TEXT IN CONTEXT: BLACKWATCH

BLACKWATCH QUOTES

ACTING CONCEPT

(AS AN ACTOR...)

DESIGN CONCEPT

(AS A DESIGNER...)

DIRECTOR CONCEPT

(AS A DIRECTOR...)

QUOTE:

"Central Iraqi desert, October 2004.

KENZIE: Do you think it’s got Sky?

FRANZ: I hope so, we’ll be able to watch the news and find out why the f*** we’re here."

THEME/ISSUE: Traditional v's Modern conflict. 

The very first moment of the play gives us a sense of the soldiers confusion over why they are involved in a war in Iraq. They understand that they need to follow thier orders, but they are not clear about the reasoning behind them being sent there.

QUOTE:

"There are two explosions as mortar bombs land on the camp. Nabsy, Kenzie and Macca dive for cover. Cammy, Granty, Rossco, Stewarty and Fraz stand unmoved."

THEME/ISSUE: The long term effect of war

This quote can be used to demonstrate the difference in experience between the older and younger soldiers through the way they react to the bombs landing. The quote demonstrates how the older soldiers have become unaffected by the danger of the conflict and have ‘seen it all before’.

QUOTE:

"CAMMY: See, I think peoples’ minds are usually made up about you if you were in the army. They are though ay? They poor f***ing boys. They canny dae anything else. They canny get a job. They get exploited in the army. Well I want you to f***ing know. I wanted to be in the army. I could have done other stuff. I’m not a f***ing knuckle dragger."

THEME/ISSUE: Pride and Identity

In this quote, Cammy shows his pride in being in the armed forces, dismissing what he considers to be the audience’s expectations about what it means to be a soldier. He wants them to know that he chose the army and he didn’t have to join just because he had ‘nothing else to do’.

In contrast to this, at the end of the play Cammy feels differently:

QUOTE:

"There is the noise of an explosion.

OFFICER: we’re going to be hearing that noise for years to come.

CAMMY: Not me, sir."

THEME/ISSUE: Disillusionment

From the two quotes we can see that between the beginning and the end of the play, Cammy changes his viewpoint about being in the army, having begun by sharing his pride, all he wants now is to get out.

QUOTE:

"MACCA: Six F***ing months.

NABSY: I thought they said we were gonna be home by Christmas?

CAMMY: You didnay believe that shite, did you?"

THEME/ISSUE: The media depiction of war

This quote shows that the soldiers no longer believe the propaganda they were sold by the army and the government when they enlisted. The older soldiers ‘tell it like it is’ to the new recruits, making it clear that the ‘deal’ they have been sold is not the truth.

QUOTE:

"CAMMY: Sitting about daying camp security. Getting mortared all the time. Getting fucking ambushed. Getting killed by suicide-bombers. And for what?"

THEME/ISSUE: The reality of the war on the soldiers experinecing it. Disillusionment.

In this quote we can see that while Cammy has believed in the role he’s played in other wars and conflicts, he doesn’t believe in the current conflict he’s in, in Iraq. Cammy believes this particular war is not for the people of the Iraq, or for his own country, but rather for the gain of others. This feels wrong to him.

QUOTE:

"STEWARTY: (speaking about his own arm) I would break it myself. Get better. Break it myself. Get better. Break it. Better. Break it. Better. Break it. Write that down.

WRITER: I will

STEWARTY: (Grabbing the writer’s arm and forcing him down) Write it down way a broken arm though."

THEME/ISSUE: The effects of combat on Mental Health. PTSD.

This quote demonstrates the lasting impact of the war on the mental health of the soldiers. Stewarty has PTSD, causing him to act aggressively towards the writer, threatening to injure him.

QUOTE:

"VOICE: Mother, Uniform, Three, Three, Six, Two. P-Four. Mother, Uniform, Three, Three, Six, Two. P-Three."

THEME/ISSUE: The harsh reality of war as opposed to the media portrayal.

