Contemporary Aust. Theatre in Context

The main necessity here, naturally enough, is to know the plays. Understand the two plays from the two basic perspectives that should instigate any analysis or investigation of a creative work. All literature, dance and musical works can be explored by asking the following TWO questions:

• What is the authorial intent? In other words, what is the creator of the work, the playwright in our case, trying to achieve? This will, of course, involve an exploration of the material that is being treated, ideas, images, basically the content. It will also involve an exploration of this in relation to the effect that the playwright wishes to have on the audience. The question of who in fact is the audience comes into play here.
• How is this achieved? This question draws our attention to the means by which the playwright’s intention is brought to fruition. How do they achieve what they set out to do? This will lead us to look at the structure and style of the play. Both these elements are intrinsically connected, both to each other and to the content. Structure is best looked at as the framework of the play: How it is set out? How are the scenes set out? The analogy of the draughtsman’s plan is not unreasonable. The form of the play is the shape of the play and is like the framework of a piece of architecture if we are to continue the metaphor. How the play, the text, is rendered on stage will determine the style of performance and vice-versa. The style of a play is dependent upon a lot of things including the form and structure of the play and the shape of the scenes. The style of performance is directly related to the structure and form of the play.

Is the play conventional in its structure? A conventional play is structured according to an easily recognizable and accepted format and has accompanying expectations from an audience. Most conventional plays are divided into scenes and acts. The conventional play is a narrative and explores conflict of some description through characters. Themes emerge incidental to the action which ordinarily is linear. In other words, the time line is sequential. The focus of the conventional play is the development of character through interaction with other characters. The key to this process is dialogue. The imagery is largely literal and plot essential. At the end of the play the protagonist will usually have realized something. Inherent in this process is character development.


WHAT YOU NEED TO ASK YOURSELF

1. To what extent, if at all, is the play that I am studying conventional?
2. If not, how is the play unconventional? You will need to think about the following: Scene structure
Character
Plot line (Is there one?)
Dialogue (Is it realistic or abstract)
Imagery (Is it literal, symbolic or abstract)

All this comes full circle to the questions: What is the playwright trying to achieve and what approaches do they employ to realize this?



RELATING YOUR PLAY TO CONTEMPORARY AUSTRALIA

The question that you will have to answer will ask you to discuss the TWO plays that you have studied in relation to some aspect of Australian society and/or contemporary theatre.

1. For whom does your play speak? (Who is speaking?)
2. To whom does your play speak? (Who is the audience?)
3. What aspects of Australian society are integral to the play?
If you are exploring contemporary Australian society, the following aspects of society could be explored:
• Political structures/power plays between different groups in society.
• The political world outside the society
• Class and other divisive social structures
• Racial and cultural prejudices
• Issues of gender role and exploitation
• Environmental and geographical issues and concerns
• The contemporary psyche of the society
• Mainstream and non-mainstream beliefs
• Religious and spiritual values
• Family structures and values
• History and its value to society