Mouthpiece by Kieran Hurley 
Directorial Concept (Oria O'Loughlin)
Themes
Style and Genre
Lighting (Kai Fischer)
Sound (Kim Moore)
Acting
Libby (Shauna Macdonald)
Declan (Angus Taylor)
Genre: Epic Theatre / Brechtian Theatre
Designed to make the audience take action, this style of theatre uses Verfrumdungeffekt (the distancing effect) to remind the audience that they are indeed watching a play and to get them to think critically about the events and characters presented to them.
"Poverty Porn"; using poor people to feel good about yourself
Who owns a story? Cultural appropriation; Declan not being an agent in his own story; Libby profiting off of him
Love and Friendship/Relationships - family, friends, lovers, etc
Meta-theatre and storytelling
Style: Meta-Theatre; 'meta' refers to when something is making commentary on itself. i.e. theatre that comments on the nature of theatre-making.
Lower-class, heavy Edinburgh accent
Upper-class, refined Edinburgh accent
Behaviour and language was improper; swearing, moving a lot, etc
Physically, Declan was slouched, hunched over, hands in pockets, hood up, etc
'Used to be a writer'
Comes across as a friendly, welcoming mother figure
Libby wants to guide Declan and nourish his artistic talents, e.g. gallery visits, gifts of pencils and so on
The character acted as the narrator and the writer, as she wrote the play we are watching
Libby was more open and exaggerated in her movements, compared to a closed-off Declan
Their relationship made each other better or more complete; although this changes to Libby stealing Declan's story for her own gain. To begin with, both thought they were friends, but this developed but was perceived to be a mistake
Costume (Sophie Ferguson)
Declan's costume was stereotypically poor and rundown; using sporting brand tracksuit and sneakers, cap, cropped hair, etc. It appeared as if he were hiding something using costume such as hood, hat, hands in pockets, etc
Libby's costume was more casual, but refined compared to Declan
Costumes were dull, monotonal, greys, browns, etc. The exception was Declan red shirt and Libby's yellow dress at the end of the play
Costumes reflected more confidence through increasing use of colour
Set (Kai Fischer)
White frame bordered the stage; resemblant of a picture frame, TV screen, etc. The frame was used to jump in and out of the play
Minimalistic set design
Three levels in a staircase fashion, black. Levels were used to demonstrate power relationships
The entire set was partly diagonal to the audience seating
between the opening and closing scene, Declan and Libby switched positions; Declan moved from upstage OP side to the table, triumphant whereas Libby moved from downstage centre to the rear of the stage, distraught. Further, who was speaking to the audience had shifted. This could imply who had control of the story
Small image of Siân on the second level of the set
Props used in scene were left behind, as if a memory. Further, it demonstrated the increasing entanglement of each other's lives.
Cold, blue-white side lighting often used during the play.
Moments of breaking fourth wall identified through spotlight; often warm. Cool, dim light on remaining actor.
Blue lighting used to show the police; also used to build suspense when Libby told Declan how his story would end
Lighting used to bring the audience into the final scene and make them part of the performance
Cafe scene was warm and inviting, well-lit, more natural lighting, therefore suggesting it was outside the events of the play, 'real life'.
Warm light used to illuminate Declan post-museum visit, whereas cold light on Libby
Subtle, non-diegetic
Heartbeat was used in the background o many scenes, such as Libby describing theatre, more heated conversations, during panic attack, Declan interrupting theatre
Music from phone 'zoomed out' to become distorted/muffled/slow as actors broke the fourth wall
Fourth wall broken by using a microphone to speak narration
Declan discussing (SOMETHING? SIÂN?) a gentle song playing in the back ground
Projection/Multimedia
The projection of typed words made us realise were were watching a play being written
The projection was used to bring external characters into the play (e.g. Siân, text messages)
Specific plot points, setting and stage directions were shown to the audience. E.g. start of play, location changes, what characters were feeling or thinking or doing, etc etc
The story was Libby's, not Declan. Most obvious in final scene when Declan is acting out different things to what Libby is saying and is being projected
Isolation - Libby and Declan both isolated at start
Mental Health - Declan's anxiety, Libby's alcoholism
To make us think about the real-life implications of the story
Examine the structures of theatre and theatre-making
Declan throws pencils away to throw Libby out of his life!
The playwright states that ultimately his story is about love