A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was born on the 7th of February 1812 and died the 9th June, he was an English social and critic. Dickens was born in Portsmouth and left school to work with his father in a factory with appalling conditions as well as loneliness and despair. Later on his Father was imprisoned for a bad debt. Dickens entire family apart from him were sent to Marshalsea along with their Patriarch. After 3 years of working Dickens finally returned to School. After is Father was released from Prison he became a reporter for 'The Mirror Of Parliament' and 'The True Sun' During Dickens early life he edited weekly journals for 20 years he wrote fifteen novels, five novellas and hundreds of short stories. His success began 1836 serial publication 'The Pickwick Papers'. Some of his best known work include 'The Great Expectations' (1861) 'Oliver Twist' (1843), 'David Copperfield' (1849-50) and 'A Christmas Carol' (1843). Dickens was estranged from his wife in 1858 after the birth of their ten children, however he maintained relationships with hid mistress actress (Ellen Ternan). Dickens stories had many similar concepts within his stories, families which lived in abject, poverty, behind bills, brink of starvation and debt prisons. Dickens wrote much about his own personal life and what he had to experience whilst growing up, especially when his own father was put into a debtors prison because he was behind on bills. Dickens felt his child perspective and previous experience showed the reality of London to the rich and criticised society. Books like Great expectations, David Copperfield and A Tale of Two Cities, highlights poverty in that time creating tension between the haves and the have nots in society. Money was also a factor which re-enforced and created new social tensions, this was due to something called 'old money'. This is a term for money, that has been in the family for a long time and you were more respected if you had it and meant you were of high class. Recurring themes throughout his books were criminality seen in Oliver Twist, role of a father, social hierarchy within David Copperfield. To continue, female empowerment,children and their treatment shown in Oliver Twist and Christmas Carol. Also Dickens criticism of time and society, finding true happiness and redemption.
Dickens was undeniably a fantastic writer and his stories have lived on through centuries and will continue to. Dickens addressed real social problems that were going on and how the upper class would turn a blind eye to many of these problems. One person who Dickens disagreed with was economist Thomas Malthus who wrote an essay on the 'Principle of Population' 1798. Malthus argued that the growth of the population would always outpace the food supply, leading to catastrophic poverty and starvation. Scrooge reflects Malthus with his line "decrease the surplus population" instead of believing that his theory was inevitable Malthus should of helped thinking about more ways to produce food for the growing population, rather than turn a blind eye to the poor which a lot of Dickens stories showed. However, many of these problems still continue today regardless of how many hundreds of years ago it was, sweatshops are still around whereby hundreds of people work extremely long hours for very little pay or even the homeless people we see. This is why I am excited to do the production of Christmas Carol because many of the messages are still relevant today and the importance of redemption.
My thoughts on the play
Before reading the book or watching the film I didn't have much idea of the play and the context. However, once reading the book I really enjoyed it and I was invested in finding out what happened next. I felt the plot was extremely good, how Dickens writing kept you engaged the whole way through. I felt a real sense of redemption from Scrooge and he understood how important it was to change his ways,or he would end up like Marley. I have also watched the Jim Carrey's 2009 adaptation, I loved how supernatural and different each ghost was especially the Ghost of Christmas Present, as he was covered in food and festive clothing shown to be very Santa like. I liked the concept of the church bells ringing, the children Ignorance and Want it captured the horrors of Scrooge and what he looked like inside. The animation brings more of a children's audience in such a classic play, what really got my attention was Marley's ghost and how dark of an atmosphere he created with his chains, following when his jaw dropped. That was a big surprise to all of us! Scrooge was also portrayed perfectly to how he was described with his chin, nose and frown. We also watched the 1984 adaptation directed by Clive Donner. I had more of a sense of seriousness within the film, and a sense of urgency for Scrooge to become a different man. I didn't feel as scared, watching this version, this may be due to technology that was used in those times. I loved how the Cratchit family was shown, as a loving and caring family that is described and really feeling bad for Tiny Tim. Finally, after reading our script during class I felt it was well written and all the important events were kept in. However, I would've liked if the script had the full detail of scrooge describing him as 'hard as a flint' the full description definitely illustrated how horrible Scrooge was. I am interested to see where we take this play and our company's adaptation on it, thinking about how important our character work will need to be.
Victorian Era
Queen Victoria reigned from 1837-1907 she ruled for 64 years although she had limited power. Citizens disliked royalty and had little respect for the throne, the Victorian government was the earliest constitutional monarchies of the world and Victorian society was based on class. Britain managed to build a huge empire during the
Victorian period. It was also a time of tremendous change in the lives
of British people. In 1837 most people lived in villages and worked on
the land; by 1901, most lived in towns and worked in offices, shops and
factories.Electricity had not been invented yet therefore people used gas lamps or candles were used for light.There were no cars meaning people either walked, travelled by boat or train or used coach horses to move from place to place.
- Britain became the most powerful and richest country in the world. Having the largest empire that ever existed, which ruled a quarter of the worlds population.
- Towns and cities now had piped water, gas, and by the end of the century electricity.
- The number of people living in Britain doubled from 16 million to 37 million. Which caused a huge demand in food, clothes and housing.
- Machines and factories were built to meet this demand and new towns developed. This changed landscapes and the way people lived and worked.
- Railways, originally built to transport goods, meant people could travel easily around the country for the first time. They bought new foods to towns and cities.
- Soldiers were at war all over the world especially in 1850 - 1880.
- Many households had a servant or servants – in 1891, 2 million servants were recorded in the census
- Seaside holidays became popular.
- Police force were invented.
- At the beginning of the Victorian period crossing the Atlantic took up to eight weeks. By 1901 it took around a week.
- New cookers and gadgets for the home were invented.
Upper Class
- King, Queen, Aristocrats, Nobles, Dukes, Spiritual lords.
- Higher Upper Class- Great officers of England, Baronets, temporal Lords.
- Lower Upper Class- Country wealthy gentlemen, large scale businessmen
Middle Class- They had jobs with a set salary
- Higher Middle Class- high in terms of salaries and social status compared to lower.
- Lower Middle Class- Worked on the orders of higher middle class
Working Class
- Skilled Class- Unskilled labors working under their supervision.
- Unskilled Class- Worst category labor people.
Underclass
- The poor- Poor and Orphans who relied on charity of others.
- Prostitutes- Were bottom of society
This research helps me to see where I would base me and other characters with class, for example I am a lower upper class man, because I am a business man who is wealthy and has someone else working for me. Fred is also a lower upper class man and Bob Cratchit is a working class man. This will help me emphasise how I judge others and the way in which I will talk and behave towards others especially of a lower class.
