Y13 BTEC Performing Arts - Caitlin Nicholas

Here is the video of our studio production of two scenes from Our Country's Good by Timberlake Wertenbaker: Obviously we are not in costume nor do we have the set and props that we would have if it were a full scale performance. So if this were a full scale production we would have a large banquet table at the centre of the stage to show the importance of the men's life of luxury, with an abundance of food and drink upon it. The use of placards would also be employed to label the scene and inform the audience of exactly what was happening, it would say: 'The authorities discuss the merits of the play'. It may also be interesting to have the information on the placard, projected on to the back of the scene, making it even more obvious and have even more of a distancing effect on the audience. The scene would be outdoors, under a large British flag, showing the political patriotism of the authorities and who they represent. In terms of costume, the auth...

For the performance of this piece I have formed a monologue from the graphic, horrendous yet tender speeches of the Soldier: ----------------------------- I have. Col. Fucking beautiful. Close my eyes and think about her. She’s –  She’s –  She’s – She’s – She’s dead, see. Fucking bastard soldier, he – They buggered her. Cut her throat. Hacked her ears and nose off, nailed them to the front door. You don't know fuck all about me. I went to school. I made love with Col. Bastards killed her, now I’m here. Now I’m here. You never fucked by a man before? Didn't think so. It’s nothing. Saw thousands of people packing into trucks like pigs trying to leave town. Women threw their babies on board hoping someone would look after them. Crushing each other to death. Insides of people’s heads came out of their eyes. Saw a child most of his face blown off, young girl I fucked hand up inside her trying to claw my liquid out, starving man eating h...

In the preface of the script, Timberlake Wertenbaker writes: 'As I write this, many Education Departments of prisons are being cut - theatre comes under the Education Department - and the idea of tough punishment as justice seems to be gaining ground in our increasingly harsh society.' This shows the truly political motive behind the play, she is using the Brechtian technique of basing the play in the past to distance the audience and force them to reflect on their own current society. This makes the aim for our scene very clear: to show a 'harsh society' in which authoritative figures of high class view 'tough punishment as justice. I think this is idea is especially important in regards to the character I play: Major Robbie Ross. Our Country's Good is based on the real story of the First Fleet in the 1780's, in which royal marines and convicts were sent to Australia to form the first penal colony. Most of the characters are also based on real people...

Sarah Kane was a young, very controversial English contemporary playwright and poet during 1990's. Her works revolve around themes of love, torture, sex and death and are well-known for including very graphic on-stage torture and violence. Her work has been labelled with the term 'In-yer-face theatre' by the critic Aleks Sierz, this type of theatre includes the works of Anthony Neilson and Mark Ravenhill. In her short lifetime she wrote five plays (Blasted, Phaedra's Love, Cleansed, Crave, 4.48 Psychosis)  and one short film (Skin).  Kane struggled with severe depression towards the end of her life and eventually killed herself in 1999. This affected her life and her writing in an extreme way, her fellow playwright and friend Mark Ravenhill described in her obituary that 'Kane fell out of love with life. And so began great, harrowing cycles of depression, self-hate and hospitalisation.'  In terms of her inspirations and motives, Kane was deeply affected by ...