GCSE Drama essay- Dramatic effectivness of the play peasouper.

Essay by xxgeorgiexx2High School, 11th gradeA-, April 2004

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Peasouper

On the 3rd of March GCSE students went to the Swan Theatre to see "Peasouper". It was a physical theatre performance including only three characters each playing multiple roles.

The hall in which it was performed was fairly small, and so the stage space was also quite limited. The audience were sitting in a rake in front of the End Stage. We were also very close to the actors which made me feel a lot more involved and not so distant from the play.

The scenery was very minimalist. There was as little as a long wooden box and two screens. This made you focus on the dialog and emphasised the quality of the actor's skills. The actors used the screens to change character, as they all played multiple roles, scene and because of lack of space they were used to present movement without actually walking back and forth the stage.

The Actors went behind the screens and came out the other side this made the play flow easily still adding the comic effect as it is simple but effective. The box was placed in the middle of these and expanded the opportunity to allow the audience's imaginations to run wild. For example the box was used as a flight of stairs and a bottomless pit these were effective as the characters stood behind the box on their knees, either collapsing as though thy are falling or jolting lower with each steps as though they are walking down stairs.

The only prop used in the play was a ping pong ball. The ping pong ball represented the jewel and also an engagement ring. This was also comical. The fact that there was such a restriction in props also caused the audience to watch the acting with...