Supernatural beliefs in the Victorian times
Christmas Eve was traditionally the time to tell scary stories around the hearth, ghost stories began in pages of the weekly newspapers through Britain and US. Professor Ruth Robins from the Metropolitan University of Leeds stated people needed something to talk about and ghost stories were a perfect fit. Before the start of the Victorian Era 1837, the ghost genre was failing, however in 1837 when Mary Louise Molesworth wrote 'The Story of the Rippling Train'. The character Mrs Snowdan was bemoaning ghosts prevalence "One hears nothing else nowadays". The 19th century writers were adapting to exploiting creaking floorboards, creepy servants and gas lamps that caused hallucinations. Ghost stories related to economic changes, the industrial revolution led people to migrate from rural villages to town and cities creating new middle class and they moved to houses with servants. Professor Robins says servants were 'expected to be seen and not to be heard- actually, probably not even seen' and that is why servants are used a ghost like figures in plays. Lighting provided in gas was sometimes carbon monoxide which produced people to have hallucinations and made people encounter ghosts in their daily life. In 1850 there was a rise of spiritualism which was the belief that the living could contact the spirits. Spiritual photography was also popular during Victorian times, photographer William Mumler would photograph his clients and add spirits to the photos. Mumler would take advantage of families that had lost loved ones during the civil war, claiming he could photograph the dead. A Christmas Carol created a secular Christmas story, it was published and serialised in several newspapers which sold well. Dickens story influenced a growing trend for marking Christmas with secular celebrations and it was a story to be passed down generations.
From my understanding Ghosts were talked about sort of like gossip, people had stories to tell to one another but never really understood if they were real or not like rumours. I believe Scrooge being very ignorant wouldn't have believed in ghosts and felt they were lies, therefore whilst acting I have to show how shocked and scared I am to Marley for the first time. I (Scrooge) do not want to believe that they're real 'because a slight thing of the stomach affects them', showing Scrooge feels he himself may be having a hallucinations.
Life of Upper class
Birth mattered more than income, a lazy impoverished cousin of duke would be more accepted than a self made millionaire. A rich baby boy had governors/nannies, went to boarding school as an child then went onto Eton, Harrow boys or Oxford. Girls were educated at home ready for marriage. The eldest son inherited his fathers estate. May to July were social months which included theatre, dance. August to November is shooting season (Goose and Stags) and Winter many families went abroad.
This list has taught me the very different social classes within the Victorian era and how as I am playing Scrooge where I am (Lower upper class) and where Fred is (Middle class) and Bob Cratchit (Skilled working class). As Scrooge being a snobby rich man I begin to see not only does he treat people badly but also by their class and how he speaks to others especially Cratchit. As I go through each character matching their class I will begin to see how their class effects how I talk to them.
Life as a poor person
Growing up poor meant you have very little luxuries. You could only eat food you could afford, they had to work long hours for very little wage and lived in houses which were filthy and damp conditions, many children died from diseases. Poor families had a lot of children within them therefore every child that was able to work went as they all needed to support the family. Children did not have the chance to attend school and therefore couldn't receive the high paying jobs, girls would taught the work around the house to prepare them for marriage whilst the boys prepare for labour work.
This information was useful as I can see how ignorant Scrooge is to the life of the poor and how he may just see it as, the poor should be able to work for their money or just go to a workhouse, but poor children aren't given the opportunity to read or write making their chances ten times harder. In rehearsals I will emphasise how ignorant Scrooge is to the poor as he was born into a much more easier life and the only time he speaks to the poor is when talking to Cratchit. I also see why the Cratchit family is so humble at Christmas because they are so grateful for the little they had which would have been many families in that same situation.
Workhouse
Before the 1834 poor law act poor people were looked after by the money collected from land owners and wealthy people, which they could then by clothes and food etc. The workhouse didn't just include poor people but orphaned children, abandoned children, physically and mentally sick person, disabled, elderly and unmarried mothers. The poor law ensured no able-bodied person could get poor relief unless they lived in special work houses. The idea behind the workhouse was to teach people that they would no longer get free support but you had to work for it.
They provided a place to live, work, free medical care, food, clothes, free education for children and training for a job. The staff included Master, Matron. Medical officer, Chaplain, porter and school teacher. The workhouse also included a Dining hall, dormitories, kitchen, school rooms, nurseries, chapel, mortuary, bakery, laundry, tailors, shoe makers, vegetable gardens and small farm.
The Governments idea was to make sure people feared the workhouse and no longer wanted to encourage lazy people. Whilst entering the workhouse, everyone was stripped and bathed, women, men and children had different living areas therefore families were split up and you could be punished for trying to speak to them. Education did not included, the basics of reading and writing, to help the children for jobs. Moreover, the people living in the workhouse had to wear uniform meaning everyone looked the same and people outside the workhouse knew that was where they were from. The food was tasteless and was the same everyday. Also young and old were made to work, children could be sold to factories or mines.
From this information about workhouses I see why the first Solicitor says to Scrooge many 'Would rather die' whilst referring to going there because of its strict conditions. It is evident that because Britain was so divided during Victorian times many did not have a choice of going and how they tried to stop the number of poor people. I believe as Scrooge he would support the ideas of the workhouse and working for what you want. Therefore my attitude towards the Solicitors and poor will be extremely harsh as Scrooge feels they are useless and 'fools'.
There were many rules within the workhouses and failure to follow these rules meant you would be punished accordingly.
- Making any noise when silence is ordered to be kept.
- Uses obscene or profane language.
- By word or deed insult or revile any person.
- Threatening to strike or to assault any person.
- Not duly cleanse his person.
- Refuse or neglect to work, after having been required to do so.
- Pretend sickness,
- Play at cards or other games of chance.
- Entering or attempt to enter, without permission, the ward or yard appropriated ti any class of paupers other than that to which he belongs.
- Misbehave in going to, at, or returning from public worship out of the workhouse, or at the prayers in the workhouse.
- Returning after the appointed time of absence, when allowed to quit the workhouse temporarily.
- Wilfully disobey any lawful order of any officer of the work house
Factories
In the factory adults and children worked a twelve hour day a mid-day break for one hour and short breaks for breakfast and tea. Many factories put their money before safety, as a result children and young women were employed in bad conditions in textile mills and mines. Furnaces were operated without proper safety checks, leaving workers deafened by steam hammers, crippled or left with deformities. There was no holidays.
1833 Factory Act:
- Children banned textiles under 9.
- 9-13 yr old limited to 9 hrs per day 48 hrs per week.
- 13-18 limited to 12 hrs a day 69 hrs per week.
- All children under 11 yrs must have 12 hrs of education.
- Government factory inspectors to enforce the law.
