ophie Treadell - WJEC

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MachinalSophie Treadwell

Drama | Machinal

IntroductionSophie Treadwell was one of a few playwrights of her era that directed and produced many of her own

works. Machinal was loosely based on a murder trial in New York. The play is written in nine episodes

depicting ‘the different phases of life that a woman comes in contact with, and in none of which she finds any

place, any peace’. Each episode titles the location of the social institution or the type of behaviour expected

of women.

The woman is essentially soft, tender, and the life around her is essentially hard, mechanized. Business,

home, marriage, having a child, seeking pleasure – are all difficult for her – mechanical, nerve nagging

(nerve-racking). Only in an illicit love does she find anything with life in it for her, and when she loses this,

the desperate effort to win free to it again (to win freedom) is her undoing. [Author’s notes, p. xi].

Treadwell experimented with the dramatic form and style. The play uses sound effects, juxtaposition

of overheard dialogue and more traditional internal monologue to create the world of the characters.

Critics at the time stated that it was ‘one of the first plays by an American dramatist to successfully merge

expressionistic form and expressionistic content’ [Oliver M. Sayler, Footlights and Lamplights, (USA, 1928)].

Contemporary audiences had perhaps become familiar with some of these ideas through plays, such as

The Adding Machine by Elmer Rice, and films, such as Metropolis.

Productions• After its original production in 1928 starring the unknown Clark Gable, Machinal was performed

across the world.

• In 1931, in London, it was renamed The Life Machine.

• In 1933, Treadwell was the first American playwright to receive production royalties from the

Soviet Union after a production in Moscow at the Alexander Tairov’s Kamerny Theatre.

• NBC and ABC aired a production of the play in 1954 and 1960 and an off-Broadway production

followed in 1960.

• It was revived in 1990 for the New York Shakespeare Festival. In 1993, the Royal National Theatre

produced the play at the Lyttleton Theatre, London. The production was directed by Stephen

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Daldry, with Fiona Shaw taking the lead role.

• The most recent production has returned to the USA with Rebecca Hall as the Young Woman, her

first lead in a Broadway production and directed by Chimerica’s Lyndsey Turner – January 2014.

Context: Expressionism in the theatreSome of the reportage style of Machinal is influenced by Treadwell’s journalistic background. But most

importantly, it owes much to the achievements of the expressionist artists and dramatists of the early

quarter of the 20th century, such as the German expressionists Oskar Kokoschka or Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.

Expressionists put their mark on cinema, painting,

sculpture, music and architecture, but were perhaps most

productive in the theatre. ‘This is the theatre of gesture, noise,

colour and movement, theatre which is not psychological but

plastic and physical, theatre which is anarchic and dangerous.’

The atmosphere of expressionist plays was often

dreamlike or nightmarish, the mood being aided by

shadowy, distorted lighting. The setting avoided the detail

of a naturalistic setting but emphasised the themes of the

play and bizarre shapes and extremes of colour were used.

The plot and structure followed episodes of action, often

reinforced by tableaux. They were incidents tied together

rather than forming a coherent plot; a sequence of dramatic statements. Characters were nameless or

stereotypes and caricatures of people. They were ‘Mother’ or ‘Young Woman’ rather than individuals. This

could assist in representing them as grotesque embodiments of groups of people. Dialogue was often

staccato or ‘telegram style’ and then contrasted with poetic monologues or song. The style of acting was

in contrast to Stanislavskian naturalism. Exclamatory action focused on the attitude of the actor to the

message being conveyed and was presented in mechanical movements or puppet-like actions.

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The Main charactersTreadwell establishes a world where the only character given the opportunity to show themselves as a

complex mix of duty and rebellion is through her protagonist, the Young Woman. Other characters are

stuck in society’s mould and they struggle throughout the play to fulfil the demands this stereotype puts

upon them. Even the rebellious adventurer, the Man, betrays the Young Woman by conforming to the

demands of the law. In the penultimate episode, his words are those that damn her.

