Moment 1 Flashcards
Introduction
In October 2021, I watched the Digital Theatre production of “Billy the kid” which was originally performed in the Unicorn Theatre.
The play is an adaptation of the novel “Billy the kid” by Michael Morpurgo, which is adapted and directed by Tony Graham.
The cast consists of two actors Dudley Sutton and Sam Donavan.
Dudley Sutton plays the character Billy throughout his life; Sam Donavan plays the characters Sam, Robert, Joey and other minor roles. Multiroling is what enables the actors to play several roles throughout the production.
The production follows a naturalistic style with elements of non-naturalism and the genre is war and Drama, additionally the staging configuration is end on.
In the play an older Billy recounts his stories of his football triumphs and tragic war experiences to Sam, a young boy, with his own passion for football.
context
In this scene, in Act 1, as a flashback, Billy and Billy’s brother Joey discuss the death of their father followed by which Billy tells Joey that he has been recruited by Chelsea reserves.
line, tone, pitch, volume, pace
line - Sam Donavan says, “What was Dad really like?”
tone - “like” is elongated shows tone is enthusiastic excited and upbeat
pitch - utilise a high pitch to signify Joey is a child in the scene
volume - increases to show Joey is fascinated by him
pace - increases as Joey is eggar to know about his father
body language and gesture
body language - Actor Sam Donavan leans in when discussing their father - conveys Joey is intrigued by his father
Dudley Sutton’s posture is upright showing that Billy is young in this flashback
gesture - Sam Donavan incorporates many hand gestures shows excitement and is exaggerated and childlike which shows Joey is a child
facial expression
Sam Donavan eyes widen whenever Billy’s father is mentioned - shows Joey is intrigued and also that he is innocent as the actors’ eyes almost become doe-eyed which is a symbol of innocence and signifies youth
Dudley Sutton hold his head high - conveys Billy is proud of being recruited
space, positioning, level, movement
levels - Sam Donavan is on his knees
Dudley Sutton who plays Billy is standing as normal and looks down to talk to Joey - contrast between their levels conveys there is an age gap and shows Billy is protective of Joey
space - Donavan and Sutton in close proxemics when talking about their father shows it is a sensitive moment for the characters
movement - Donavan is upstage stage centre standing on the rostrum but he rolls down it and quickly moves downstage - shows Joey through childlike behaviour and shows joey is excitable as he moves closer to the audience
EVALUATION - what was successful about this movement?
Sutton and Donavan exhibit Joey and Billy’s ages well which aids the audience in differentiating the characters as the actors multirole
ANALYSIS - audience communication
Donavan successfully communicates that Joey is excitable through the use of exaggerated hand gestures
ANALYSIS - audience response/reaction
sympathy - for both Billy and Joey for the loss of their father
happy - for Billy as he has been recruited for Chelsea reserves
bittersweet - sadden by the fact that Billy’s father would have been overjoyed by this news, but he isn’t around to hear
