This Is England

Shaun is seen as a very sad and delicate child. He feels isolated and lonely and the gang that he starts to hang around with can be seen as aggressive  and as bullies also they smoke and drink very frequently. Throughout the play you are able to see that the gang means a lot to Shaun because it makes him feel as though he is finally apart of something special also the Milky can be seen as an ironic name as milk is white however the character playing him is white. I think it shows that the gang aren't racist and that they accept him. They wore big boots, high trousers, braces and had low cut hair.

I think watching the play helped me understand more about skinheads and their culture, also about the types of skinheads that they are and the different reasons there are for skinheads wanting to join a skinhead group/gang. I found the film very interesting.

Evaluate Style

Style:

• Ensemble
• Thrust Staged
• Stream Of Consciousness
• Physical Theatre
• Chorus
• Characters Play Multiple Roles
• No Set Or Props
• Narration
• Changes Location Very Quickly
• Changes Time Very Quickly
• Breaks Aristotle 3 Units (Time, Place, Action)

The play blackout is a very complicated play about a young boy named James who is recalling shocking events in his life that led up to the day that he brutally attacked his Mother.

The blackout play is presented in the style of an ensemble and throughout the play the group work together to show the different thoughts, feelings, emotions and the story going on in James' mind. I think that the use of an ensemble in the play is very effective because as well as showing James' mind in one way it also shows how James felt alone and isolated throughout his life through the play, it is contradictory that he is played by a group of people.

Thrust was a very good way to stage the play because as it is an ensemble you are are able to see all the characters, it makes you more intimate with the audience and can make the audience feel like they are apart of the performance. I think that that fact that the play is a stream of consciousness is great as you can really get into the characters head and us as performers and them as the audience are able to understand the audience more to find out why he does certain things and what makes them tick.

I think the fact the piece was a physical piece is very effective because it is different and unusual from most experiences this means that the audience is more intrigued,it created tension and is very eye catching. The fact that the piece is so emotional and dramatic an abstract piece is better used. The fact that there is no set or props is good because there is never a 100% set location and it switches very quickly, it also means that the audience has to play close attention to the performers to notice the scene change, this means that you always have the audiences attention. Narration was good to use as you are able to clearly see and understand what is going on also you are able to see the scene through someone's point of view so you can see or feel what they see or feel e.g. empathy which may create sympathy for them.

As location and time is changed very quickly the audience is always on their feet as they're feet guessing what will happen next and as this play movies at a fast pace this is a good quality to have.
Overall the play is very effective and enjoyed by the audience.

Interim Assessment

Evaluation

I think that Lara's group achieved a distinction and a Brit grade of 8. I think that the reason they achieved such an amazing grade was because there performance was equally as amazing. Throughout the performance every person in the group was thoroughly engaged and each of them showed depth and detail in the performance. Each person was fully involved and they were enthusiastic and had a great contrast of energy levels. However to improve they could make sure the audience can always see them and make sure their performance is directed to be performed in a thrust style.

I think that Olivia's group achieved a merit and a Brit grade of 7. I think that the reason for my group achieving this level is because everyone was involved in the group and the energy was consistent throughout, also I think that the use of narration was effective in the performance. But to improve we could have acted like more of an ensemble and a chorus - not as separated and individual as we did act due to the fact that we are playing one character. We could have made the play a lot more physical and mysterious and not as literal as it was.

I think that Sam's group achieved a distinction and a Brit grade of 8. I think that the reason for this is because everyone was focused throughout the piece of theatre and the energy levels were very well portrayed and made the piece even more enjoyable to watch. They had high levels of technical skills and physicality in the piece and everyone was involved, also everyone was consistently committed to the character that they were playing. To improve some members of the group should project their voices a little further and make sure that they say the lines correctly also they should make sure that they are aware of the audience on all sides.

I think that D'nai's group achieved a merit and a Brit grade of 7. I think that the reason for this is because all of them stayed in character and were focused throughout their performance in addition each of them showed good levels of technical skills and were passionate about what they were doing plus they had good spacial awareness. But to improve they could act like more of an ensemble and not individual.