Characters are given type names, often identified by what they do rather than who they are. An expectation

of their behaviour and status is immediately accessible to the audience and invites us to be guilty of

excluding the Young Woman from society, however much we long for her to break free from it.

The Young Woman

At the beginning of the play the Young Woman is the last to enter. The world that surrounds and traps

her has been established clearly by the office staff. Their mechanical answering of phones or responding

in short staccato lines establishes them as cogs in the machine of society. It is into this world she arrives

late, ‘preoccupied with herself – with her person.’ [p. 1] and thus identifies herself as different. She is seen

by her co-workers as ‘artistic’ and ‘inefficient’ [p. 7] – attributes that potentially slow down the well-oiled

machine of the office.

Her inertia in the opening scene and contrasting pace of action separates her from the others. She

expresses early her need to escape. She had to get off the subway:

‘I had to get out…In the air!... I thought I would faint. I had to get out into the air!’ [p. 6]

This physical reaction in response to being trapped metaphorically or spatially is repeated throughout the

play. It reinforces one of the main messages expressed through her character.

The Young Woman is denied a fulfilling relationship with those except the Man. Her Mother bullies her

to eat her potatoes and torments her by throwing in her face the expectation and self-sacrifice that

womankind has endured. It is expected that she too will carry on this repeated pattern. The Mother’s

view of marriage as a business arrangement lacking in love shocks the audience. However, it establishes

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clearly the loveless world in which the Young Woman searches for her freedom. This is typified in the

Mother’s response when asked:

YOUNG WOMAN: But Ma – didn’t you love Pa?

MOTHER: I supposed I did – I don’t know – I’ve forgotten – what difference does it

make – now? [p. 17]

Lack of affection and spiritual fulfilment is not permitted in this society. Her honeymoon is haunted by

the spectre of the sexual consummation of husband and wife. It is this scene that shows how emotionally

unprepared the Young Woman is, and how predatory the Husband appears. The awkwardness in this

scene is excruciating. The Husband’s attempts at saucy joke-telling only compound the isolation of the

Young Woman as he drools over her:

HUSBAND: (pinches her above the knee) Say, what have you got under there?

THE YOUNG WOMAN: Nothing.

HUSBAND: Nothing! (laughs) That’s a good one! Nothing, huh? Huh? That reminds me

of the story of the Pullman porter and the – what’s the matter – did I tell you

that one? [p. 23]

This acutely contrasts with Episodes Five and Six where she is able to joke and behave freely with the

Man. It is in these scenes that we see a more mature woman who has learned to live with the horror of

childbirth and settled into domestic life but still yearns to escape to the ‘high dark mountains’ and ‘Little

Heaven’. [p. 46]

It is with the Man that she truly begins to explore herself, ‘all her gestures must be unconscious, innocent,

relaxed, sure and full of natural grace.’ [p. 50]. No longer the awkward and self-conscious ‘pat to her hair’.

[p. 7] Her relationship with the Man leaves her ‘purified’. To some extent, he has saved her from the hell

of society. This optimistic and hopeful part of the play is brought to a decisive end with the silence and

dislocation of the dialogue in the next scene – Scene Seven, Domestic.

After the murder of her Husband, the Young Woman becomes caught up in the machine of law and media

speculation. The power she had in her hands and the control over her own destiny is taken from her by

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the men of the law. Even her Man is manipulated by the word of law to betray the Young Woman. From

this scene onwards she is trapped entirely – there really is no way out.

Her motive for the murder has no value in the eyes of this society:

JUDGE: You confess you killed your husband?

YOUNG WOMAN: I put him out of the way – yes.

JUDGE: Why?

YOUNG WOMAN: To be free.

JUDGE: To be free? Is that the only reason?

YOUNG WOMAN: Yes.

JUDGE: If you just wanted to be free – why didn’t you divorce him?

