BRIGHT WORLD by Elise Hearst and Andrea James
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BRIGHT WORLD By Elise Hearst and Andrea James LEARNING RESOURCE Compiled by Tara Daniel © 2016 Theatre Works INTRODUCTION This learning resource is designed for VCE Drama students and their teachers. Bright World is a highly non‐naturalistic piece of theatre, created by independent theatre company ARTHUR, which will challenge you as much as it entertains. There are many connections between this production and the tasks you will complete as part of the VCE Drama curriculum. The notes, images, interviews, questions and activities in this resource are all linked to the Key Skills and Key Knowledge for the Unit 3, Outcome 3 Performance Analysis, but are also highly relevant to the devising tasks you undertake in ensemble and solo performances tasks. Many of the cast and crew give valuable insights into the processes they have undertaken in the development of this new, contemporary Australian piece of theatre. Here is a summary of the Key Knowledge and Key Skills you will need for the U3 O3 task: Key knowledge • Non‐naturalistic performance styles and conventions – what are they and how are they used? • Expressive skills – how do the actors use these to create character? • Performance Skills – how do actors use these to create character? • Actor‐Audience Relationships – how do actors develop and maintain these? • Stagecraft – how does it enhance the production and add meaning? • Dramatic Elements – how do they enhance the production and add meaning? • Terminology – examples of Drama Terminology are used throughout this resource Key skills • Analyse the elements listed above in Key Knowledge Analysis involves going beyond mere description, to discuss how the elements of a performance are combined and structured, and to explain why you think these creative choices were made. What was the production trying to communicate to you? • Evaluate the elements listed above in Key Knowledge Evaluation involves the determination of value or quality, in terms of how successful and effective you thought it was. Here you need to be able to articulate your argument, go beyond description, and say why you think particular elements were effective or not. There is no one answer here. You need to articulate your opinion with detailed examples to support it. As you prepare to view this performance, remember that many creative people combined their talents to make it. They all tell the story of this process from their own perspective. Complete the pre‐show activities and do your research. Then once you have seen the performance, use this resource to enhance your experience further. Go back and forth between the two sections to create a great resource for revising for your written exam at the end of year. One of the core objectives of this show is to start conversations. So if you cannot find your answers in this resource material, don’t hesitate to get in touch with the company and ask! EMAIL [email protected] (Belinda Kelly is the Producer at ARTHUR) TWEET @arthurprod FACEBOOK facebook.com/makersofplay WEBSITE www.arthurproductions.com.au 2 CONTENTS Before the show Synopsis of Bright World 4 Cast & Crew 4 Bright World ‐ Historical Timeline 5 Bright World ‐ Contemporary Timeline 6 Who is ARTHUR?! 7 Who are the Playwrights? 7 What does a Producer do? 8 An interview with Belinda Kelly ‐ Producer 9‐10 An interview with Paige Rattray ‐ Director 11‐12 Pre‐show activity #1 ‐ Script excerpt 13 An interview with Elise Hearst & Andrea James ‐ Playwrights & Performers 14‐15 Pre‐show activity #2 ‐ List of Scenes 16 Pre‐show activity #3 ‐ What can we expect from Bright World? 17 More Pre‐show Questions 18 After the show Non‐naturalistic Theatrical Styles 19 What is Magical Realism? 20 Questions and activities 21 Post‐show activity #1 ‐ Script excerpt 22 What is Postdramatic Theatre? 23 Questions and activities 24 A question of STYLE 25 The worlds of the play 26 On STRUCTURE 26 EXPRESSIVE SKILLS 27 PERFORMANCE SKILLS 28 Analysing Characters 29 Stagecraft An Interview with Romanie Harper & Emma Valente ‐ Designers 30 SET and PROPS DESIGN 31‐32 SOUND DESIGN and LIGHTING 32 Script Excerpt 33 PROJECTION 34 COSTUME DESIGN 35 Dramatic Elements Climax ‐ Script excerpt 36‐37 Conflict 38 Tension & Contrast ‐ Script excerpt 39‐40 Activity 41 Themes and Messages 42 Biographies ‐ Cast and Crew 43‐45 Bibliography 46‐47 Credits 47 3 Bright World By Elise Hearst and Andrea James Presented by Theatre Works and ARTHUR On 6 December 1938, Aboriginal activist William Cooper led a deputation to the front door of Melbourne’s German Consulate, following the violence of Kristallnacht and in protest against the mounting Nazi persecution of European Jews. Eighty years later, his great‐great niece Andrea James takes to the stage with fellow playwright Elise Hearst, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, to explore the remarkable legacy of their ancestors. Featuring in the production as themselves, the writers explore the ways in which they are marked by the struggles and achievements of their ancestors, how contemporary Australians are affected by the legacy of those who came