Why did naturalism come about?

In the 18th century there was a desire, needing the audience to connect with the characters on stage so the audience would have a new theatrical experience. so people began to experiment with theatre.

 

All my sons

All my sons is a touching yet powerful drama about the Keller family and the skeletons in their closet. The whole play is based in the Keller’s garden and porch. It begins with Kate alone in the garden and a tree snaps the tree is the memorial of Larry their son who went missing in World War 2. Loosing Larry isn’t the only grief the family have had to face as people have not forgotten the court case which ended with Joe’s business partner Steve going to prison. The cracked engine heads Joe’s factory produced caused the death of 21 pilots. Ann the daughter of Steve was once Larry’s girl however after three years of him being missing she has fallen for Kate and Joes other son Chris, so she goes to visit hoping for a proposal however many other things come to light while she was there.

Emotional memory

Emotional memory is when you relate your own emotions to the emotions your character is feeling so your performance is more realistic. For example if you were going to play a character that was freezing to death obviously you couldn't relate to that perfectly but you would think back to a time in your life you were coldest and relate that to the performance.

Language

Iambic pentameter (verse)  would not be used in naturalism as it isn’t a natural way of speaking no one ever spoke like this it was only ever in poetry and plays. This is commonly misunderstood as people think people in Shakespearean times did speak in verse for example “Romeo, Romeo where for art thou Romeo” no one would have said anything like this in real life.  

Inner and Outer tempo

Inner and outer tempo can really affect your characters physicality and pace of voice. An example of inner and outer tempo can be people in an exam on the outside everything is going really slow and it quite and calm however on the inside you’re in a rush to complete the exam and you’re worried about what the outcome would be so you may be calm and quite but you could be tapping your foot or looking around anxiously.

Audience

When watching a performance which uses the naturalism style the audience will most likely experience a catharsis which means an out pouring of emotion. This is because of suspensions of disbelief which is when a member of the audience knows something isn’t real but allows any doubt to leave their mind and they get sucked in and form connections with characters therefore making the performance extremely effective.

Proscenium Arch

The stage used in naturalism is a proscenium arch, so there are three walls and the audience are looking in on the story. The fourth wall is invisible however it is extremely prominent creating a different world behind this wall.  

 

Units and Objectives - Ann Deever

Unit title	The truth about what everyone thinks.
Pages	Act two page 129 - 133
Opening line	Sue: Is my husband-?
Closing line	Ann: All right, Chris, all right.
What happens in this unit?	Sue reveals the truth about what everyone really thinks about joe saying that everyone thinks he is guilty. She also warns Ann to get far away from here because Chris keeps putting ideas in the doctors head. Ann starts questioning herself and Chris, but she loves him so she stands up for him. Chris comes out and asks sue to see to his mother then Ann starts asking questions and Chris says he was trying to spare her feelings and admits that he knows that everyone believes that his father’s guilty and she worries what her brother is going to cause.
Super objective (Characters overall want or need throughout the play)	My super objective is to marry Chris, this is why I came to the Keller’s and returned home after so long. I  even brought the letter that Larry sent me  it was my last  chance to show the them the letter so Kate would believe Larry’s death and allow me  and Chris to marry.
Objective (Characters want or need during this unit)	To learn the truth about what everyone thinks about Chris and whether that effects their future.

All my sons character work

Hot seating questions and answers for Ann Deever


What is your real, birth name?


Ann Deever


Age?


26


Do you have a nickname? What is it, and where did you get it?


Annie been called by this nickname since I can remember.


How do you dress most of the time?


Patterned cotton dresses.


What do you wear when you go to sleep?


just a simple white cotton night gown.


Do you wear any jewellery?


Simple white beads I don’t really like anything flashy. 


In your opinion, what is your best feature?


I don’t really feel comfortable talking about my features.


What's your real birth date?


6^th may 1921


Where do you live? Describe it: Is it messy, neat, avant-garde, sparse, etc.?


I live in quite a neat apartment with my mother at present


What is your most prized mundane possession? Why do you value it so much?


My letters from Chris he made me feel better and comfortable with myself.


What one word best describes you?


I like to think myself brave I was a little scared about coming home but I did it anyway.


Who is your father, and what is he like?
Steve Deever sorry can we move on 


Who was your mother, and what was she like?


Mary Deever hasn’t been well of late it’s only been three years she still has a little trouble coping.