YOUNG WOMAN: Oh I couldn’t do that!! I couldn’t hurt him like that! (burst of

laughter from all in the court). [p. 75]

She believes she saved her husband from the public humiliation of divorce and that death, in this

judgmental and loveless society, was a kinder act. Or did she just fulfil her dream to be a ‘bandido’?

In the final scene, the Young Woman returns to being a total outsider. The words of the Priest seem alien

and unforgiving, reinforcing the patriarchal control over life and the afterlife. It is only the Negro spiritual

that speaks genuinely to her soul – religion is just words that become incomprehensible. Religion even

intercedes, robbing her of the last lines of the play:

YOUNG WOMAN: Somebody! Somebod– (Her voice is cut off)

PRIEST: Christ have mercy – Lord have Mercy – Christ have Mercy [p. 83]

In her final words no one can save her. She has not been saved by her mother, her husband, her colleagues,

medics, lawyers, her lover, the media nor the Church. Society has conspired to condemn her for wanting

to break from its rigid constraints.

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The HusbandIn the first scene of the play he is presented as a successful businessman with a clear idea of how to get

ahead in this modern world, ‘I’m never in a hurry – that’s how I get ahead! (laughs – they all laugh) First know

you’re right – then go ahead.’ [p. 4]

As such, he is used to control and getting what he wants. This is why he has been determined in his

pursuit of the Young Woman. He will do anything to achieve the status of husband and father – the next

trophy for his cabinet! He guarantees a financial settlement to take care of her mother, which could be

seen as generous but also as a tool to play upon the guilt of the Young Woman. Her mother does remind

her that ‘you’ve got a mother to support?’ [p. 17].

He is physically repulsive to the Young Woman, ‘When he puts his hands on me, my blood turns cold. But

your blood oughtn’t to run cold, ought it? His hands are – his hands are fat, Ma – don’t you see – his hands are

fat – and they sort of press – and they’re fat – don’t you see? – Don’t you see?’ [p. 18]

His stereotype could be presented as such. However, despite his lack of awareness of the Young Woman’s

needs, he does try to please his wife. He executes the expectations of society as a husband well. He takes

his marital rights, he produces a child, he brings flowers to his wife, and provides her (and her mother)

with financial security. What more could a woman want? It is his excellent adherence to the rules of

society that condemn him, and he fails to realize what his wife, or what a woman, really needs. Is this the

‘crime’ for which he loses his life?

Our sympathies are guided towards the Young Woman in the play, but it should be remembered, he too

is as much a victim of society and its expectations as she is.

Man

Whilst the Man acts to release and ‘purify’ the Young Woman, it should be remembered that he meets her

with an idea of the ‘arrangement’ clear in his mind. He doesn’t care she’s married – he does not conform

to the rigid rules of society. He is a free spirit.

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FIRST MAN: You’re married, huh?

YOUNG WOMAN: Yes – I am.

FIRST MAN: All right with me. [p. 38]

It is the ease with which he engages in conversation and listens in the conversation that strikes the

audience. The dialogue in Episode Five between the two flows and is open. It so keenly contrasts with the

other conversations that are juxtaposed against it in this scene. He calls her an ‘Angel’ and distinguishes

her as ‘different from girls like that other one’ [p. 43]. This is what she wants to hear – some admiration and

an understanding that she is not like everyone else. In saying this, he gives her a much-needed sense of

belonging or validation. In Episode Six, his full connection with her, mentally and physically, is complete.

He too understands freedom and he has experienced it, ‘Oh – you’re free down there! You’re free!’ [p. 49].

His romantic existence as a wandering traveller is enticing and allows her to dream about a life beyond

the constraints of domesticity. It is this inspiration that comes to the Young Woman’s mind as she murders

her husband. The fighting for their life against the bandits is paralleled with her fight to escape from her

husband. This romanticising of it seems to make it justifiable to the Young Woman, ‘There were a bunch

of banditos – bandits you know – holding me there – what was I to do – I had to get free – didn’t I? I had to get

free –’ [p. 58].