At the climax of the play, this quote shows the deaths of the soldiers being dehumanised by the use of code names rather than their real names as their comrades are informed that their close friends have been injured and then die. This use of codes and numbers somehow has a more powerful impact on the audience adding to the chilling and upsetting nature of the scene.

As Cammy mops up the blood of his dead comrades we have the following quote:

QUOTE:

"CAMMY: ‘I didnae want to upset any ay the boys that wernay there ay’

OFFICER: So, you’re thinking about leaving us

CAMMY: Abso- f***cking – lutely sir, I’m offski."

THEME/ISSUE: The chasm that stands between the enlisted men and the officers. Disillusionment.

As the officer suggests Cammy should stay in the army, he tries to use guilt and flattery to make Cammy choose to remain in the war. We see that Cammy has had enough, he can’t go on; He has reached a point following the death of his friends when he no longer believes in what they are doing.

Design Concepts

If you choose to answer the question about design concepts you will need to discuss the way FIVE design concepts are used across any production areas. You need to cover a variety of different design areas in order to gain full marks.

Venue

Building or location where the performance is being staged

Period

The historical time period and location of the play

Shifts in Time

If the time period of the play changes through flashback or flash forward

Stage Configuration

How the performance space is set up – Promenade, In the Round, Proscenium Arch, Thrust etc.

Actor Audience Relationship

What space is created between the audience and actors? How do the actors and audience ‘interact’

Immediate Circumstances

What are the most pressing demands of the action? For example if a stage direction states that a character id holding a book this would need to be sourced or if the stage direction says that a character sits at a chair and table, this needs to be onstage.

Onstage/Offstage world

What we see onstage and how this seems to continue off stage. For example if a character leaves to go into a garden which is unseen, this is the offstage world. How do you ensure this remains believable?

Other keywords to use include:

Set Design, Props, Costumes, Make up, Lighting, Sound, Drama Media.

Fabric and Materials

Colour and Style

Age, Personality, Status and Relationships between characters.

Pre Show

What the audience experiences before the play begins. For example there may be a visible set on stage with stage lighting, there may be actors on stage interacting in some way, there may be music playing that adds to the mood of the play. You might decide to project something onto the stage or a screen that adds to the atmosphere before the play begins.

Stage Proxemics

How you place your characters on stage and how this shows their relationship to one another. For example, actors placed very close together to show that they are in a relationship or distance between actors to show that they are angry or dislike one another. 

Positioning

This is developed when you are in the early (blocking) phase of directing and involves how you position the character, props and set onstage to communicate meaning to the audience. For example, placing your character ‘centre stage’ gives the greatest focus on him so that might be where you place your protagonist. As a director you will make decisions about the positioning to communicate meaning to the audience.

Use of Levels

Similar to positioning, height is often used as a way to convey status or lack of status.

Characterisation

All of the ways that a director might lead a cast through exercises to develop character, for example you could create improvisations from outside of the script, of do hot-seating to help the actors to consider the character’s motivations.

Character Interaction

How you will direct the actors to react and interact to one another to demonstrate their relationships

Acting Style

Depending on the particular type of play being performed you might need to work with your actors to develop different styles of acting. For example physical theatre might need specific movement skills and melodrama might use a specific style to portray that form.

Voice and Movement

How you direct your actors to use voice and movement in order to convey meaning

Actor/Audience Relationship

This is about creating an emotional response between actors and audience. There is a ‘loop’ that can be created wherein the actors and audience feed off one another’s energy. You need to create the right response for the particular character or situation. There could also be ‘asides’ and ‘eye contact’ if suitable for the style of play. 

Special Effects

Pyrotechnics, smoke machines, glitter or confetti cannons etc.

Production Areas

How you choose to use Lighting, Sound, Props, Set Design, Costume, Make-up and Hair.

Drama Media

How you might choose to use Projections, Video Footage, Images or Soundscapes to convey meaning.