Performance and Stage Directions
1. Dramatic techniques
* Stage directions
* Stage directions are used by Nowra to reveal the personality of the characters. The overconfidence and untrustworthy personality of Nick is highlighted in the first scene when they are travelling in the dark and Nick and Nowra accidently touch Lucy and are enjoying this. * Stage directions are also used to reveal the feelings of characters in certain situations. When Lucy and Nick leave, Lewis is left alone with Roy and the reader is told that Lewis feels betrayed. This is an effective technique because it reveals Lewis’s nervousness and lack of confidence as a director. * Stage directions are also used to reveal the humour and action on the on stage performance. At the end of act one scene two, the audience is informed by Doug that there is a fire. Nowra uses stage directions to capture the chaos as the characters run of the stage trying to stop the fire and Cherry attacks Doug by throwing herself on him, her hands on his throat, choking him.
* Foreshadowing
* Foreshadowing is used by Nowra to create suspense in the play. When Lewis is told by Justin to keep a close eye on Doug, the audience anticipates that some complications may be caused in the play. However the audience is not disappointed because Doug eventually lights a fire in the toilet and burns down the theatre. * Nowra also foreshadows Lucy’s infidelity. When Lewis and Doug are discussing Nick, and the moratorium when Lewis tells Doug that Nick lives with him and Lucy, Doug asks “do you share her?” Lewis is offended. At this point Nowra engages the audience as the think that Lucy is unfaithful, clearly foreshadowing her affair with Nick.
* Humour
* A great deal of humour comes in the play in the form of insults towards the directors. For example when Lewis defensively asserts Justin that “I am not a ward, I am director”. This creates a sense of humour because the educated audience would think that there is no
* Stage directions
* Stage directions are used by Nowra to reveal the personality of the characters. The overconfidence and untrustworthy personality of Nick is highlighted in the first scene when they are travelling in the dark and Nick and Nowra accidently touch Lucy and are enjoying this. * Stage directions are also used to reveal the feelings of characters in certain situations. When Lucy and Nick leave, Lewis is left alone with Roy and the reader is told that Lewis feels betrayed. This is an effective technique because it reveals Lewis’s nervousness and lack of confidence as a director. * Stage directions are also used to reveal the humour and action on the on stage performance. At the end of act one scene two, the audience is informed by Doug that there is a fire. Nowra uses stage directions to capture the chaos as the characters run of the stage trying to stop the fire and Cherry attacks Doug by throwing herself on him, her hands on his throat, choking him.
* Foreshadowing
* Foreshadowing is used by Nowra to create suspense in the play. When Lewis is told by Justin to keep a close eye on Doug, the audience anticipates that some complications may be caused in the play. However the audience is not disappointed because Doug eventually lights a fire in the toilet and burns down the theatre. * Nowra also foreshadows Lucy’s infidelity. When Lewis and Doug are discussing Nick, and the moratorium when Lewis tells Doug that Nick lives with him and Lucy, Doug asks “do you share her?” Lewis is offended. At this point Nowra engages the audience as the think that Lucy is unfaithful, clearly foreshadowing her affair with Nick.
* Humour
* A great deal of humour comes in the play in the form of insults towards the directors. For example when Lewis defensively asserts Justin that “I am not a ward, I am director”. This creates a sense of humour because the educated audience would think that there is no