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Chapter 15. Dramatization

Dramatization (dramatics) is the most complex and the most demanding of all of the forms of oral communication. In dramatization, all of the principles, techniques, and fundamentals applicable to other speech activities are blended and coordinated. The actor uses all of himself to present and interpret a selection: his face, hands, torso, legs, voice, temperament, personality, and experiences. We dramatize certain material because it can best be presented in a representative interpretation: presenting a "life-like picture or image of a character in a situation to an audience." We dramatize primarily through accent and emphasis, in order to point up some things and to tone down others.

However, it is necessary that we clearly understand the terms that we use. For example, not everything is dramatic-even though it can be made to appear so. Often you will hear the most commonplace thing described as dramatic.

A "drama" is a "literary composition that tells a story, usually of human conflict, by means of dialogue and action, to be performed on a stage, by actors." The word "dramatic" means "having the characteristics of a drama"namely conflict. It also implies that something is full of action and conflict and is exciting.1

"Drama" and "dramatic" are frequently mispronounced. The preferred pronunciation of "drama" is drah-ma; the first "a" rhymes with the same sound in "car." The first "a" in "dramatic" is a short, soft "a" as in "ago."

The uses of the principles learned in connection with the art of dramatization are not limited to the stage. They can also be applied to many other professions and in many walks of life. A lawyer pleading a case employs many techniques of dramatization, as does the minister in his sermons, or the high school teacher in presenting new material to his class. The storyteller will be twice as effective in relating an experience if it is made to be dramatic.

The basis of all drama and dramatic situations is conflict. Without a conflict there is no action; there can be very little story, very little characterization, and very little excitement. But, remember, there are many degrees of excitement, action, and conflict. A baseball game has conflict, has action, and can be exciting. But, a conversation (say on philosophy) can have a conflict, can have action, and can be exciting, also. There is a great difference between a philosophical discussion and a baseball game, but both are dramatic to a degree, and both require definite methods of presentation. We can learn from both situations and can apply our principles of dramatization in each.

Let us examine some of the things that can be learned from dramatization that will be of use to us both on and off the stage.

1.What You Should Learn in Dramatization

You should learn to act, to be dramatic, to make other things dramatic, for several definite reasons. As an actor, you learn:

Teamwork

Everyone in a play must work together, just as a baseball team must have teamwork.

Self-Control

Attention is focused on the actor. He must perform well under a certain amount of pressure just as a great hitter must if he comes up to the plate with the bases loaded.

Behavior

You can learn more about the author's ideas concerning human motivation by acting in his play than by merely reading it. Taking part in a play, gives you a better understanding of human nature. For example, anyone who delivers Marc Antony's famous funeral oration in a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar will appreciate how quickly a mob can be swayed with a rabble-rousing speech.

To Be Someone Else

Some of us find it very difficult to change. The older we get, it is said, the more we resist change.

It helps us to understand human emotions better if we assume the identities of others for a while. If a girl takes the part of Mrs. Zero in Elmer's Rice's The Adding Machine, she will get a good idea of what a nagging wife is really like, and it should help her to avoid becoming one herself. If a boy takes the part of the narrator in Thornton Wilder's Our Town, he should gain a better understanding of the great value of life and should therefore learn to see his family in a new and better light.

Arrangement for Emphasis

The same principles involved in decorating a store window, composing an advertisement, remodeling a house, arranging furniture in an office, or choosing suitable clothes apply equally to staging a play. The more you know about theatre, the more you know how to arrange things in life to point up one thing and to point down another.

How to Establish an Atmosphere

Every home, every office, every place of business needs the right "atmosphere" to achieve success. As a director, actor, and observer of the drama, you learn how to establish atmosphere, the mood or feeling of a place. No matter what work or profession you choose in later life, you will benefit from knowing how to establish atmosphere. Directing, acting in, and observing the drama will help you to learn.

2.What Play Do We Choose?

"You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear," is an old saying. You certainly can't take a poorly written, weak, little play and stage it so that the actors and the audience learn very much. In order to realize the advantages of drama, we must have a good script to perform, IT IS BETTER TO DO A GOOD PLAY ADEQUATELY THAN IT IS TO DO A POOR PLAY EXCELLENTLY.

