungle’, The Guardian, Thursday May [Online]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2018/mar/15/political-plays-david-hare-james-graham-timberlake-wertenbaker-jack-thorne (Accessed: 26 February 2022)

Meredith, C. (2011) ‘Miller’s Answer: Making, Saying, and the Impulse to Write’, Taylor & Francis Journals, 8(1), 71-89pgs. New Writing [Online]. Available at: https://findit.southwales.ac.uk/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_chadwyckhealey_abell_R04446264&context=PC&vid=44WHELF_USW:44WHELF_USW_NUI1&lang=en&search_scope=MyInst_and_CI&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,Arthur%20Miller%20writing%20process&offset=0(Accessed: 28 February 2022)

Meyers, J. (2006) ‘Playwright’s forum: Arthur Miller’s Outtakes’, ProQuest, 15(1), 85-89pgs. Performing Arts Periodicals Database [Online], Available at: https://www.proquest.com/docview/2293619?accountid=15324&parentSessionId=cHmvomJhuPlBkHrAxle7OWV%2BZoWi6Hi9GJpiVAcx5Ik%3D&pq-origsite=primo (Accessed: 29 February 2022)

Radcliffe, M. (2005) ‘Arthur Miller’, The Guardian, Saturday 12 February [Online]. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/feb/12/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries (Accessed: 25 February 2022)

Tewari, A (2020) The Writing Style of Arthur Miller. Available at: https://medium.com/@manas.freelance01/the-writing-style-of-arthur-miller-f6ccbbf33c80 (Accessed: 25 February 2022)

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2022) Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arthur-Miller-American-playwright (Accessed: 26 February 2022)

Trending Blogs

Recently Viewed Blogs

Research Project