Research- Period Props
Background on First World War
The First World War, or the 'Great War' as it was then known, was a war that raged from 1914- 1918. It was mainly fought in Europe however it came to involve countries like the United States of America and Japan. It is estimated that over 9 million soldiers lost there life during the conflict.
The War began on the 28th June 1914 when a Serbian Nationalist assassinated the Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo. This assassination caused Austria- Hungry to declare war on Serbia which in turn divided Europe causing the war to begin. On one side of Europe you had the Triple Alliance (later known as the Central Powers) made up of Germany, Italy and Austria- Hungry and the Triple Entente (later known as the Allied Powers) which was made up of France, Russia and Great Britain.
A large majority of the war was fought in trenches. The trenches were zig zag shaped and dug deep into the ground in order to protect soldiers from advancing enemies. Soldiers would have to spend a long time in the trenches and were constantly under threat of attack not only from advancing enemies but from various diseases like Trench Foot and Trench Fever. Some of the most deadliest battles of the war (like Ypres and the Somme) occurred during the First World War however it was a war unlike any previous war because the soldier were using more advanced weaponry like machine guns, tanks and an air force. Guns like the Lee- Metford rifle were used by the British troops during the war. On the 11th of November 1918 at the 11th hour the Central Powers signed an armistice which ended the war leaving the Allies victorious.
Pictures of the First World War;
Information on the Edwardian Period
The Edwardian Era is said to be a fashionable era brought about after the death of Queen Victoria in 1901 and the coronation of her son Edward VII. This period was a hive of political change which saw women become more and more politically active. It also saw a number of huge event like the sinking of the RMS Titanic and the outbreak of the First World War.
Context of the Show
At the Miskin we are doing the play entitled Oh What A Lovely War. Oh What A Lovely War is a play written by Joan Littlewood which takes a satirical look at the First World War in its entirety including jokes and song which give the show a comedic feel, whilst using slides and accounts from people who served during the war to show the impact it had on the people who were involved. In has become a ground breaking play that has been performed multiple time in both the West End and on Broadway. In 1969 Lord Richard Attenborough made a musical film based on the stage play.
Settings of the play
The show takes place in various settings that are to do with the First World War from trench scenes to scenes that show how the war began.