The excerpts at the end of this chapter, with the list of plays suggested below, will offer a good variety of plays to choose from. Most state universities now have lending libraries where suggestions for appropriate plays can be obtained. However, the theatre club or the speech classes should have catalogues, such as the following, to consult:

David McKay Co., Inc., 119 W. 40th St., New York 18, N.Y. The Dramatic Publishing Co., 179 North Michigan Avenue,

Chicago 1, Illinois Samuel French, 25 West 45th St., New York 36, N.Y.

Dramatists Play Service Inc., 14 East 38th St., New York 16, N.Y.

Some plays suggested for possible high school production are as follows: ?

Arsenic and Old Lace by Joseph Kesselring (Dramatists Play Service) Abe Lincoln in Illinois by Robert E. Sherwood (Dramatists Play Service) Bell, Book and Candle by John Van Druten (Dramatists Play Service) Dial "M" for Murder by Frederick Knott (Dramatists Play Service) Ethan Frome by Owen Davis and Donald Davis (Dramatists Play Service)

The Hasty Heart by John Patrick (Dramatists Play Service) An Inspector Calls by J. B. Priestley (Dramatists Play Service) Ladies in Retirement by Edward Percy and Reginald Denham (Dramatists Play Service) Life with Mother by Howard Lindsay & Russcl Grouse (Dramatists Play Service) My Sister Eileen by Joseph Fields & Jerome Chodorov (Dramatists Play Service) Stagp Door by Edna Ferber & George S. Kaufman (Dramatists Play Service) Solid Gold Cadillac by Howard Teichmann and George S. Kaufman (Dramatists Play Service) The Winslow Boy by Terence Rattigan (Dramatists Play Service)

Alice in Wonderland by Alice Gerstenberg (Longman's) The Whole Town's Talking by John Emerson and Anita Loos (David McKay Co., Inc.) Around the World in Eighty Days by Nicholas Groh (Dramatic Publishing Co.) Our Miss Brooks by Perry Clark (Dramatic Publishing Co.) The Defiance of David Charles by Hal Kesler (Dramatic Publishing Co.) Love Is Eternal by Irving Stone (Dramatic Publishing Co.) Cheaper by the Dozen by Perry Clark (Dramatic Publishing Co.) Best Foot Forward by John Cecil Holm (Dramatic Publishing Co.)

Our Hearts Were Young and Gay by Jean Kerr (Dramatic: Publishing Co.)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Kendall (Dramatic Publishing Co.)

The Ponder Heart by Joseph Fields and Jerome Chodorov (Samuel French)

Angel Street by Patrick Hamilton (Samuel French)

The Late Christopher Bean by Sidney Howard (Samuel French)

Captain Applejack by Walter Hackett (Samuel French)

Nothing But the Truth by James Montgomery (Samuel French)

Ten Little Indians, by Agatha Christie (Samuel French) Charley's Aunt ,by Brandon Thomas (Samuel French) Death Takes a Holiday by Alberto Cassella (Samuel French) Seventeen by Booth Tarkington (Samuel French) The Charm School by Alice Duer Miller & Robert Milton (Samuel French)

Springtime for Henry by Benn W. Levy (Samuel French) Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward (Samuel French) Kind Lady by Edward Chodorov (Samuel French)

STUDENTS OF UPPER DARBY HIGH SCHOOL IN PENNSYLVANIA PERFORM A SCENE FROM GEORGE BERNARD SHAW'S ARMS AND THE MAN:

3. How Do We Learn to Act?

There are many basic techniques and fundamentals to the art of acting. But, a knowledge of these does not necessarily mean that you can act. You may know the skills necessary for playing baseball, but you must practice until you become proficient in them. Acting is a method of interpretation in which we incorporate all our knowledge and experience and attempt to create a character different from ourselves, through the use of our own physical and mental mechanisms. Some people prefer to say we "pretend" to become someone else, since we never escape out of ourselves; others say we "become" or "believe" we are a certain character. This is the basic difference between the "technical" and the "method" approach to acting. But, this is a discussion which we shall leave to the classroom and to the individual teacher. Books have been written on the subject, and we shall not attempt to present the arguments here. In this chapter, the basic techniques essential to all good acting will be discussed, but it is only through your own experiments, trials-and-errors, and practices that they will become a basic part of your speech proficiency.

In general, OBSERVATION OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR is the watchword and secret to characterization and good acting. The more we know about people, how they react, how they appear, and how they speak, the better our own attempt to create a character will be.

There are two styles of acting: presentational and representational. The presentational style is that in which the actor speaks his part but does not necessarily create a character that he wants the audience to believe. He is only an actor speaking. The emphasis is on the language.