before them, and how this forms our understanding of modern Australian identity. Bright World spans three worlds: the past in Austria and Australia, the present in Australia, and an imagined world where past, present and future collide. The play uses heightened and lyrical theatrical language, disrupting traditional dramatic conventions and postdramatic techniques. The performance styles include magic realism, heightened naturalism, play with genre conventions, deconstruction, verbatim conventions, contemporary stand‐up comedy, reportage, and multimedia. Immersive elements include an interactive/particiaptory Bat Mitzvah. Music and sound will be controlled directy by the performers onstage through laptops and record players. This production has been developed with input from cultural advisors who have expertise in the Koorie and Jewish heritages and traditions. ARTISTIC TEAM PLAYWRIGHTS Elise Hearst & Andrea James DIRECTOR Paige Rattray PRODUCER Belinda Kelly DRAMATURG Emma Valente ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Olivia Satchell DESIGNER Romanie Harper SOUND DESIGN/COMPOSITION Tom Hogan LIGHTING DESIGN Emma Valente CHOREOGRAPHER Kurt Phelan STAGE MANAGER Natalie Breakwell PRODUCTION MANAGER Cat Scobie PERFORMERS Elise Hearst, Andrea James, Kevin Kiernan‐Molloy, Shari Sebbens & Guy Simon 4 Bright World Historical Timeline 1861 William Cooper born. Grows up on Maloga mission 1901 Federation 1914 Johannas Herskovics born in Vienna, Austria 1917 William Cooper’s son Daniel Cooper killed serving in Europe in WWI 1918 Alice Hohenberg born 1933 William Cooper moves to Footscray (73 years old) 1933 Hitler comes to power 1935 William Cooper helps found Australian Aborigines’ League 1937 Petition to King George from the ALL, penned by William Cooper, urging protection and parliamentary representation William Cooper 1938 Jan 26, William Cooper helps organise first Day of Mourning 1938 Anschluss – Nazis occupy Austria - 13 March 1938 10 November, Kristallnacht 1938 6 December, William Cooper leads deputation to German Embassy in Melbourne 1939 4 February, Cummeragunja walk-off 1939 1 September, World War 2 begins 1940 National Aboriginal Day (predecessor to NAIDOC) 1940 Johannas and Alice arrive in Australia 1941 William Cooper dies 1945 WWII ends, August 14 in Pacific 1962 Commonwealth legislation allowing Aboriginal people to vote in Federal elections 1965 Queensland is last state to pass legislation allowing Aboriginal people to vote in State elections 1965 Freedom ride, organised by Charles Perkins and Jim Spigelman 1967 Referendum - amendments leading to citizenship for Aboriginal people 1972 Tent Embassy 1988 William Cooper named as one of 100 top Australians for bicentennary 1989 Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody 1992 Mabo decision 1992 10 December, Prime Minister Keating’s Redfern Address 1993 Native Title Act 1993 1996 Wik decision 2002 Yorta Yorta v Victoria, High Court dismisses Native Title claim 2008 Prime Minister Rudd’s Apology 2009 Tree planting in Israel honouring William Cooper 2010 William Cooper Justice Centre opens in Melbourne 2012 Kristallnacht protest walk re-enacted in Melbourne, led by Alfred Turner, Uncle Boydie 5 Bright World Contemporary Timeline Approx. 2011 Elise first conceives of the idea for the project and talks about it to Paige. December 2013 ARTHUR pitches Bright World to Theatre Works, after being invited to pitch an idea for a new work. December 2014 First development at Theatre Works with playwright Elise Hearst, the actors and the ARTHUR production team. During this week the team visit the Jewish Holocaust Centre, meet Uncle Boydie, William Cooper’s grandson, and walk from William Cooper’s house in Footscray to the German Embassy in Collins Street, Melbourne, retracing his historical walk in which he protested against the persecution of Jews in Europe in December 1938. July 2015 Playwright Andrea James joins the Bright World team as co‐playwright. August 2015 Elise Hearst and Andrea James meet for the first time in Melbourne. September 2015 Second week‐long development supported by PlayWriting Australia in Sydney. In attendance are both playwrights, the actors and ARTHUR production team. The playwrights have explicit conversations about their prejudices and work to figure out what the key issues are that they want to explore in the project. They each write “fleeing stories” encapsulating the journeys of their ancestors, William Cooper and Elise’s grandparents. November 2015 First draft of script submitted by playwrights to ARTHUR. November 2015 Two one‐day workshops in Sydney with the playwrights and director. February 2016 Second draft submitted to ARTHUR. February 2016 Andrea invites ARTHUR production team and Elise to attend a Yorta Yorta on country learning course. Andrea takes them to Cummeragunja and William Cooper’s burial place. March 2016 Draft 3 submitted. March 2016 ARTHUR enter Theatre Works Artist in Residence Program, allowing them to create the show in the venue. This includes four weeks of full time development on the script and creation of set and technical elements. April 2016 Two week performance season of Bright World at Theatre Works.