It is the Man’s words about the gift of the lily that finally cause the Young Woman to confess to the murder

in open court. But we are reminded that he too has been swallowed up by the legal process. It is implied

he is driven to give evidence, via affidavit, to avoid prosecution himself. The lawyer suggests ironically, ‘I

suppose you didn’t threaten him with extradition on some other trumped-up charge, so that –’ [p. 74]

It is this desperate betrayal that condemns the Young Woman in the eyes of the law, the media, religion

and society.

Ensemble

The ensemble plays a vital part in the play Machinal. Without the presence of ‘Not Heard’ characters

invading the space and the brief interchanges between minor characters, the contrast and comparison of

the behaviour of the main characters would not be highlighted.

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In the opening scene, the ensemble is important in establishing the dominance of society in the play. The

office colleagues all establish the mechanised sounds of the modern world. It is their chatter and staccato

sentences that create the relentless pattern of society at work. Their comments on the action act like a

Greek chorus guiding the audience to make judgment upon the motives of the main characters:

STENOGRAPHER: You’re late!

FILING CLERK: You’re late.

ADDING CLERK: You’re late.

STENOGRAPHER: And yesterday!

FILING CLERK: The day before.

ADDING CLERK: And the day before.

STENOGRAPHER: You’ll lose your job.

YOUNG WOMAN: No!

STENOGRAPHER: No?

They represent the overpowering force of Society.

In other episodes this can be seen through the Nurse and the Doctor, who force their rigid rules upon the

protagonist. Or in the final episode, Episode Nine, where

MATRON: The Rule

JAILER: Regulations

BARBER: Routine [p. 78]

must be adhered to in the shaving off part of the Young Woman’s hair.

Throughout, the swell of control is underscored by the continual invasion of the action by ‘Not Heard

characters’, Corridor Life – Woman in Bathrobe passes door [p. 29].

The invasion of the outside world adds to the imposing nature of society on the life of the Young Woman.

The more gentle ‘passing feet’ of unseen characters impose upon the intimate moments between the Man

and the Young Woman in Episode Six. However, the ensemble resumes its overwhelming nature in the

courtroom. Here the Lawyers argue, the Judge intercedes, the reporters declare their varying opinions;

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building the frenzy up to the final declaration of guilt. These characters are vital in showing how the

individual can be overwhelmed by society. They act to show how they are punished by it, should they try

to stand against it. It is only in the final scene, when the song of the Negro competes with the Latin of the

Priest, that a single voice from society reaches out to her. But this character becomes subsumed into the

chaos of the Priest, the reporters and the sounds of the airplane overhead and even the Young Woman’s

‘Voice is cut off’ [p. 83], swamped by the outside world.

IssuesMachinal focuses on the main issue and dilemmas of the ‘Individual versus Society’, a theme to be

expanded on in the work of other American playwrights, such as Eugene O’Neill and Arthur Miller. Machinal

presents society on various levels, whether it is the machine of business and commerce or the inherent

prejudice against women. This is expressed through the views of the Mother, who is also a victim of the

stereotyping of society her daughter succumbs to. The Young Woman continually comes up against the

power of the patriarchy represented in various institutions: religion, law, medicine, marriage and the

media. Here the individual is consumed by the machine of society, chewed up and spat out by it, much

like the physical representation conveyed by Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times. In this film, he is physically

sucked into the machine and trapped by its cogs that seem to conspire to trap him further. The Young

Woman fears being drawn into society, and then allows herself to conform; she breaks free but finally,

she is judged and rejected by it. This is not to say that her crime was not heinous and premeditated, but

Treadwell presents it as a possible inevitable conclusion to the individual’s suppression at the hands of

the ‘society machine’. Even in the final episode her resistance is futile, ‘I will not be submitted – this indignity!

... Oh my God am I never to be let alone! Always have to submit – to submit!” [p. 79] she says to the Barber,

but yet again her words are lost, and she is physically overwhelmed by their need to execute their duty

to society.

