The tempest the play in performance

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The Tempest Set ScenesThe Play in Performance

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Learning objectives


This presentation is designed to help you prepare for questions on the play in performance in the 2007 KS3 Shakespeare test. In it you will find…

Advice on how to answer a question on the play in performance

An introduction to the different elements of stagecraft

Drama activities – your chance to be an actor, director or designer!

Sample questions to help you prepare for the exam


Contents


Answering a question on the play in performance

Elements of stagecraft

Sample questions






What will I have to do?

Shakespeare wrote his plays to be performed, not read; and for this reason the KS3 Shakespeare paper may include a question on the play in performance.

You will typically be asked how you would direct or act an excerpt from the set scenes.

You may be given further pointers: for instance, you could be asked how you would direct Act One, Scene Two to show Prospero’s changing emotions as the scene progresses.


How should I go about it?

When considering how the play should be performed, you should ask yourself the following questions.

How are the characters feeling?How should they react to one another?What is the overall tone or mood? Does it change?What themes or ideas would you like to bring out?

Remember, it isn’t enough to have brilliant ideas about how the stage should be set or the lines delivered. You have to explain why you have made these choices with reference to the text. You will be supplied with a copy of extracts you are being asked about in the exam, so there’s no excuse for failing to include plenty of relevant quotations.






Delivery

The way an actor delivers (says) his or her lines is very important.

Listen to these performances of Prospero’s words to Antonio at V.1.130–134. In the first version, the actor has delivered his lines as if Prospero has truly forgiven his brother. In the second, he has delivered his lines as if Prospero is still angry.

How has the actor changed his delivery to convey these very different emotions? Think about how fast he speaks, and how loudly; the points where he varies his pace and volume; which words he emphasizes; and how he controls the tone and quality of his voice.


Delivery


Movement and gesture

An actor’s movements and gestures tell us a lot about how his character is feeling. Try this quick activity.

1. Get into pairs.2. Take it in turns to perform a movement or gesture.

3. Your partner must guess what emotion you are trying to express.

See how many movements and gestures you can come up with. Remember, you can use your hands, arms, head, feet – in fact, any part of your body!

When considering movement and gesture, you should also think about facial expression and body language (e.g. posture).



Look at this photograph of Caliban as we first see him in Act One, Scene Two. What first impressions of Caliban does the actor’s body language generate?

Experiment with using movement, gesture and body language to create a different kind of Caliban!



What does Prospero’s body language say about his character?Comment on the actress’s facial expression and movements.

Watch this video clip of an amateur dramatic society’s dress rehearsal of The Tempest, and answer the following questions.



How do the actors’ movements contribute to our understanding of their relationship?

Watch this video clip of an amateur dramatic society’s dress rehearsal of The Tempest, and answer the following questions.


Blocking

The positioning of the actors on the stage, and in relation to each other, is known as blocking.

Blocking can help convey plot, relationships and ideas. For instance, in Act Three, Scene Three Prospero directs the spirit banquet from a point high above his enemies. This symbolizes his moment of triumph as he finally forces them to confront the enormity of their crimes against him.

How would you block Act Five, Scene One? Give reasons for your answer, referring to plot, theme and character development at this point in the play. (Remember too that the actors may change their positions as the scene progresses.)


Costume and props

Costume and props can have a significant effect on how the audience perceives a character.

For instance, if a director wanted to emphasize the degradation and suffering which Prospero has undergone, he might ask his designer to dress the actor in ragged, dirty clothes. If, on the other hand, he wanted to emphasize Prospero’s power, he might ask the costume department to create a rich, swirling robe.


Costume and props

Comment on the effectiveness of this costume for Prospero.

How would you design Prospero’s magic staff? Explain your design in terms of what it says about the nature of Prospero’s magic power.


Costume and props

Design two costumes for Prospero: one which emphasizes his learning and civilization; another which brings out his similarities to Caliban.

What sort of a costume would you design for Ariel? (Remember that your choices could affect not just the way the audience sees Ariel, but also the type of interactions that will be possible between Ariel and the other characters.)

Choose one of the characters from the set scenes. Devise a prop for him, and explain how an actor could make use of it to illuminate their character. Feel free to be as inventive as you like!


Set, lighting, sound

When writing about The Tempest in performance, you may also like to consider stage design, lighting and sound.

What kind of set would you design for the set scenes? (Ask yourself: where does the action take place? Where do the characters enter and exit? What kind of mood to you want to create?)

How might you manage the lighting in the set section of Act Five, Scene Two to reflect Prospero’s forgiveness of his enemies and their gradual return to sanity?

Where in the set scenes would you use sound effects? Are there any parts of the set scenes which might be better without sound effects? Justify your answer.


Different media

Shakespeare’s plays were written for the theatre, but they have been transferred to many different media. For many years the plays were hardly ever performed at all. Instead they existed only in print. Later on, they were turned into films, TV adaptations, even graphic novels and animations!

Listen to an actor perform this speech of Ariel’s from Act Four, Scene One. What medium is this performance suited to? In which circumstances would it be less appropriate?


Different media

You are probably more used to watching drama on TV and in the cinema than at the theatre. But the KS3 Shakespeare test assumes that the play will be performed on stage. So when you’re thinking about how best to perform the set scenes, remember that certain styles of performance may be better suited to one medium than another.

For instance, an actor in a TV adaptation of the play could use facial expressions to convey subtle shades of emotion in close-up shots. This might be less effective in a theatre, where many of the audience will be sitting too far away to register these nuances. Actors in a stage production might have to rely more on movement and gesture to communicate their characters’ feelings.


Be the director!


Sample questions

Sample questions



Sample question 1

In Act One, Scene Two Prospero is determined to take revenge on his enemies. In Act Five, Scene One he learns to forgive them.

Imagine you are directing the play. How would you show how Prospero’s feelings change in the set scenes? You should refer to various aspects of stagecraft in your answer, but in particular you should say what advice you would give to the actor playing Prospero.

Support your ideas by referring to the text.


Sample question 2

Prospero’s attitude to Ariel changes between Act One, Scene Two and Act Five, Scene One.

Imagine you are the director. How would you convey the changing dynamic of Prospero and Ariel’s relationship in performance? In your answer you should discuss not just how Prospero should treat Ariel, but also how Ariel should respond.



Sample question 3

When we first meet Prospero in Act One, Scene Two he is a magician, cast away on a desert island where he uses his power to enslave the other characters. In Act Five, Scene One he renounces magic and becomes a responsible ruler.

Imagine you are the director. How would you manage this transition in performance? Refer to all aspects of stagecraft in your answer!


The tempest the play in performance

Documents

actors movements

scene progresses

following questions

prosperos body language

actors bodylanguage

tempest set scenes

different emotions

character development