Representational acting is that style in which the actor portrays a character which he wishes the audience to accept as a distinct personality. There is a careful and a skilled blending of character and language. This style is more natural and realistic. This is the style of acting we are most accustomed to viewing on the stage, on television, and in movies. Presentational acting is associated with bygone days, plays, and actors.

In Older to learn to act, you must be willing to try, new things, to be laughed at a little, to let yourself go. Unless you are cast in a part which is just like yourself, you cannot expect to play the part well unless you become different. This is hard. Are you game enough to try? Acting incorporates the use of your body and your voice to present the material that has been selected. Acting is both physical and mental, and at all times the actor must possess perfect self-control and be in harmony with the material being presented.

It is first necessary to study your script carefully, so that you have a full understanding of the play, your character, and what the author intended your character to be. When this is completed, you are ready to begin to assume a character.

You will feel awkward at first and uncertain what to do. Consider your voice, your facial expressions, and your body in connection with your character. Remember, age is often one of the most important determining facts of characterization.

CONSIDER YOUR VOICE, YOUR FACIAL EXPRESSIONS, AND YOUR POISE

Hands and Feet (Limbs)

Youth: This should be no special problem. Try to forget that you have hands and feet. Be relaxed and not stilted. Move normally.

Middle age: The body has begun to slow down. The posture may relax a little, letting the shoulders droop a little. In getting up and down from chairs and sofas, move slower than normally.

Old age: Muscles do not respond as well as they once did. The knees may be a little bent. Unless the part says otherwise, relax your posture. In getting up and down from chairs, and in going upstairs, move slowly. Push yourself out of your chair with one hand; move carefully. It is important that you study people who are the same age as the part you are to play. How do they move? Do you do things the way they do?

Voice

YOU MUST BE HEARD. Amateurs tend to talk in their normal voices. You do not have to shout, but you must speak with energy. If you turn your back to the audience, talk louder than before. If you must whisper, whisper loudly. What good will it do you to speak if the audience can't hear you? Do not get provoked if the director keeps telling you he can't hear you. Be sensible. Raise your volume.

Adjust your voice to the age of your character.

Youth: This should be no problem. It is usually wise for young people to try to keep their pitch down, for the sake of projection and audibility.

Middle age: Listen to the speech of your parents. Speak a little slower than you ordinarily do. Keep the pitch down. Form your words more distinctly.

Old age: Many older people tend to speak either more softly or more loudly than the average. There will be longer pauses between sentences. The voice may have a little crack or rasp in it. Think of yourself as being old. Concentrate on being old. Think about it during the day. Then sound old.

Facial Expression

The first dramas were presented by the ancient Greeks and were performed outdoors. Each actor wore a mask (or false face) to emphasize the kind of person lie was. A young lover wore a smooth, smiling mask, while an old woman had a grotesque, withered mask. This helped the audience, which was seated far away, to grasp the atmosphere of the play.

When theatres had only gaslights or candlelight, it was necessary for the actors to use broad facial expressions to communicate to the audience. The audience often used field glasses to follow the play.

However, in these days of electric lights, the actor docs not have to exaggerate to such an extent, though he must still exaggerate a little in order that his facial expressions "carry" to the last row. If lie frowns, it should be a good frown; if lie laughs, it should be a healthy laugh; if lie is sad, his face should plainly show disappointment, grief, or sorrow.

Keep as much of your face toward the audience as possible. If you are talking to someone sitting across from you, keep your face partly pointed toward the audience. Talk as little as you can with your back to the audience, unless you are seeking a special effect.

React to what is being said to you, Don't just stand there. Let your face show that you are listening.

When you react, exaggerate your reaction to some extent. Do not OVERACT, but do not under act either. Acting takes much energy which should be skillfully controlled.

Body

Remember, yon are acting with your entire physical body and personality, not just with your voice, hands, feet and face. All of you must respond to the part.

It is through the body that we express the inward emotion or feelings of a character. This is true in real life also, The body clearly shows the temperament and feelings of a person. There is much movement and activity when a person is happy or excited; the body moves slower and with less energy and movement when a person is sad or depressed. A person does not walk briskly and smartly when he is sad, nor does he slouch when he is happy.

ACT WITH YOUR ENTIRE PHYSICAL BODY AND PERSONALITY. Notice the people about you and see how the body reflects the mind, the thoughts, and the feelings

Adjust your body to the age of your character.