1842 Mines and Collieries Act:
- All women and children under 10 were banned from working underground.
- No one under 15 was to work winding gear in mines.
1844 Factory Act:
- Minimum age for working in factories reduced to 8 years old.
- 8 to 13 years old to work a maximum of six and a half hours on weekdays and only six hours on Saturday.
- 13 to 18 year old to work a maximum of 12 hours a day and the same applied to women.
- Safety guards had to be fitted to all machines.
- Three hours education a day for children.
Researching this factory information has allowed me to see exactly the hard labour Tiny Tim experiences he is working a full day everyday and does not receive food that will help improve his body. Once the Ghost of Christmas Present shows me Tiny Tim I will think of the factories and all the children that have to struggle day in and day out to help their families and feel the pain of those children.
The Poor Law
The poor law was introduced in 1834 nine years before A Christmas Carol was published. The idea of this law was to reduce the cost of living for the poor within the Victorian era and to take beggars of the street. It encouraged poor people to work hard to support themselves. Unemployed men were treated harshly, poverty became a crime and union workhouses were being built and depression and high unemployment. Workhouses were for people who couldn't provide and the poor law attempted to reverse the economic trend by giving relief to anyone who refused to enter. Poor Relief- was the Government and ecclesiastical action to relieve poverty. Over Centuries various authorities needed to decide who's poverty deserves relief and who should bear the cost of helping the poor. It was not the responsibility of the government but more the local parish. A poor rate or local tax paid by parish householders were used to help those too ill, old, destitute, orphan were put into a poorhouse/workhouse. The able but their wages were too low to support themselves/family received relief money food or clothes.
This was useful research because I did not have any understanding of the Poor Law, I feel sorry for the poor living at the time because it was extremely hard to get out of poverty. The consequence of this was the workhouse and that was a awful place to be, however from Scrooge's point of view he would not care that is extremely hard to escape. Scrooge would believe if that law is set then there is no excuse for the poor not to have money but pays Bob Cratchit so little. This will allow me to keep my ignorant characteristic and how unfair I am to the poor.
Treadmill
The treadmill was used to punish people sentenced to hard labour in prisons. Prisoners would walk the wheel, to generate power to make flour to make money for jail. This was how the prisoners made money to pay their keep, however later there was no pay for prisoners and just used as punishment. A tread wheel or treadmill is a form of a engine typically powered by humans or animals.
At first reading the script I did not know what the Treadmill was, now understanding what the Treadmill is I will understand how to put the lines in the script into context.
Bedlam
Bedlam was the first hospital to specialise in people called mad or lunatic, Bethlem was the hospitals original name however its nickname Bedlam overtook it. Bethlem began as a religious order founded in the 13th Century, dedicated to St Mary of Bethlehem. Bethlem hospital, more than a mental asylum but a landmark which was right by Bishops gate. By 1400 it had become a medieval hospital however,it did not have medical care, but a refuge for strangers in need. Building it was housed, from 1676 so opulent compared to Palace of Versailles. Bedlam was a famous tourist attraction alongside Westminster Abbey, London Zoo and inspired many poems, dramas and works of Art.
I was not aware of what Bedlam was either so this research has allowed me why I say "I'll retire to Bedlam", because I (Scrooge) believes that everyone around him are the mad ones however Scrooge's absurd behaviour is so different to everyone and Scrooge thinks hes normal.
Clothes
Upper Class Women
Ladies wore long skirts or dresses, they never showed their legs. At the beginning of the Victorian era skirts went straight down. It then became fashionable for women to wear their skirts spread over large hoops. By the end of the Victorian era, the hoop disappeared from view and it was back to slimmer skirts, although now sporting a bustle complimented by a shawl. Ladies wore a corset to pull-in their waist, young
Victorians tried to have a waist the same size as their age. That meant seventeen year old for a sixteen inch waist.
Men
Victorian men often wore a waist coat, most
wealthy Victorian men wore a top hat. The majority of Victorian
gentlemen used a walking stick, or cane.
Children
Children were often dressed in a miniature version of their parents.
Poor families don’t usually have
enough money to buy clothes or clothing materials, so they usually have
only a few pieces of clothing. Most of their clothes are hand-me-downs,
unlike the fashion ofthe rich that change every decade.Most children wear clothes sown by their own mothers, and housewives learn how to tailor from a very young age.Poor Victorians buy their clothes from second-hand, third-hand or even fourth-hand clothing stores, but as long as they were wearable, they were as good as any.
It is important to look at the clothing of the time as this research will help me prepare my costume for Scrooge and the other characters within the novel.
Themes
Change
Change is a big theme within the play, we see a drastic change in Scrooge's character, we see him being described with similes on the first page such as ' hard as a flint' highlighting that people could not break him down or if they get too close they might hurt themselves. It goes on to list a few adjectives 'Squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching' this could express how he holds on to his money at all costs. Furthermore, 'nobody ever stopped him on the street' indicating nobody wanted to be around him and his melancholic ways. When Christmas was spoken about his reply was "Bah, Humbug" but by the end of the novel he "Honours Christmas with all his heart", showing that the Ghosts changed scrooge's perception on not only just Christmas but life. Whilst his encounter with the fist ghost Scrooge sheds a "tear",showing his heart as just begun to warm up again, breaking the "cold temperature" he carried with him. By the end of the novel Scrooge is described with different similes "light as a feather" which could indicate the chains he was bearing during his life have now been lifted off him. Scrooge is also "As happy as an angel" representing his new found purity. He changes his not only his work relationship with Bob Cratchit but also becomes a 'second father' to Tiny Tim showing his changed heart and finally after many years decided to join his nephew Fred on Christmas.
Class
We are able to see different classes being portrayed within A Christmas Carol, upper class, middle class and the poor. During the time Dickens wrote the novel poverty was a huge issue and Dickens was able to relate to their situations. If you were poor during those times you relied on your parish to provide for you and people like Scrooge could have made a different to these people lives instead when the solicitors who are normally middle class asked for money Scrooge asked if there were no 'prisons', 'treadmill' and if the 'poor law' was in action. This was many of the upper class business men responses because they felt it was the poor fault and that they should 'decrease the surplus population' to make matters easier. We then have the Cratchit family although Bob would have been considered a lower middle class worker, because Scrooge paid him extremely little he was practically poor as his son tiny Tim had to work in the workhouses for extra money. This left many of the children crippled, deformed and in worse cases dead. When we reach their home for Christmas we see how humble they are and grateful for the little they have, a goose was their equivalent to a turkey because they could not afford it whereas the rich would have a turkey plus the banquet. Poverty is definitely shown within the Ghost of Christmas yet to come, the part of the town, scrooge 'had never penetrated before' the walls 'foul and narrow' it is described as 'slipshod and ugly', emphasizing Scrooge had never seen where the poor have to stay and the conditions they live in and now knowing that it is not their fault where they are born into'. It is made very clear that Scrooge did not treat the people who worked for him fairly as the laundress and Charwoman gladly took his belongings to gain profit, showing Scrooge had no respect for any class lower than himself so they showed the same disrespect once he had died.