Who’s your brother?


My brother’s name is George and I am very proud of him.

Naturalism

Naturalism is European theatre and its practitioners are known as the scientists of theatre. The system was developed which flourished in to method acting. Naturalism has been described as “a slice of life on stage” it is made as realistic as possible. The fourth wall is extremely prominent in this style of theatre because in real life you wouldn’t just start telling your story to a random person. The only member of the cast who has any communication with the audience is the Greek chorus so the audience fully understand the piece. In this style of theatre it is common for the audience to emotionally connect with the characters this is called suspending disbelief knowing it’s not real but allowing yourself to believe it. Naturalism is an illusion of reality for example is an actor were to play a character who was freezing to death obviously they wouldn’t know what that feeling was like however they could think back to a time in their life when they were coldest there for making the performance more believable.  Unlike classic style of theatre characters would not speak the language of the gods (in verse) they use ordinary speech which would fit the accent to where the play was set. 

Tragic form

A tragedy is built around the archetype tragic hero. The hero has a flaw which leads him to his own self destruction usually ending in his death. Also in a Greek tragedy there is  a Greek chorus which can be represented by one or several people  the chorus always seem to reveal the ending before we watch the play this is to fuel the audiences imagination and make them think, we may find out what is going to happen however we don’t know how which builds tension. By the end of a Greek tragedy the audience would usually feel catharsis which means the twin emotion of pity and fear.

Tragedy structure

Hamartia - We find the tragic flaw of the character.

Perepeteia - We understand the tragic irony of the play.

Catastrophe - The fortune of the hero reverses.

Anagnorisis - The hero suddenly realises his mistakes. 

Stanislavski method – Basic categories

Action

An actor must always be active externally or internally. One can be immobile but be active psychologically, inner action. All action must have a purpose and be logical.

“If”

This is a magic word which unleashes your imagination which makes the actor become the character asking themselves questions about the character which stimulates creativeness.

“Given circumstance”

All conditions in which the actor works: the plot, the lighting, the people. An actor must become familiar with and a part of his environment.

Imagination

This must be “alert, rich and active” so that the actor can interpret the lines and fill them with the meaning that lies behind the subtext.

Concentration and attention

This keeps the actor focused on what is happening and helps him relax, and helps the audience pay attention to what the actor is telling them.

Relaxation and muscles

Unless tense muscles are relaxed, an actor’s normal mental activity and therefore the spiritual life of the character he portrays, is impossible.

Units and objectives

An actor has various sequential objectives in his role. To accomplish these he must break his presentation into units, each of which helps accomplish an objective.

Feeling of truth and belief

When an actor is carrying out an action uses “IF” and thinks of given circumstance he will not over act and the action will be truthful. Without forcing one’s self he will believe in what he’s doing therefore he would be doing it as in real life.

Quote: “To find… truth, an actor must see, watch, and absorb all possible impressions around him. An actor must learn to be aware of what surrounds him.”  

Emotional memory

Stimulation of actor’s emotion through the recall of experienced ones.

Communication

An actor should hear see and understand what is being said to him on stage and others on stage do the same. If an actor communicates consciously he will get carried away and merge with the character he is playing. Actors must communicate with each other on the basis of a living relationship between people, not by means of memorized behaviour nor formally and artificially.

Adaptation

Actors must adjust to one another on the stage and must creatively adapt himself to inspiration or to unexpected changes. 

Arthur Miller

Arthur miller was born on October 17^th 1915. In his later life after being in the public eye being married to Marilyn Monroe and being under scrutiny by The House of Un-American activities committee which tried to flush out communists (was created 1938 after the cold war). After all of this Arthur had to write under an alias which was Matt Wayne.  

Arthur miller’s work are usually allegories (parallel, saying one thing when you mean something else) for example the crucible has a under meaning of a political witch hunt, from this example we are able to presume that we need to read between the lines when reading his plays.

Many of Arthur Miller’s plays touch on theme of the American dream, in the 1920’s there was more wealthy affluence  and people were able to live freely until the wall street crash in 29 which plunged an extreme amount of people in to poverty and Miller’s parents some of those affected  by the tragedy. The American dream is unrealistic and many people strive for something which they cannot achieve making them feel like they are unworthy.

Miller was influenced by Ibsen who was described as the father of modern theatre working in a realistic time line which explains why in Miller’s plays the narratives are set over days or weeks.