Youth: Unless the part calls for something else, a young person playing the part of a young person usually needs to concentrate on keeping his movements simple and clean. Jerky movements, too much waving of the arms, too much disjointed action, calls attention to itself. Try to move easily. Observe the movements of a deer or a cat; see how little energy is wasted, notice the smoothness and exactness of the movements.

Middle age: Relax the body somewhat. The muscles should not be as firm or as quick to respond as in youth. The body should seem heavier to you than before. Move with more effort. Do not bounce in and out of chairs, or run at full speed.

Old age: An older person appears to move the parts of his body separately, rather than with co-ordination. The body is heavy and moves with effort. Try to remember that you have lived for 60 years or more and not just for 16. Feel the weight of the body as it moves.

Sometimes you must appear to walk a longer distance on the stage than the actual space available allows. It is then necessary to take shorter steps and to walk in a curve rather than in a straight line. It may be that you must appear to be moving normally. Thus, you will need to practice this movement.

The circular movement is generally more attractive and graceful than any other movement. It is often necessary when working in period dresses with full skirts or trains. This will enable the wearer to keep the bulk of material from getting underfoot.

4.Characteristics and Character Traits

In order to play a part effectively, you must get a real feeling for the role. This takes some time. You will need at least a month to let the new personality develop. Think about the character you are playing when you are going from class to class, walking home from school, or combing your hair in the morning. What would this other person be doing if you were actually he? How would he walk to class; how would he act going home in the afternoon; how would he comb his hair?

Now, although it is necessary to feel the part, you must not be carried away with the whole thing. An actor must at all times be in control of himself, because he is to represent another, not be another. Although he may feel himself to be the character while he is rehearsing and acting, he must not let these feelings become dominant and out of control. It is more important that he should appear to feel, than that he should actually feel.

Let us take an example. Suppose Merle is cast in the role of Queen Elizabeth I of England at fifty years of age. What should Merle do in order to approach the characterization?

First, of course, she should study the part thoroughly, and try to understand what the queen did and why she did it. Then she should read several articles about the queen, so that she understands what kind of person Elizabeth I really was. Then she should decide what physical and mental characteristics the Queen possessed.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS	MENTAL CHARACTERISTICS
Long-waisted (so much so that she created a new fashion in clothes).	Jealous of her rivals. In need of flattery by men.
Stiff in movement. Some nervous hand movements when excited: twists rings, holds head a little to one side, taps her foot when seated.	Determined to rule her country well and to make it powerful.Intelligent.Vain about her looks, but aware that she is not pretty.

Suppose Howard is selected to play the grandfather in You Cant Take It With You. What should Howard do to begin the characterization?

First, he should observe the elderly men that he sees around him: how they walk and how they talk. When he gets some idea of how an elderly man behaves, he should study the play carefully to find out the personality of Grandpa Vanderhof. Then he is ready to make a list such as the one below.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS	MENTAL CHARACTERISTICS
Posture is relaxed but not stooped,	Likes people; keeps a pleasant look on his face.
Speaks slowly and deliberately.	Doesn't get ruffled easily.Thoroughly enjoys life.
Points his finger at people when he talks to them.	Is not ambitious and does not care who knows it.
Sighs after he sits down. Smokes a pipe and can never find his matches.	Is willing to give the other fellow a chance and to see his side of the story.

Once you get the mood, the idea is "to stay in character;" in other words, to be always the person you are pretending to be. You will need to get a firm grip on your character in order to consistently appear to be that someone. You may not always succeed, but it will be fun trying.

After notes on characteristics have been made, think about each one and how you can best incorporate each detail into your characterization. Find movements and gestures that will help you refine your characterization and give it a life of its own.

5. Stage Directions

In order to act or direct you must first make certain that you know stage directions and stage terminology. We will list some of the common terms here. These must be learned by both actors and directors in order to understand each other.

The Playing Area

For the usual proscenium stage, where the audience views the action from only one side, the areas of the stage are labeled as below:

Note the following:
"UP" means away from the audience
"DOWN" means toward the audience
"RIGHT" is to the actor's right as he faces the audience
"LEFT" is to the actor's left as lie faces the audience

So, when the director says to an actor, "cross up right," he means for the actor to go to the back of the stage and to the left, as far as the audience is concerned. The actor should learn these areas thoroughly and be certain he can respond to them quickly.

Stage Business

"Business" refers to the gestures and minor bodily movements of the actor. It is stage business that helps to round out the characterization or concept of the character for the audience.