Money
Money is a big topic within A Christmas Carol, the main issue is Scrooge adjectives like 'clutching' and 'squeezing' highlight his obsession for money. His partner Marley also had an obsession for money as he now wears the 'ponderous' chains he forged, he must live with his regrets for eternity. Scrooge does not want to give a penny to charity and when Bob Cratchit asks for Christmas day off he claims Bob is 'robbing' him of his money. Scrooge's life became so consumed in wealth and possessions that when the Ghost of Christmas Past showed him Belle he broke down, 'another idol has displaced me', showing his greed for money and love for materialistic things overtook his love for Belle and a 'golden one' at that. We see in the Cratchit family how happy they are to be together on Christmas with the little money they have Tiny Tim is refereed to as 'good as gold' in church because he is rich from the heart and not just in wealth. We also see in the Ghost of Christmas present show to animal like children from his robe the boy was ignorance and the girl was want, these children could be representing want Scrooge looks like from the inside and how he is seen from the world. It also shows him to be careful of his ugly ways and not letting the want of money turn him any more into a monster. Moreover, for Scrooge to no longer be ignorant to the poor but to understand and learn from them instead of dismissing them. Whilst seeing into the future it seems no one cared that Scrooge had died but rather his money and materials, the business men regard his funeral as likely to be 'Cheap', Scrooge had all that money however lost everyone around him at a cost. The Charwoman and Laundress also benefit from his death as they sell his bed curtains and possessions, Scrooge really did 'frighten everyone whilst he was alive' so that they could 'profit when he was dead'. Finally a couple were also relieved of Scrooges's death and they were in debt with Scrooge and of course for unfair reasons. His nephew Fred however was the opposite of Scrooge, when he heard about the death of Tiny Tim, he reached out as hand to Cratchit and the people mourned his death and he had no money once he died. By the end of the play Scrooge is offering out money to the poor, buys a turkey for the Cratchits and puts in a huge donation for the charity. This shows money cannot always buy you happiness and not to forget about your friends and family for the greed of materialistic things.
Christmas
The Christmas spirit is filled in this play however Scrooge was the only one who did not appreciate the Christmas spirit but rather people should be 'boiled in their own pudding', expressing how much he despises Christmas. It is evident in the ghost of Christmas Past that Christmas was a time to celebrate and enjoy the festive spirits. Fezziwig holds a party fall all the employee's on Christmas eve whereas Bob had to beg Scrooge to have the Christmas Day off. We also see the Cratchit family are grateful to spend Christmas together, although the poor (daughter Martha) still had to work on Christmas day. They are a humble family with the little food that they have, but rather focusing on the money they focus on family. The Narrator then explains that the Christmas Spirit reaches a 'Solitary lighthouse' a 'Ship at sea' and everyone 'good or bad had a kinder word for one another', emphasising everyone was affected by the Christmas spirit and put their differences aside. By the end of the novel Scrooge says he will 'honour Christmas with all his heart, showing that the Ghosts have shown him not only is Christmas about having to spend money but about the people and family around him and the joy of the day.
Isolation
In this play we see isolation portrayed in different ways, firstly the Cratchit family, they are isolated from the other social classes in society, they do not have the same privileges as other class children and by the way they dress and speak would show this. Fred is also isolated from his uncle Scrooge, Scrooge may hold resentment towards Fred as his sister Fan died giving birth and would Scrooge feel different towards him if Fan was still here. Scrooge is of course isolated from society nobody asks him "how are you" because he has frightened of society with his greed for money. In The vision of the Ghost of Christmas Past we see Scrooge isolated from the other kids at School reading books rather than enjoying the festive spirit this could indicate that because he was never with family he never enjoyed Christmas but when he earned money dismissed it completely.
Time
Time is an interesting topic, as Scrooge had an encounter with all the three ghosts in one night but to him it felt like several days, and encompass many years worth of emotional crises and reversals. Marley also shows how his time on earth has effected his time during death and how the seven years he has bared heavy chains through the way he has treated others. We also see Scrooge's development over time with money a first he started as an jovial employee but as time went on, we see the more money he received the more evil he became and how that affected his relationship with Belle. There is also a race to save Tiny Tim, if Scrooge does not manage to change his ways then Tiny Tim will die. Scrooge also had to change before he past as nobody cared he died rather the money he left behind.
Skills
Gestures
Gestures are a form of non verbal communication in which visible bodily actions which are used to communicate important messages, place of speech or both together. Whilst I am playing the role of Scrooge I have decided to use different gestures to make the character very different to me. I decided to keep my hands close together and rub them from time to time, to show I'm restricted from other people and I am not open to people. I also point my finger at people a lot to emphasise I'm in control and have the power over other people. When the business man ask for Scrooge to support the charity he sighs and shakes his head, expressing he is fed up with the men coming to his work year after year. Gestures help me to show my authority and lack of care for the other character's.
Articulation
Articulation is a formation of clear and distinct sound in speech, speech is important to me as I am changing my voice to a deep posh accent. Therefore I need to make sure I am pronouncing all of my words clearly, one way I can do this is by warming up my voice before rehearsal, this could include, making 'Cuh' 'Duh' Puh' 'Ooo' 'muh' sounds rolling my tongue around my mouth several times and tongue twisters 'She sat upon the balcony'. These are all useful in helping me pronounce my words better.
Vocal Projection
Vocal projection is the strength of speaking and singing the voice is used loud and clearly. Vocal projection is important to allow me to speak clearly throughout the play to the audience so that they can connect from the start of my journey to the end it is important that they hear me so they do not loose interest and my voice travels through. Although I am using a different voice I should be able to still deliver to best of my ability. One exercise I can use is leaning down to one side and throwing myself over the other side with my voice and the same time going from low to high. I should get used to speaking loudly in rehearsals so that it is the same when we move to the theatre.
Stage Presence
A certain charisma and charm that a theatre actor possesses that draws in an audience/ grabs full attention. So although I am playing the character of Scrooge and I am not liked by anyone I have to show this in the most fun way possible. I really have to be over the top with how horrible I am to others so that the audience engage with me from the start.
