[Ytsrik]

Hey was wondering if anyone could help em out a bit,
in theatre we have been reading the play Shadow of a gunman ready for our exam and have been given an essay on it, i dont know where to start

The question is :
As a director how would you create moments of cemdy for your audience in the first act of the shadow of a gunman

In it we have to identify all of the comic characters
and look at situations
commenting on the lighting and sound
actors movemnets and proxemics
stage props and costumes

I have loads of notes on this however i am not sure whereor how to begin any help will be gratefully recieved
thanx
-x-Kirsty-x-

[Joe_JBB]

Hiya,

Sorry I didn't reply earlier, I had seen this post, but I was really stressed with an exam I had today lol. But now I'll (try and) help you.

Hmmmmm I never really liked this play lol, and tbh do you have to look at all those things? Whenever I got directing questions I only ever really looked at performance, as it was a naturalistic play, and all my lighting and sound ideas are really symbolic lol. I'd be tempted to look at it like this:

Introduction - BRIEFLY explain the importance and function of comedy in the first act (try and keep it really brief, no more than five mins)

Then the main section of the essay - choose 3 or 4 moments (you don't have to choose them before you start writing, I just had a flick and the first one i came to, wrote about that, then another flick, etc. etc. lol), and in each one you have to JUSTIFY from the text. Oh, and keep it really detailed (that's why only have 3 or 4 moments; better to write about few in detail than loads briefly). SO, for example, I'm not sure if this is in the first act, but that really fat woman and the weedy man? I'd pick just one line from there, such as 'strolling at night in the pale moonlight' - how would weedy man (sorry, forgotten his name lol) react to this? where would he be on stage? how would she say it? how would you do it on stage? and why - what's in the text to make you do it like this?

Just go like that for a couple more moments, and always keep referring to COMEDY. Oooo, and don't do a conclusion, it doesn't get you any extra marks, and wastes time.

Hope this helps. If it contrasts completely with wat you're teacher said, ignore it, but that's how I was told to do it, and it worked! lol

Joe

[happydinosaur]

I studied this and did an exam with that question on (resat the paper several times!!! )

Chose a few short sections to focus on and go into lots of detail. As the question is open about how then make sure you mention use of a range of production elements. Staging, costume, performance (physical slapstick comedy, use of voice etc) the interplay between the characters and the way you use the stage.

Sorry it is a bit vauge but it has been over 6 months since I picked up the play so I wouldn't want to mention the wrong parts. Ooh just found my copy complete with staging note on the bookshelf. So the interplay between D & S at the start...with D writing poems and S in bed not realising how late it is. Comedy can come a lot from slapstick with S. Mrs Henderson and Mr Gallogher, place emphasis on the physical difference between them and thier characters to create comic moments (so you would use casting elements plus performance) The bit where Mr G reads the letter and how he is so nervous could be a section of comedy and Mrs H and the parratox/parrot talks.

Hope those ideas help anyway!!

[xemilyx]

i re-sat this paper last week heaven for fend.... umm concentrate on donal and seamus at the bigining because a lot of comedy can be brought out of that, especially seeing as donal just wants to write his poetry and seamus is distracting him an awful lot.... then you have mrs henderson oh where would be without mrs henederson!! i see her as being over weight and quite tall, and then mr galloghour (sp) being a short weedy little man, a total contrast visually so that also brings out comedy for the audience...
there is a lot in act one that you can play with.... the others have given great tips and you've probably already done the essay, but i have nothing to do