Suppose, for example, an actor in your play is interpreting an elderly character. In order to help his characterization, he may develop the following: the habit of taking a deep breath just after he sits down, a very slight tremor or shake from time to time in his left arm and hand, stooped shoulders, and the habit of mopping his brow with a handkerchief. (His hand could show the tremor here.)

Suppose an actress in your play must appear to be a widely-traveled, intelligent woman of thirty-five who is the mother of several children. The following bits of stage business might prove helpful: she might have a darning basket and be working on some mending for her children sometime during the play; she might have a pair of glasses which she wears when she has to read anything (glasses on a chain would be good); she might wear clothing which is obviously foreign and could call attention to it. An unusual comb in her hair and a shawl are suggested unusual items of attire.

In other words, you are trying to develop the character by SUGGESTED ACTION, so that the audience gets a complete picture.

A director may suggest the stage business or actors may think up stage business for themselves. However, consider carefully if the business: (1) is appropriate' to the character; (2) results in scene-stealing (calling attention to one actor, when another should be getting the attention); (3) can be consistently done.

6. Stage Actions

The following specific situations require careful handling in order to assure proper stage actions.

Running. Excessive activity on a stage tends to produce comedy. Beware of more than two characters moving quickly, unless the action is highly necessary to the plot. If actors must run, they should take smaller steps than usual.

Fighting and struggling. If possible, lighting should take place off stage. If a thief is to be captured and tied up, let him run out and be brought back in, all tied up. If a fight must take place, it can begin on stage, work its way off stage, and conclude off stage.

Eating and drinking. If the actors are to eat and drink on stage, the food should be sufficiently tasty that they can eat it comfortably. Cold mashed potatoes, colored water, and dry bread hardly help an inexperienced actor to act naturally while eating. A little planning can help the actor to look forward to eating and drinking on stage, rather than hating to see the time arrive.

Kissing. Kisses should be short, because an audience is easily made uncomfortable by a kiss. Young people exaggerate this audience tendency because they themselves are self-conscious. It is usually best to have the couple kiss so that the kiss cannot be seen by the audience. If the man's head is in the audience's way, the audience will have to imagine the kiss. Its imagination may be more perfect than the performance.

Showing of affection. It may be well to substitute an embrace for a kiss. This has even been done in so romantic a play as Romeo and Juliet. Embraces should be short and quiet. Let the actors come together simply and quietly, and then separate.

The holding of hands is often enough to show deep emotion and feeling. The characters may simply approach each other and grasp hands firmly. Excessive physical contact between characters is usually in poor taste and is poor theatre.

Violence. Murders and other forms of violence form a problem for the stage. Unless they are very skillfully done, they seem amateurish and funny. Take a tip from the ancient Greek theatre, and let extreme violence occur off stage. Our imaginations can provide details better than all but the most talented actors.

If the violence must occur on stage, keep it as simple and as concealed as possible. After the violence has occurred, it may be that the victim can fall out of sight behind a couch or a chair. He might even be in a doorway and stagger out of sight. At least, his face should be concealed. Avoid any literal show of violence or pain. Avoid carrying the victims of violence off stage. This is usually poorly done and the results can be disturbing.

Keep your hands occupied. Many inexperienced actors do not know what to do with their hands. It may be that the director can suggest something that will help. Smoking and drinking of beverages are often used in the professional theatre to ease this situation, but they arc inappropriate in high school performances. There are many adequate substitutes: a girl can carry a book, an umbrella, a big purse or handbag or a wrap over her arm; a boy may carry a raincoat, an umbrella, a briefcase or a coat over his arm.

Even more appropriate items should be suggested by the part the actor is to play. People are seldom sufficiently at ease to let their hands lie still. Tennis rackets, a package, a train timetable-all of these things help the inexperienced actor to use his hands properly, provided they fit into his character and DO NOT GET IN HIS WAY. If carrying an item causes confusion, of course, lie will have to omit it.

A HANDCLASP MAY BE EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE THAN A KISS

7. Basic Steps in Preparing the Production

Let us imagine that the director has been asked to present the beginning of Act III from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. The action of the scene is that Caesar meets the soothsayer and the petitioners in the street. He moves into the capitol where Brutus, Cassius and others surround Caesar on the pretext of asking for the recall of Publius Cimber, who had been exiled; Caesar is stabbed; the conspirators discuss their deed. Mare Antony's servant asks if Antony may come safely to learn why Caesar was killed; Antony enters and appears to make friends with the conspirators.