Duty

This message is acutely present in Episode Two, At Home. Here the Young Woman discusses her duty as a

woman to marry. Avoidance of really tackling the subject of women’s suppression is littered with excuses

and the Mother imposes the ‘duty’ her daughter has towards her as a justification for entrapping herself

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in a loveless marriage.

MOTHER: Love! What does that amount to! Will it clothe you? Will it feed you? Will

it pay the bills?

YOUNG WOMAN: No! But it is real all the same!

MOTHER: Real! [p. 17]

The Mother is interested in how the marriage might benefit her and provide her with financial security,

which is the duty of a child to its parent in old age! ‘I’ve worked for you and slaved for you!’ [p. 20] and now

it is the Young Woman’s duty to pay that back by marrying well.

Treadwell encapsulates this message in a very domestic scene where the women argue over who will

wash the dishes. The scene is broken by the Wife’s voice who is rejecting the advances of her husband.

This interjection acts to show the audience what lies ahead for the Young Woman.

Idealised view of life vs reality

This is most clearly conveyed in the contrast made between various characters’ lives.

The Young Woman’s sexual encounter with her lover compared to the Honeymoon episode with her

husband; the dreams discussed about Mexico and life out of this society, compared to the drudgery of

office life or the expectations so clearly defined by the Doctor as he forces the Young Woman to breast

feed, ‘I decide what we better and better not here, Nurse! …………. Bring the baby!’ [p. 29]

Role of women in society

This message is very clearly identified throughout the play, mostly because the protagonist is a Young

Woman. Women are treated ‘of their time’. This, we must remember, was a pre-feminist society. Whilst

the First World War had done much to open up opportunities for women in the workplace, the remnants

of Victorian attitudes to women still lingered. What shocks a modern audience today was the expected

norm in 1928. However, attitudes conveyed by the Doctor, ‘These modern neurotic women, eh Doctor? What

are we going to do with ’em?’ [p. 29] still grate and this representation of the patriarchy was what Treadwell

and her Young Woman railed against.

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To see the play entirely as a feminist piece is to ignore that all the characters are in some way trapped

and subjugated by society. This could be the Husband who behaves as his role determines, dutifully

arriving with flowers at the hospital, or the Reporter who is controlled by the hunger of the masses,

eager to consume the tittle-tattle of the court procedures. We, the audience, empathise to some extent

with all those men and women that make up the society scrutinized in this play. The issue of women’s

emancipation is a more complex one for the Young Woman and for the audience. To some extent, it holds

a wider message of the right to be free from the all-consuming machine of society, whatever your gender.

Critical response / ProductionsThe 1993 production at the Royal National Theatre, London,

was designed by Ian MacNeil. It used a huge metal grille

suspended above the stage, lowered to the floor and slanted

so that during the trial scene, the heads of the judge and

other court officials poked through. In addition, there was a

revolve for the opening scene. Later, the stage floor raised

up, revealing the condemned cell and the electric chair. Other

scenes, such as the hotel room and bar, were pulled on stage.

This extravagant set, whilst effective, was considered maybe

too much – ‘it might have been just as effectively produced

in a much smaller or even a fringe theatre’. This might be an

issue to consider when students approach the challenges of

designing for Machinal.

First steps into the text…Below are some ideas related to key scenes in the play Machinal. These are intended to inspire exploration

and are in no way prescriptive. Detailed practical approaches to the text can be found in the ‘Eduqas

Drama and Theatre A Level Guide’.

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Each element – i.e. acting, directing and designing – can be covered simultaneously in the study and

practical exploration of scenes from the play. This will enable learners to have prepared ideas for all the

elements which will appear in Section A or B of the examination.

Context

The knowledge of the genre, practitioners to apply, as well as social, economic and historical context will

apply to all answers in some degree in the examination. If learners relate them closely to the text, their

relevance is heightened.