Stage awareness
The ability to be aware of oneself in the space, it is an organised knowledge of actors and props in relation to oneself given space. During rehearsal I've really been looking at the space that we are using, one prop in particular is the chair in my office that gets moved to my house and making sure that we do not act around that chair but rather move away. I also think about my relationship with the actors on stage and whether I should be close or far away from them, for example in the first scene with Marley and I, I stand very far away from him opening up the space to show I am scared of him. By the end although not sticking to one part of the stage I am able to be closer to the different characters and skip around with joy to show change. One exercise our ensemble could do to help balance out the space is when we walk around the room and make sure all the space is covered, to help everyone's special awareness.
Body language
The type of way which our bodies communicate our own or a characters attitude. Audience can pick up the characters age, emotion, status and health. My body Language has to be a complete contrast to my normal self as I am playing a 50 yr old man. I will walk with a hunch back to show the metaphorical image of the chains I have created over the man years which are weighing me down already. I will also take very small bouncy steps to illustrate I am old. I will also use a walking stick at the beginning to show my status and rich men had sticks in those days showing status. Once I have been changed by the three Ghosts I will walk slightly more upright and not so restricted in my walk to show the mental and physical change which has come for Scrooge.
Voice
Voice represents a character or to provide information to an audience or user, for scrooge my voice is deeper and well spoken where I roll my R's also. Letting the audience know that I am of a higher class compared to the Charwoman who speaks with a cockney accent.
Accent
An accent is a distinctive mode of pronunciation of a language, nation or social class. Linking this to voice my accent shows that I am of a upper class division and I really over pronounce my words and elongate my vows to do what may have been seen as a stereotypical version of the voice.
Stanisvlaski System
Magic If
The magic if is having the ability to imagine yourself in fictional circumstances and how I would react to that situation in real life. It is important to put myself in the shoes of the character to determine how I would react. For my character of Scrooge it will be useful to think of something/ someone I hate or get annoyed with easily and carry that hate threw with every character I encounter in the first scene to make it as believable as possible. I have to really think about a time I needed to change and knew there was no other option so that I'm now desperate for change to be a better person within myself and that can help me build character. The magic if teaches me to really believe the circumstances that I am faced with and how would I really react if I was in that characters position and how I would carry myself.
Emotional Memory
Emotional memory is the recall of physical sensations surrounding emotional events, this could be used in various ways during this play. I need to think back on a time when I really hated someone and show that on all the characters, I remember a time in primary school when a boy and I hated each other we could not stand each other and we said mean things to one another I will channel in a use that anger I had for him to show on the other characters. Regarding the painful loss of my sister Fan and Fiance Belle I need to think back to a time I lost someone, this could be one of my childhood friends who past when we were just ten and I have to remember the shock and hurt I felt but try and not let my emotion get the best of me on stage. I then need to also channel into a time where I knew I needed to change otherwise I would just continue to go downhill, this memory is quite recent, when I was ill I knew I had to change my lifestyle for the better otherwise I would continue to get worse. I felt Emotional memory has given me an easy way to lock in with my emotions on stage and be able to connect to the character I am playing on stage and it becomes not only believable to me but to the audience also.
Given Circumstances
Given circumstances
is the
total set of environmental and situational conditions which influence the actions that a character in a drama undertakes. I believe my situation is that i am a horrible stingy man who does not like anyone to begin with I have to react to everyone in a negative way. i then go on through my journey with the three ghosts one which reminds me of hurt of my looses therefore i am sad in that scene. one teaches me to be humble as i see the lives of others around me and finally the need to change my ways in life so i am afraid. the environment will be shown by the way i talk with a posh accent, the way i walk with my stick to make the audience believe as well. This has taught me how to create a world and more clear understanding for my character throughout the play and how I am able to react in certain circumstances.
Subtext
The underlying personality of a dramatic character as implied or indicated by a script or text and interpreted by an actor in performance. The exercise that really helped me understand this is writing down what the characters say about me in the script. i can then see how my character is portrayed for example "A tight-fisted hand at the grindstone" implying my obsession for money and power, "he frightened everyone away" showing my horrible nature and how I treat others. Subtext has helped me build my character and allowing me to see Scrooge through different perspectives
Objective
An objective is the reason for our actions, what we want to achieve during the play. The characters, setting and situation can all put barriers in our way, these barriers are the objectives presenting a way to get through them. My objectives are important throughout the play for example in the end scene Scrooge's objective is to rebuild his broken relationship and begin to give instead of taking all the time.
Super-Objective
The super-objective is the over-reaching objective, probably linked to the overall outcome in the play.
Through Line
The through line is one method used by actors and directors to give a performance direction. It is linked to the theme or central idea of the play. This idea of a textual spine is a useful editing tool for the writer, too. Through line has taught me that it is important for us as actors to use it carefully, I may behave differently with a particular character because they may disagree with the main idea of the play. It helps me have a sense of direction, and where I'm going as a character in the play.
Method of Physical Action
Stanislavski developed the "method of physical actions," to solve the dilemma of spontaneous emotion in a created environment. By this I mean, the actor performs a physical motion or a series of physical activities to create the desired emotional response for the character
In class we made a timeline of our rehearsals and our goals for each week/month, this helps us keep a schedule and be more organised in rehearsal time so that we are ready for the performance.
In our lesson we read through a summary of the play and our initial thoughts, I've studied the play for my GCSE therefore I am very familiar of the play and was excited to hear we was performing it. I think the play really catches the spirit of Christmas during the 18.. and how important it was to the people. I also like the themes within the play such as change, redemption and family. I enjoy how Dickens used his creative ideas to use ghosts of different times to change Scrooge's outlooks on life.
For our first task we had to create a freeze frame representing one of the themes, Jaychelle, Kenya and I decided to show the theme of change and for this we done the evolution line. We had Kenya who was an early Scrooge kneeling down and frowning and folded arms to the undeveloped and cold hearted Scrooge. Jaychelle was in the middle standing up, however she was pleading with her hands reached out in front as if she was about to pray showing the change within. Finally I was sat on a chair with my hands open wide and smiling, to show the final transformation of Scrooge. This exercise was effective as it allowed us to have an overview of what the theme change meant to us.
We then had to bring the image alive by adding a sentence into it, I decided to say "Go and deliver the Turkey", which highlighted Scrooge from being selfish to generous.
Our next task was to come up with a 10 mins piece covering the whole play in any style that we wanted to. Our group decided to do a musical version and added in modern songs and dance routines, I really liked our work and thought it was effective so that we get a better understanding of the text and also play around with the production to see what ideas may arise.
I also like the other groups summary of the play, they made it into a game version whereby the narrator would role a dice of Scrooge's choices however, he would never get the choice he wanted. I felt this was a smart way to show that Scrooge has no way of changing his fate and how he should change his ways.