Casting

The director will make an effort to get as many people to read for the scene as possible, so that he can pick the best people. Posters should be made announcing where students may report to try out. Announcements should be made in assembly, in classes, and in the newspaper.

When those who wish to read for the parts are assembled, the director should distribute copies of a part of the scene to the group, discuss briefly what it means, and then request groups of two or three to read at a time. The director will usually have everyone read at least twice so that he can hear various combinations of voices together.

First Reading

The director will assemble the cast he has selected, and they should sit down to read the scene together. Some comment will be made, now, concerning the types of persons Caesar, Antony, Cassius and Brutus were. The director, of course, shall have read the whole play so that he can give the group the story of the other scenes. In this first reading, the interpretation of the scene is decided.

A second reading is worthwhile. This will depend upon how much of the flavor of the scene the director feels the group understands.

"Blocking" Rehearsals

The term "blocking" means arranging the positions of the actors on stage during a scene as one would arrange blocks to make a picture. The director must start his people through the play, getting them to walk to the positions they will take.

Some actors can establish positions without the director having to tell them just where to go. Some actors sense where they should be.

A person who is upstage of another person is in the "emphatic" position, to draw audience attention. This is partially because other persons must turn away from the audience to talk to a person who is upstage.

Avoid talking with your back to the audience. Beware of standing in a straight line. This is not normal for people. Do not have too much action on one side of the stage. Keep some balance to the action.

It may be wise, at the end of the first several blocking rehearsals, to simply walk through your positions without saying lines. This will help you to remember the positions.

Putting in the Business

After the first reading has taken place and when the actors have established their relative positions and paths in each scene, the director will encourage proper stage business. Let us return to Act III of Julius Caesar as an example.

Artemidorus has a petition in his hand. How shall be hold it? Shall he have it unrolled and show it to Caesar, or shall it be rolled up and thrust at him? The most difficult business, however, is Caesar's death. Violence is always difficult. How obvious will it be that Caesar is being stabbed? If Caesar were on a raised portion of the stage, as he might be as the leader in the Senate, the conspirators could surge closer to Caesar; Casca's knife could be seen as it appeared above the crowd, the other conspirators, including Brutus, could then surge forward making stabbing motions. As they withdraw, Brutus could remain closer to Caesar than the others. Then Caesar might fall as he says, "Et tu, Brute?"

8. Stage Crafts

A costume is used to enhance the actor and atmosphere and should never be allowed to interfere with a performance, or be of such a nature that it will annoy an actor. Generally, it is considered wise to keep all costumes to a minimum and fairly simple. It is extremely necessary that performers become accustomed to the costumes they are to wear, so that they will be able to move freely and comfortably about the stage, as the characters would in such clothing.

In the case of Julius Caesar, it is not essential that togas be worn. Many professional productions of Shakespeare have been done in modern clothing and the effects are the same. Often the expense of making costumes prohibits them, and a few pieces of extra costuming effects can suggest as much as an entire costume may represent. Seek the effect, not the exact duplication.

But in lighting, scenery, and costuming, be familiar with the effects of color, and do not use colors that are too bright or too dark for a particular character, time of year, or situation. Generally, older persons do not wear bright colors; darker clothing will enhance serious scenes and brightly colored clothing will enhance comedy or lighter scenes. The funeral scene in Our Town takes place in the rain, with the characters all wearing black rain coats and carrying black umbrellas. This is a perfect example of the use of color to enhance the mood and add suggested meaning to a scene. Black is symbolic of mourning, in this instance.

The same general rules apply to stage setting and properties. Be sure the objects are suitable to the scene, the situation, and the character. Do not let any of the stage dressings detract from the play or the players.

Scenery

Unless your resources are unusually good, it is best to suggest detailed scenery, rather than to try to literally reconstruct it. The audience can imagine a more romantic castle than you ever could build on a stage; it can visualize a much denser forest than three weeks of work could construct; and it can envision a luxurious living room on Park Avenue in New York from a few pieces of furniture.

It is wise to have available the following stock pieces: several platforms of different sizes, usually each a foot high; one or more sets of simple stairs; several simple chairs and tables; and two or more screens, each usually composed of three or four panels six and a half feet tall.