The expressionist influence on the play is not only evident in the episodic nature of the play’s structure but

also how language and repetition is exaggerated throughout. The presence of the “machine of society” is

always present, beating out the time from the typewriter in the opening scene to the final machine that

takes The Young Woman’s life. Expressionism is vividly visual, and this might be something learners may

want to engage with. The conflict between the control created by the ‘Machine’ and the need to break

free is the continual friction between The Young Woman and Society. Learners may wish to explore and

experiment with how this friction is portrayed when considering its relevance to a modern audience’s

preoccupations, e.g. the control of technology and enslavement to social media and public image.

Acting• Practical exploration of the text will help learners to form their own opinions about the

characters at different stages in the play. For example, the Young Woman’s building rebellion

towards The Husband and final murder of him.

• The specific rehearsal techniques used by practitioners and theatre companies the learners

are familiar with can be used to explore acting style, subtext and motivation of the characters. For

example, in Episode Two, learners might consider the prior relationship between The Mother and

The Young Woman. They don’t listen effectively to one another which reinforces how effective

communication is breaking down. Imagining what a character’s ideal response would be might

help to consider the dissatisfaction in their relationship.

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• Physical and vocal experimentation in the building of a role and relationships can be

influenced by live theatre productions seen during the course. This will help learners to develop

opinions and personal responses to the performance demands of any text and Machinal. For

example, the many voices in Episode One ring out to the audience, both in the use of slang words

“hot dog” and in the speed of the delivery. Actors in this scene need to maintain regular physical

actions to create a contrast to that of The Young Woman who is ‘preoccupied with herself – with her

person.’ They act like a chorus commenting on her actions, e.g. ‘workers exchange glances’.

• Close text work from Machinal to prepare monologue or duologue technique and performance

skills will give learners the opportunity to use subject specific vocabulary about vocal and physical

performance skills. Familiarity with and use of this vocabulary is expected in the written responses

in the examination. Study of the monologue at the end of Episode Four is challenging as it is

based on The Young Woman’s response to images she imagines in her head. The repeated use of

dashes and how they are to be performed could be explored.

• Live theatre productions, seen as part of the course, will provide helpful examples of acting

skills at work, which can be referred to by learners in Section B. These observations also help

learners to make similar or different creative choices throughout their study of the text.

Directing

For the purposes of the examination, directing refers to the work done with actors in terms of movement

and positioning in the space, in rehearsal and in performance.

• Performance style. This might refer to the original style of performance or one that learners

have applied to the text in their own experimentation with it. For example, the characters may

be stereotypes and as such they represent themes in the play. This will affect the way a director

moves the actors in the space to illustrate their meaning to an audience.

• Movement and positioning in the performance space. As well as the placement of actors

in relation to one another, this might also cover where they enter and exit the stage and the

characters’ relationship with the audience. For example, in Episode Nine (P82) a director might

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choose to place the First, Second and Third Reporter amongst the audience to incite a sensational

response to the action.

• Interactions between characters through reaction and response in the space. The pacing and

rhythm of the scene might be considered in conveying this relationship, as well as the reaction to

the arrival of new characters and how they change the dynamic of a scene. For example, learners

might explore how a director might approach the variety of areas of action in Episode Five, and

how each relationship is shown through the proxemics of the characters.

• Rehearsal techniques. These should refer closely to the technique used, its reason and intention,

and the success of its use in achieving the aim. For example, chorus movement or physical theatre

techniques to create machine represented by the character in Episode One.

• Live theatre productions, seen as part of the course, will provide helpful examples of directing

skills at work, which can be referred to by learners in Section B. These observations also help

learners to make similar or different creative choices throughout their study of the text.

Design

The Design element covers set and props, hair and make-up, costume, lighting and sound. The questions

in the examination will clearly state which skill area(s) are required in the response.

• Production Style. Reference to the original production style and context will inform the learners’

ideas. In some cases, this will be a faithful rendition of the style, their own ideas or a different

style completely. In both cases, justification of this concept in terms of their wider knowledge of

the play, themes, relevance and intended impact upon a contemporary audience are required.