The next week the actors and musical theatre group worked together to create Tableaux of certain scenes. We started by choosing the theme we felt was most important in our small groups we chose Redemption. We showed this by having a old Scrooge (Gabriel) where his head was upright, shoulders back and looking out into the distance whilst Annie was reaching for scrooge on the ground begging and Becca was mid-fall as if Scrooge had pushed her. This side of the Tableaux was showing Scrooge's horrible ways and the way he treated others and the use of levels represented not only the different class but how he viewed the world. We then had my side of the picture where, I was Scrooge and Savanna was the poor boy at the end of the play and I was reaching out my hand to give him money, we were standing at the same level to show Scrooge now viewing everyone equally. We received general feedback from the class and the main point was making it more clear of the two different scrooges therefore we had me and Gabriel go back to back and the scene in front to show we were the same.
We then put everyone's Tableaux together and placed uniquely around the room, this was created as one of the ideas for our opening scene.
Furthermore, we then created a tableaux of Fezziwigs party, we had some of us in pairs in a dance position and some people dancing, we then brought the scene alive, whilst some of us waltzed others stood and spoke creating a more realistic party atmosphere. We then joined groups and put all our tableaux's together to create a big party scene, we then brought the picture to life. This task was useful as it allowed us to think about setting the scene within our production and how we can use these within our play.
Today we worked on creating in groups a small scene for the different Ghosts within the play, showing the key events. My group worked on the Ghost of Christmas Past, we first showed the ghost introducing himself to Scrooge. Abe decided to become the Ghost he done this by gently flapping his arms and walking on his toes, he done this to give his body movement more of a ghostly feel. We then showed the Ghost and Scrooge were flying by using physical theatre of making building with our bodies to make the scene more believable. We then had Ally and I as young kids skipping around Scrooge as he sees his School in front of him, to help set the scene. We decided to have the character in a freeze frame and then Scrooge walks into the scene to help with swift transitions. We started with Fan in a running position as she went to share the good news with Scrooge, we then went into Fezziwigs party and we used our Freeze frame from last lesson to set the scene. I played Belle and I then changed into a shocked position, my knees slightly bent, my hands covering my mouth and eyebrows raised this was to show my excitement of receiving Scrooge's surprised. Scrooge went off stage and I quickly changed to holding the Ring in my hand ready to throw it. This was effective to show the quick change within Belle's emotion.
Another group I liked was Brad's especially Brad's character he played one of the maids who steals dead Scrooge's curtains, I liked the physicality of showing the curtains on his back he had a hunched back, staggering walk and kept his hands behind his shoulder. This really made me imagine he was holding curtains and he also added comedy in his character which made it more enjoyable to watch.
In today's lesson we learnt a dance for the play for the song 'It's a hard knock life', for now this will in just after the ghost of Christmas present disappears.
In today's lesson we worked on characterisation work, as the narrator my character does not have a specific role therefore I took the path as an performer during those times. We started off with lying down as our character and waking up to begin our day, I decided to set myself in a middle-class house, I dressed myself, washed and brushed my teeth and had porridge, fruits and tea for breakfast. I dressed myself, I wore trousers, a shirt with a waistcoat, then left my house. I said hello, to everyone on the street and went to set up my wooden stage in the middle of the town. I performed shows for the children poor in particular using myself and puppets. At the end I would give toys to the children who were not fortunate to have their own. At the end of the day I went to the pub to socialise, then went home to my family to have dinner, we had potato's vegetables and small bit of steak. I spent time with the family then went to bed. This exercise was important to begin to find the life of our character and so the character becomes more believable for us. We then had to think of a gesture that our character carried, I decided to show me bending over to reach the toys and then giving them to the children. We then walked around the space bringing our movements to 10, therefore over exaggerating every part of our body and facial expressions. This was useful as it allowed us to be brave with exploring our characters and seeing how big or how little we create our character/gestures.
After that exercise we had to think of a word that described our character, mine was humble as I believe I view everyone equally and that I give whenever I can but I do not boast about the good work I have done. Whilst we done this we had to make sure we found a rhythm for our character in the way that they move. Furthermore, we added a line to our gesture and matched with the way we moved, I said "Ebenezer Scrooge" however I started big with "Ebenezer" as I was reaching over, then once I reached the ground I had a much more softer tone, to show me starting off with my performer voice but then becoming gentle as I talk to the children. We done this exercise because our word determined how we behaved e.g. spoke to others, how we carried ourselves. Although I was a performer whilst talking to others I remained calm and allowed everyone to speak to me.
We then went on to Hot seating, hot seating is important as we are able to find different layers of our characters and unique traits for them, its always good for us to gain more background knowledge on the characters because it could determine how you treat others. I decided to call myself William Smith better known as Mr. Lucky as when I give the toys to the poor kids I say 'its your lucky day', I am also religious I believe in God and heaven. Another question was did I have a rough childhood, I said I was quite fortunate I had a roof over my head although my father was working constantly. Also when I had an interest in storytelling, my response was I was also interested it made me feel good and I liked seeing other people happy. I also liked to give to people when they are unable to afford because it can really change someone's mood. My guilty pleasures are custard creams, apple crumble and shoes.
We do characterisation work so that we begin to really embody our character and it will then determine how we are with other characters. Hot seating also allows you to start to think as the character and not yourself, so we understand every detail about ourselves.
Rehearsals
In today's rehearsal we had a discussion on what we want our audience to feel, I said I want to take them on a journey to feel all the emotions each character has and really see the change in scrooge at the end. I want to remind them how fortunate they are to not have to live in harsh conditions as those children did and the importance of being kind to one another because it can really affect how people view you.
I have now been the given the role of Scrooge, I'm excited to be taking on this challenge and cant wait to experiment with it.
In my first rehearsal of Scrooge we began by blocking the play and getting a better understanding of the layout, our main feedback was to start playing the intentions and relating Scrooge to myself.
In today's rehearsal we began working on the opening scene of our play, we begin our performance with a freeze frame of different aspects from the play. I am lying on the floor to show Scrooge in the future when he has past and we had images of his proposal, Fezziwig and the different ghosts. The narrator (Gabriel) cue for the ensemble to come onto the stage was "but the wisdom", the ensemble go on stage and began a conversation with one another as if on a busy street. I then came onto stage and the characters all stop in fear of me, whispering to one another about me and moving away from me. I walked around the stage slowly with my head and head high, this was an indication of my confidence and authority over everyone and rather than greeting people on the street I remained isolated. This lesson was useful to show the audience the relationship which Scrooge gad with the other characters and immediately points Scrooge out as the bad guy.
Continuing from our last rehearsal, our company worked on spacial awareness today as many scenes, characters begin to either move to the back of the stage or are very close to one another and it is important that we use the whole stage so that the whole audience is involved.