IN THIS SCENE FROM THE MOVIE VERSION OF JULIUS CAESAR, THE EMPHASIS IS ON THE ACTORS WHO ARE ABOUT TO STAB CAESAR, SO THAT THE SETTING IS KEPT SIMPLE

Scenery for Shakespearean Play

Our scenery for Act III of Julius Caesar could be very simple. The initial crowd scene could take place in front of the main curtain, with no scenery in sight. When the curtains open, the audience might see only platforms and perhaps two pillars to suggest a Roman forum. The platforms could be arranged so that upstage would be two or more levels higher than the natural .stage floor. (Platforms may be borrowed from the gym or band for this occasion.) The two pillars could be down-stage, toward the footlights but behind the main curtain, so that the senators could pass through them going into the forum. Such pillars could be made from cardboard packing boxes mounted on a stand made or two by fours. There need be no attempt to "round" the actual cardboard. Proper lines painted on the cardboard will make them seem round. The back of the stage could be draped in a plain, dark curtain.

Properties

Almost any play calls for a number of small items which the actors must use in their parts. These are called "properties" or "props." There are two kinds of props: hand (or personal) props and stage props. Hand props are those items which are carried on and off stage by the actors. They may be articles used in connection with character business: a coffee cup, a pipe, a book, a sewing basket, and so forth. Stage props are items which are to be in place on stage for the actor to use and must be carefully placed there by the property master. Such items might be a tobacco jar, a coffee pot, a vase of flowers, a couch pillow, and so on. Again, it is not necessary to secure the exact items called for. A representation of the article may be more effective for theatre than the real article itself.

For example, there are the scrolls which are presented to Caesar on his way to the forum. These may be made of long pieces of wrapping paper rolled onto sticks of wood. It is important that they be big enough for the audience to sec easily.

In some towns, local stores will be willing to lend merchandise when given the simple courtesy of having their names mentioned in the program.

STAGE SETTINGS CAN BE INEXPENSIVE AND EASY TO OBTAIN

GOOD LIGHTING HELPS FOCUS ATTENTION ON THE IMPORTANT ACTION OF THE PLAY AS SHOWN ABOVE

Lighting

Since the scenery for high school plays may have to be much more suggestive than realistic, good lighting is important. Good lighting will make the play more effective.?

There are two main principles in lighting that must be emphasized:

1. The lighting must play up those parts of the stage where the attention of the audience is to be centered and play down those parts which will distract the audience.
2. Lighting effects should not be obvious. Lighting changes should be made slowly and blend so well into the mood of the play that the audience is unaware that the changes are being made. Lighting is usually classified into two categories: general lighting and specific lighting.

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? Stanley McCandless wrote an excellent article entitled "Lighting the Small School Stage" for the May, 1955, issue of Architectural Record. Reprints of the article may be obtained from Century Theatrical Lighting, Inc., 521 West 43rd Street, New York 36, N. Y. Read this pamphlet or similar materials before you begin to design lighting.

General lighting fills the entire stage and provides effects such as bright sunlight, moonlight, or special color toning of the scenery. General lighting is achieved through the use of footlights, borderlights, floodlights, and strip lights.

Specific lighting is used to emphasize the main acting areas of the stage. You might have a specific lighting of a chair area, a doorway area, a fireplace area, a stairway area, etc. Spotlights, grouped in pairs, are used almost exclusively for specific lighting of the acting areas. Back lighting is the term used to designate the specific lighting of backings behind doors and windows, and other areas leading off stage, such as hallways or alleyways.

The most common lighting instruments are:

Fresnel: a small, all-purpose spotlight. It provides a beam of light with a soft edge that blends easily into the other lighting. Fresnels are used up high, behind the proscenium arch.

Leko: a more powerful spotlight which provides a sharp-edged, narrow beam of light. Lekos are usually mounted out in the auditorium in front of the balcony and used for the front lighting.

Beam Projector: a narrow-beam light suitable for sun. and moonlight effects through windows and arches, or for lighting the rear of stage or backgrounds.

Borderlight: a long strip of lights mounted overhead behind the proscenium arch for producing a general lighting effect. There are usually two or three colors in each strip which are controlled separately.

Scoop: a small floodlight which gives a wide-angled, soft light. They are often used to supplement the borderlights for toning effects.

Lighting equipment for the stage need not be expensive. A small amount of equipment can help a great deal. Advertisements in theatre magazines should be consulted. Contact the following for price lists and information booklets:

Century Lighting, Inc.. 521 West 43rd St., New York 36, N.Y. Kliegl Bros., 321 West 50th St., New York 19, N. Y. Olympic Lighting Company, 8036 45th Ave., S.W., Seattle, Washington

A complete directory of theatrical materials, including lighting, scenery, sound effects, make-up, and so forth, may he purchased for $2.50, from Bernard Simon, 1674 Broadway, N.Y. Ask for Simons Directory.

