Performacnce spaces

Performance spaces

Amphitheatre has the audience facing the stage end on however the stage and the audience are outside. One of the advantages of this for the play the smile is that they would be able to use this to their advantages by having the surrounding area turn cold in the trench section as it’ll make it very immersive. Proscenium arch is like a combination of Amphitheatre and End On however this is indoors the reason it has its name is that the audience faces the stage and there is a very large arch above it what the audience can see as well. This could be used to show the different skies as it’d show where about they are in relation to the story. End On is where the performing area is on one side and the audience is on the other side. This could be used for the play by clearly showing how close two different characters are in relation to each other. Thrust stage type is where part of the stage is sticking out of the stage and part of the audience are seated around it. This could easily be used to show the different levels for example characters at the back could be feeling ashamed yet others with more confidence could be further forward. In The Round is a staging type where the audience completely surround the performers in what they are doing. This could be used in the performance by having harry have his back turned to everyone else in the performance. Traverse this stage type is where the audience is positioned on opposite sides of the performing area so that they can see each other. This could be used in the piece by constantly refusing to show either side his face. Promenade staging is where the audience and the performers are all together. This could be used so that the audience could feel similar to what Harry feels and other characters throughout the piece. A Courtyard stage type is a combination of trust and In The Round this is where the thrust part of the stage is so large that the audience surround most of it like In The Round.

Approaching a text for production

To find out the meaning of the performance there are many techniques what can be used to do this. For the play “The Smile” one of the techniques I’d use would be detailed textual analysis. Doing this means that I’d be able to read beneath the lines and understand the play. Stage directions would help as what the actors have to do would demonstrate how the characters are feeling at that point; for example a direction Harry has is that he must keep his back to the audience this shows that he’s ashamed of how he looks. Doing research would let you know that the play is based off a true story that there was a man who helped men who had suffered farcical disfigurement create a mask. I believe that the themes of the play are about self acceptance as throughout the time when Harry is disfigured he doesn’t accept what has happened to him. It is also I feel about loyalty as it is about the loyalty as it tests Violets loyalty to Harry has he has had a large life changing event and it’s not just her being loyal but also the nurse as Harry tells her to stop but she doesn’t.

Approaching text as an actor

I personally would have liked to play of Wood. I find this character to be interesting as he was a real person meaning that it’d be easy to explore the feelings and what he had to go through throughout this time period. This makes research really easy what I personally would have enjoyed. He also is a key character however he is not in the majority of the entire play what suits me as I would find it challenging to play a part for such a long time and he seems to have very similar emotions to Harry throughout the duration of the performance this also would show me that he doesn’t feel completely sorry for him as I assume that he has to see many other men at the same time.

This character of Wood seems to want to help as many people as possible what I completely admire as I also wish to help as many as possible in a sense so I feel that I’d find it very easy to mimic this man in a performance as I could view things form his point of view. He also does seem to be doing that much in the form of moving what I could be very comfortable with as it feel it’d help me work on facial expressions and voice as I feel that is what shows the true character.