Later on, we worked on the tableaux for the Narrator's paragraph, where he gives details of where Christmas reached. For example there was a lamp lighter being described and the Ghost of Christmas present would sprinkle glitter on them, coming to life and freezing again. This allowed imagery to be shown on stage and let not only the audience vision it however being able to see also.
In today's rehearsal we had a read through of the play whereby we all went round saying our lines, this was important to make sure everyone knew their lines and getting used to knowing what comes before and after in the script. We then went onto our rehearsal, our overall feedback was making sure we pay attention to our ques and staying focused even if we weren't on stage.
In today's rehearsal we had another run through as I have now added in a deep posh voice I need to be careful of my articulation when I pronounce certain words. I do this by making sure I warm up my voice, before hand and go over some lines with my accent to, allow me to get used to speaking on stage. I now have to thinking about adding in props for my office so that it gives me more to do in those scenes, which become more believable. Sharon also said she liked my Scrooge voice and that there was a good relationship forming between Marley and I, showing my vulnerability. However the Cratchit scene needs work, we need to now work on showing a family rather than saying lines after one another, we are not seeing any sense of love yet.
Today we focused on the Ghost Of Christmas Present scene and the Fezziwig and Fred's party scene adding in two dances. We have the dances to add more of a musical theatre element to it, pushing our company out of our comfort zone and making the scene more realistic as dancing always happened at parties.
Developing my character
In today's lesson we worked on character building, this is important as it allows you to build your character of what characters think of you. It allows you to think about how you treat other character in the play and determine your relationships with them. Stanisvlaski teaches us of given circumstances and it allows me to create a world for the actor and helps the audience to believe this world also.
I also made list of my life as Scrooge, my age what I eat, where I lived so I can see the ins and out of my character and how he lived his day to day life, I have to think about all the given circumstances that Scrooge is in. I then made a timeline of my life to give my character a through line and more of a background story for the play. This lesson was important as it allowed me to develop my character and think about how to communicate to the others, really having the chance to analyse Scrooge and how to carry myself throughout the performance.
We then went on to working on the Fezziwig's party so that we could capture what would have really happened in the scene
The videos above shows us working on the end dance and ways we could show the Christmas spirit through passing what will be a Christmas box to pass to one another infecting us all with the Christmas spirit
I am now singing a song for Scrooge called 'I am changing' by Jenifer Hudson, this song is about change of person and becoming a better me. I think this song fits in perfectly with my scene when I have just scene the tombstone under my name and I have completely asked for forgiveness. I am taking up lessons with my uncle who is a singing coach, making me feel the emotion behind the text and work on my breathing. I felt it was important to sing this song as we needed more songs in the play and that it would be a complete contrast from the character I started of as. I also have choreography for the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come dance, I will be involved in a few of their moves, due to unforeseen circumstances they had to change their dance very close to performance. I wanted to be apart of more of the dance and have been able to push myself. We warmed up before rehearsals and here were some of the exercise we done to help warm us up physically.
I used these vocal warm ups for my song and articulation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCLyAmXtpfY
This helps warm up the muscle, focus on my breathing and project the song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFXqyl4C1J4&t=3s
Helps me as an actor warm up and make sure my whole body is loose and relaxing my mouth and tongue ready for the performance.
Costume
We have now started to look at costume for our characters, I have made a list including
- Top hat
- Waistcoat
- Tailcoat
- Shirt
- Trousers
- smart shoes
- Night hat
- Night Shirt
- Cane
Props
I have begun to look at props for my scenes and character it is important to look for different props so that I begin to work with the props and allow myself to swap on stage with them.
- Books and table for the office
- A coat stand to swap between my day and night wear
- A lamp light
- Table for the Cratchit's and Fred's party
- Glasses
- chairs for characters to sit down on
- A Cane
- Blocks to use in Fred's party
- Basket for the market
- Crutch for Tiny Tim
- Glitter
- Present for Fred's wife
- money for young lad
- Food for table
- Chains
Tech Week
We have now begun our tech week and we are working on cue to cue with lighting,sound,and costume,we are in our final stage of rehearsals so this is crucial we are focused.We have begun picking out our costume for our characters, seeing where we will have to place them and how much time we will have to change. I really like my costume because it completely different to what I would ever wear and it is a man's costume and it's fun to see the transformation. After having our first rehearsal it was clear to see we needed to figure out where multi-rolling characters had to change and what the company would have to swap or add in so that was possible. I also found it difficult to change as I am on stage all the time, this meant I kept all my costume on the hat stand on stage. To begin with I had a complete different outfit for my house which was the night dress and dressing gown and I took off my waistcoat and tailcoat. However, after seeing how long it took me to change on stage and nothing was able to be added in, we decided that I just took off my tailcoat and hat, leaving my waistcoat on, covering with just the dressing gown. I was finding it difficult to take off my coat once entering the office it was taking me a while take it off. Therefore, I wanted to show the full power I held over Bob Cratchit, making him take off my coat and hat and the door. After we had a run through we saw the weak parts and mended them we had to add in characters coming across the stage and not seeing me. It was to show the two different dimensions Scrooge and other characters were in, during the transitions from present to future scene. This allowed the two children Ignorance and Want become the ghosts of Christmas yet to come without a big gap.
We went through the script and wrote down if there were any changes that needed to be made, what I really liked is the gobo in the Ghost of Christmas past scene, the lights changed to look like stars were we were travelling through time. I also like once one of the ghosts led me on journey the lighting always changed to show we were in different locations. I also liked the red and green lights that were apart of scenes, as it really gave the scenes Christmas feels and a joyful place to be apart of. I also enjoyed the Ghost of Christmas yet to come as it was very un-naturalistic with the lighting colours of dark blue, purple and red, to give a very airy atmosphere. The tech team then used the gobo to great the grave, with green lighting this allowed us to have visuals of a grave otherwise my lines would not have made sense to not see a grave. When I had my first encounter with Marley, I thought it was really clever how the tech team decided to have two different spotlights. They used a cold white light to emphasise Marley's ghostly presence and Scrooge's earthly presence, to show a drastic contrast between us.
Adding in the sound and songs it really made the play come to life, allowing characters to react a lot more sounds. For myself it was hearing the chains of Marley, coming into my room as I am sleeping I needed to be woken by the sounds. I also heard the dongs for each ghost to signify my time was running short, awaiting each ghost to come to me, the audience would also know that a ghost was coming from the information Marley gave. All the songs were at the right volume to hear the actors sing and the dance music was fitted perfectly, we just need to make sure there is not a gap between our lines, rather we need it to blend with our final lines.