For example, exaggerated and abstract design elements might reflect the torment of The Young

Woman. In Section B, the influence of live theatre must be referred to in justification of their ideas.

• Hair and Make-up. Ideas might include the use of colour and make-up and hair techniques to

convey the period, age and status of the character(s). The use of techniques in the creation of

prostheses and elaborate hair pieces and wigs, body make-up and light reacting colours might be

explored. Learners will need to give reasons for the choices of these ideas and connection to the

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given / chosen scene(s) is essential. For example, a designer might choose for The Young Woman

to be naturalistically portrayed, and the other characters to appear one dimensional through the

use of dark lines to accentuate features and rigid hair styles that appear plastic. In Section B, the

influence of live theatre must be referred to in justification of their ideas.

• Costume. Reference to the original performance and other productions might provide a starting

point for costume ideas. The techniques a costume designer might use to create character, status,

age and to convey meaning to an audience should be explored. This might be achieved by the

choice of historical period, use of fabric texture, colour, silhouette of the design and the intended

use by the actor in the given / chosen scene(s). Costumes in each episode might reflect different

periods, such as in The Almeida production. The effect of this was to show the role of women and

how things might not have changed for them in the modern world despite industrial progress. In

Section B, the influence of live theatre must be referred to in justification of their ideas.

• Set and props. This refers to the study and discussion of various performance spaces and their

suitability for the text and how other productions have been designed for their chosen space.

The production style, location, mood and atmosphere of the given / chosen scene(s) might be

created through the use of levels, positioning of exits and entrances, the proximity of the set

to the audience, and whether set pieces are fixed or able to be moved automatically or by the

actors. Learners will consider the use of large props to dress the scene, and the colour, period and

significance of these in terms of the scene and in conveying a meaning to the audience. Learners

might consider how the expressionistic style might be used in the design to exaggerate The

Young Woman’s confinement. The shape of stage might be in the round with the audience raked,

bearing down on her at all sides. The action taking place in a glass box to act like a metaphorical

and physical prison. In Section B, the influence of live theatre must be referred to in justification

of their ideas.

• Lighting design. The techniques used by a lighting designer to convey location, mood, atmosphere

and meaning to an audience might include the use of colour, different types of lighting, positioning

of lights and their intensity, use of effects lights, and length of the lighting cue. The use of technology

through projection and animated visual effects are considered part of the creation of this visual

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element. For Example, in Episode Seven, a naturalistic light might be used to create ‘a sitting room’

and an abstract style used as The Young Woman hears the voices. Here the flashing of the lights,

pulsing in time with her frantic heartbeat, might create the build-up and final climax as she ‘cries

out in terror’. In Section B, the influence of live theatre must be referred to in justification of their

ideas.

• Sound design. The techniques used by a sound designer to convey location, mood and atmosphere,

change in dynamics and rhythm of a scene, and their impact upon an audience might include the

use of different types of sound, placement of speakers, intensity, length of the cue and changes

between sound states, manipulation of sound through software, and the looping of sound in

performance. Sound effects are very important in the play as they create the mechanical world

that intrudes into The Young Woman’s thoughts. In Episode Four the perpetual sound of riveting,

the movement of the “surgeon’s wagon”, the action in the corridor, maybe even the footsteps of

the Nurse might be accentuated. Learners might consider how they might create these sounds

and how they could emphasise their meaning to an audience. The play often has transitions

between scenes where the lights ‘black out’ or there is ‘a curtain’ but the sound continues into the

next scene. Learners might consider why this is and how they could create this effect. In Section

B, the influence of live theatre must be referred to in justification of their ideas.

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Acknowledgements

Page 2: Bildnis des Dichters” Leonhard- Frank by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner self portrait

Page 11: Photo by Vadin Ryndin. Unable to trace current copyright holder. Please contact [email protected] if you are the copyright holder: Scene from Machinal by Sophie Treadwell. Moscow Chamber Music Theatre, 1933. [ tate.org.uk ]

ophie Treadell - WJEC

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