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Our Country's Good - Coggle Diagram
Our Country's Good
structures
directing
INTRO
- 'Wertenbaker’s ‘Our Country’s Good’ is a dramatisation of the landing of the first fleet at Botany Bay. It is based on the novel ‘The Playmaker’ by Thomas Kenneally and tells the harrowing tale of the transportation of British convicts to Australia in the late 18th century.'
- where is extract from and what is happening e.g. 'The extract shows the character’s feelings of desolation, injustice, resentment and bitterness, and is a pivotal moment in the humanisation and redemption of the convicts.'
- intentions for play and extract
MAIN BODY
- 8 key points
- Staging, Costume, Any Design points, Casting, Performing, Quote, Context
- Reference to modern audience - how are you making it relevant to the modern audience? Make sure that the audience understands the points (as the play is set in the past)
- Add context point (with something that’s relevant - a small sentence) e.g. why are they chained together, wertenbaker’s intentions
- Always refer to ‘how is this relatable to the interpretation?’ and ‘what does it show?’
e.g. ‘I would want the audience to… This would be an effective way of showing… I would hope this would portray… By doing this, I would show…”
- how does actor respond, moving onto new actor/moment
acting
SMALL INTRO
- Playright and your intentions for Role: show you know who they are!
- Your starting position on stage, and how you are going to do this scene
MAIN BODY
- Context of the scene - where is it placed?
- Choose a quotation (NOT JUST YOUR OWN):
QUOTE
ACT - vocal choices (reaction noises as well), and physical choices
WHY (including context) and impact on audience
- At end of the paragraph link back to the question and your intention
design
costume
Intention for design: personality/ period specific/ realistic or abstract?
Context
For each character required: start at the underwear and work outwards!
Underwear
Shirt/trousers/slip
Waistcoats/dresses/bodices/a prons
Ornamentation: accessories/shoes
Hair/health
Support descriptions with a sketch of character
Justify each description against context/historical accuracy/ character personality/ scene placement in play
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set design
sketch
introduce artistic aim and intended effect of staging
start with general premise of design
- type of stage, where things are on stage, what they are made of
- more detail, one piece per paragraph - specify certain items, how they are made, designed, and what techniques to make weathered etc.
- link to extract, how used in the play then link to artistic aim and intended effect
sketch, what and details about, why and effect, link to whole extract/play.
'hit and run' approach
work your way through the extract
make sure every direction is considered
include cues, fades, positions, types of sounds/lights
justify all ideas in context of play and extract
context
historical
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A mass of criminals lumped together known as the 'criminal class', and this is how it would have been in England, criminals placed together regardless of age, crime or gender.
Wertenbaker
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For research, she read journals from convicts who were on the First Fleet and visited a prison
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social
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In Georgian times, religion was mainly Church of England
Families didn't have much money (if they were poor) so people weren't educated to write and read, which were skills reserved for rich people
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Homes were basic, factories and lots of overcrowding = disease and death rates increased
Lack of jobs meant people turned to petty crimes to live, and this increased -> government punished more with capital punishment through hanging
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Modern day
Written in 1988 for the Royal Court Theatre under Stafford-Clark, the arts were under scrutiny from
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FOOD
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impossible to grow food on [even though Aborigines had been doing so for 30,000 years] many of
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Social order
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increase in crime, with one in eight living off criminal activities, but Ralph is beginning to recognise
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education - ideas
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the redemptive power of education, mirroring Phillip’s views which were based on the ideas of
John Locke, who felt that criminals could be reformed through education as opposed to severe
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clothes
made of simple and cheap materials - worn over and over again, pale colours and lighter materials due to the heat. But for officers, more navals and richer with gold fasterners
Australia
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hot and humid in summer, warm and dry in winter
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