Q1B Multimedia Response

Question 1

Q1B –
(Multimedia) Bullet one: ‘Write down the title of the theatre event which you saw.’

Answer 1

The live theatre event I saw was ‘Grania’ at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin in October 2024.

Question 2

Q1B –
(Multimedia) Bullet two: ‘Describe the idea from this event.’

Answer 2

In ‘Grania’, multimedia was used effectively to show the passing of time during Diarmuid and Grania’s seven years on the run. Projections of rain and snow on a cyclorama symbolised the changing seasons and the harshness of their journey. This was accompanied by live Irish ballad singers, amplified through radio microphones, performing Lady Gregory’s poems. The ballads, with their haunting melodies and emotive lyrics, enhanced the emotional depth of the scene. The sound was non-diegetic and panned across the theatre to create a sense of vastness and movement, while the gradual transitions in the projections reflected the relentlessness of time passing.

Question 3

Q1B –
(Multimedia) Bullet three: ‘Analyse how you could use this idea in your set text.’

Answer 3

I would use this idea in ‘Blood Brothers’ during the montage where Mickey’s life falls apart after losing his job. Projections of rain falling over broken factory gates and newspaper headlines about unemployment would visually highlight his struggles. This would be paired with a non-diegetic lament to represent Mickey’s despair, amplified to fill the theatre. The sound would gradually crescendo, while the projections darken, ending in silence as Mickey turns to drugs.

Question 4

Q1B –
(Multimedia) Bullet four: Evaluate what you hope to achieve for your audience.’

Answer 4

This multimedia approach would immerse the audience in Mickey’s emotional and physical decline, using projections and sound to evoke empathy and reinforce the play’s themes of class and tragedy.