Part A - An Inspector Calls Flashcards
Name rehearsal techniques for exploring relationships
- Status games - could help the actors understand who has the power in this section
- Hot seating - could help the actors understand how their characters feel towards each other
What was the original staging of the London OPC?
- Staged in a realistic box set
- In Act 1 - a dining table fills the stage, then it is pushed back and a fireplace emerges in Act 2
- Naturalistic costumes
What does the dark red wallpaper in the London OPC symbolically suggest?
The blood of the soldiers from future wars
What did the pictures of well-fed cattle symbolically suggest?
Reflects how the Birlings are a comfortably well-off middle-to-upper-middle-class family
Give examples of props used in the London OPC
- Champagne glasses
- Decanter of port
What did the props in the OPC suggest?
Wealth
What was the lighting in the London OPC and what did it convey?
- ‘Pink and intimate’, suggesting a cosy atmosphere and that everything in the life of the Birling family was rosy.
- Once the Inspector arrived, the lights would become ‘brighter and harder’ to suggest that the Inspector was shining a light into their lives to reveal the truth.
What is Sheila’s character motivation
- At the beginning, she wants to express her love for Gerald and improve her social status by marrying a social superior
- however, as the play unfolds, Sheila becomes increasingly determined to uncover the truth behind Eva Smith’s death. She challenges authority figures in her life and wants to make amends for what she has done and seek redemption.
What is Gerald’s character motivation?
- At the beginning, he wants to maintain social status and prestige with the Birlings
- Gerald’s motivations seem largely self-serving due to the affair in pursuit of personal gratification
- Gerald acknowledges guilt for what he did with Eva Smith and expresses a desire for redemption with Sheila. He also begins to grasp with the idea of social responsibility.
- Finally, Gerald’s interactions force him to confront his moral compass, his motivations at the end include a deeper introspection into himself
Rehearsal techniques for getting to ‘prepare an actor for the role of…’
Status games - would help the actor understand the power and control that they have over the other characters within this extract
Hot seating - would help the actor understand their motivation with this extract
What is Eric’s character motivation?
- Eric struggles with feelings of guilt, rebellion against his family’s values, and a desire for change.
- Eric’s actions throughout the play stem from his frustration with the hypocrisy and selfishness of the upper class, as well as seeking redemption and a chance for personal growth.
What is Mrs Birling’s character motivation?
- Throughout the entirety, Mrs Birling’s character motivation is to protect her social status and her position in society.
- She attempts to distance herself from the Inspector’s investigation and justifies her actions by pawning the blame off onto other people.
- This reveals her selfish and uncaring nature and is evidence of how her reputation is more important to her than the truth about Eva Smith’s death
What is Mr Birling character motivation?
- At the beginning of the play, Mr Birling is focused on uplifting his social class by marrying his daughter into the Croft family since they are higher up in terms of their societal reputation than the Birlings. He tries to impress Gerald in hopes that he will relay his impression of Mr Birling to his father, Lord Croft, which would benefit Mr Birling as he hopes to go into business with the Crofts.
- As the play and the investigation progresses, Mr Birling becomes more protective of his family, insisting that Sheila does not listen to what the Inspector is saying and getting Gerald to stop drinking alcohol to protect their reputation
What is the Inspector’s character motivation?
- Inspector Goole’s character motivation throughout the play is to get the Birlings to admit the truth about everything they did that affected Eva Smith’s tragic outcome.
- Even though he already knows everything that they tell him, his super-objective is to get the Birlings and Gerald to acknowledge what they have done and learn from the mistakes that they have made