Tech week is really exciting to see all our work finally piece together and finishing up our final touches, we need to remain focused and dedicated, to give the performance.
Evaluation
Our performances went very well, I think what worked was the energy that we contained throughout the performance. When we came onto stage we interacted well with each other and remembered why we were there. There were great relationships of characters in the play, for example the Cratchit family portrayed family life and the love of husband and wife and siblings, we saw the caring relationship in which the family showed Tim and then having to see them mourn as a family over the loss. We saw how humble the family was when they had so little but were grateful for what they did, allowing the audience to be grateful for what they have instead of complaining. We also see a clear relationship between Scrooge and Cratchit, we see a clear dominance between the two and that Cratchit is scared of scrooge. There is no relationship beyond work and how unfairly Scrooge treats Cratchit. Another skill that was used brilliantly was multi-rolling from my cast members, two actors that stuck out to me was Brad and Abdul. Brad's character of the business man was a massive contrast from his young lad, for the business man he spoke with an upper class voice. Brad also made his posture upright and walked quite slowly, whereas his young lad was hearty, he skipped along the stage and was much more free with his movement rather than reserved like the businessman. Abdul's Bob Cratchit was reserved, calm and quite. He did not have any power over Scrooge and had to follow all orders, he was a loving father and provided for his family. On the other hand his character Old Joe had much more power, handing the maids their money and deciding who gets what. He had put on a cockney accent to show his lower class and had a phrase he would often say "Oh Jesus", having a clear contrast from his first character. Accents were also clear and defined, it allowed the audience to understand our given circumstances and where we were, having upper class accents and lower class accents the audience see what status we were from. We all projected good stage presence, interacting with what was going on with other characters and reacting to the other actors also. There was also a clear characterisation, for our company and we had gone through in detail, every aspect of our character and remembered how we thought as them. We knew exactly why we were in the scene and our purpose.
I am pleased with my performance overall, I remained thinking about my through line and what characters journey was at that point. I had to slowly first show my vulnerability this was during me seeing Fan in the past and the heartache it brought me, followed by my fiance leaving me because of my obsession with money. This was the first time I showed myself upset breaking down a wall for the audience. I went from being this man, that nobody wanted to be around and my ignorance got the better of me, to a charitable man and father like figure. I thought about what scene had made me feel and what I had learnt from it for example Christmas Present, made me learn how my family thought of me and that they felt sorry for me. I felt very isolated from them, seeing the happiness that family can bring around Christmas with the drinks and laughter, making me want to be a changed man. I thought about my emotional memory for specific scenes especially in the ghost of yet to come when I saw my grave, I remembered a time that I needed to changed and channelled that emotion. I enjoyed the journey of my characterisation work, Scrooge is a complete contrast to my normal self so it was fun and interesting to see the development. My voice was of an Upper class male, I tried to make my voice deep with the accent but was hard to remain throughout the play I feel if I had more time to practice with the voice I would have been able to use it, so I stuck to my normal pitch. I made sure my body language was different to my own and more like a 50 year old man, having my back at a slight arch and walking short steps, I used gestures such as fidgeting with my fingers, to show how uneasy I was. My projection on stage was excellent I was loud at all times regardless my accent because I needed the audience to not only see but hear my journey as well. If I were to play Scrooge again, I would deeper in to changing my facial expressions I felt they were too close to my normal ones and adding in a few more gestures to really define Scrooge.
If the cast were to perform Christmas Carol, I would add in accents for all the characters because some actors used their normal voice. I would get everyone using the accents, of Victorian era so that the audience really believes they've gone back in time. I would also think about spacial awareness more on stage, there was still dead space in a few scenes and we should never have dead space, filling the space when necessary means all the audience is involved. I feel working with the tech team and with costumes and props, would be really helpful so that we get used to the run a lot earlier, that means we won't have to make any changes so close to the show. I wanted to hear more songs within the play as we only had 3, although we have more singers within our company, I would have liked to hear them sing as well. Cues were a problem sometimes, that could be due to the lack of focus behind the wings. Actors would come on slow and we need to work, on a continuous flow through the play not setting up the scene whilst your the next line, the audience can loose focus. If I had an unlimited amount of money to create this production I would have a door for the bottom of the stage, Marley would slowly rise up in darkness and when the spotlight hit him he's standing there, to give the audience a fright. I would also have, the Ghost of Christmas past come down on rope, as he is seen as a heavenly figure, Scrooge and the ghost also fly therefore we could show that. Building a full set for the stage, with houses and building shown around to get a sense of what Victorian London looked like. Within the set there would be a balcony so that Scrooge can shout down at the Young Lad. A bed that comes from beneath the stage, because Scrooge is supposed to see himself lying in a bed, Scrooge can also use it to sleep in, in earlier scenes.
At the beginning of our rehearsals we made goals that we wanted to achieve for our play, we wanted the audience to understand the importance of family and loving everyone around you. I believe we were able to portray this through the relationships with the Cratchits. Then showing a contrast with how lonely Scrooge was without a family and coming to a realisation that he was missing that love he once had. We also wanted to show the aspect of redemption and change, we see this by the journey of Scrooge, Scrooge started by being selfish, greedy and rude. However, we see his progression throughout the play and how the chains that once dragged him down and then to see the happiness Scrooge showed the audience and others. We wanted the audience to understand that it isn't too late to change and I felt we done this in our production. We also aimed to make Marley as supernatural as possible, we discussed getting a picture of him in as Marley and projecting it onto the back screen, to represent when Scrooge sees his face on the door-handle. We decided this, so that the audience could also why Scrooge was frightened and shock the audience also. We also discussed Marley coming through the back of the audience so he is added as an element of surprise for everyone and we managed to make this work to build suspense in the audience and for Scrooge. The only thing we discussed, but didn't manage to do was making the theatre pitch black, only hearing the metal chains of Marley to give it more of a dark atmosphere.
I really enjoyed working on this play as it was a light play with a deep meaning, and I as able to use different skills. I pushed myself outside of my comfort zone playing a completely different character from me, using new body movements, gestures and voice. It was nice to work in our theatre as a company again and get us prepared for our final production, I'm excited for the work we continue to learn and create.
References
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20161213-how-bedlam-became-a-palace-for-lunatics
https://prezi.com/kr-c1o8ynd5j/victorian-era-tread-mill-and-poor-law/
https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/christmascarol/section3/page/2/
http://www.victorian-era.org/victorian-era-society.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/dickens_charles.shtml
https://thehamillhouse.wordpress.com/2016/11/02/scammers-spiritualism-and-ghosts-the-victorian-obsession-with-the-paranormal/
https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/how-charles-dickens-novels-themes-still-relevant-567172
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/23/ghost-stories-victorians-spookily-good