In the diagram above, note that the leko lights with their strong narrow beams are mounted out in the auditorium. The fresnel lights which have softer beams, and throw light a. shorter distance than the lekos, are mounted behind the proscenium arch, closer to the actors. The scoops, which give, wide-angled beams of light, supplement the lighting from the border lights to prevent shadows. They can be mounted on stands or mounted overhead.

9. Make-up

It is important that the actor, after carefully preparing for the role, prepare just as carefully to look like the character lie is to portray. It is through the use of make-up that the actor paints his character's face over his own. An effective make-up is determined by the requirements of the characterization and the manner in which it is applied.

There are two minor problems to dispose of first. Girls may think that they already know how to apply make-up. Roys may think that they do not want "that stuff" on their faces. The girls must realize that stage make-up follows an entirely different technique of application and method of accentuation than does street make-up. Boys must not associate stage make-up with the make-up normally used by girls, and must realize that they need make-up to help them to appear as the characters they are por-traving. Make-up is nearly as important as knowing the dialogue to be spoken. Remember, every person you see on television, on stage, or in the movies, is wearing make-up. No actor who really wishes to make a good appearance will ever think of appearing without make-up. Good make-up enhances, it does not detract.

When you begin to see the hundreds of different faces you can have through proper uses of make-up, this part of dramatics can become one of the most exciting and anticipated activities.

The basic steps for application of make-up are as follows:

Protect the Skin

It is usually wise to protect the skin with a light coating of cold cream. Young people often have sensitive complexions, and a protective coating will both guard the skin and make make-up removal easier as well. This is not necessary with some make-up, but is recommended, regardless.

Apply a thin coating of cold cream over all areas of the body that are to receive make-up. Wipe off all excess with tissue, as too much will only interfere with later make-up application.

Apply a Base

The over-all skin tone make-up is called a "base." The base colors come in a variety of formspancake, liquid, paste, or stick and all of these come in a variety of colors.

The proper base color to use is determined by the age, the health, and the general coloring of the character to be portrayed. Old people generally have sallow coloring, while children have pink complexions. Select the skin tone which best represents your character. Base is needed to make the skin "look alive" under the lights. Remember, the many, bright, colored lights will totally fade your own coloring, and, thus, base tones are added to enrich your natural coloring.

Apply the base evenly and rub it well into the skin. Wipe off any excess base. Remember, this is a toning color, and you should not look as if you are wearing a mask. You may think that you look like an Indian, but study your make-up under the full stage lights and see the difference.

To apply stick or paste make-up, cover the face with small dots of make-up and blend them together. To apply pancake or liquid base make-up, use a sponge or cloth. Be careful not to leave any streaks, and BE SURE to cover such areas as those behind the ears, on the back of the neck, and on the backs of the hands. Blend your make-up well into the hairline. Now that the basic coloration of the character is established, it is necessary to put in the details of the face, as in portrait painting.

Shadows

It is necessary to determine what features of the face must be accentuated to fit the character. Often an actor will want his face to appear to have a different structure. This effect is achieved by a technique of highlight and low-light shadowing. Any area that is shadowed will appear to the audience to have a sunken appearance, and any area which is highlighted will appear to stand out. If an actor wants to appear to have sharp cheek bones and sunken cheeks, the effect is achieved by shadowing the flat-cheek area with a dark color (brown, gray, maroon, green, lavender) and bringing out the cheekbones with a lighter color (white, pink, yellow). A shadow is not just a smudge. It must be carefully placed in the proper indentation, have a dark center, and blend into the highlight area. Such effects can be used to make a narrow nose, a sharp chin, a broad forehead, and so forth.

In old age make-up, these shadows are much more prominent and are applied with much more contrast. The older we get, the sharper the features of the face become. Notice the high lights and low lights of the people about you: parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, your teachers, your friends. Notice that there is a direct relation between age and the low lights of the face.

A SHADOW MUST BE CAREFULLY APPLIED IN THE RIGHT INDENTATION AND BE BLENDED INTO THE HIGHLIGHT AREA

Eyes

The most important elements in an actor's face are his eyes. Tt is through the eyes that the character is most carefully expressed. It is necessary that the eyes be outlined to be distinct. This is done by thin lines on the eyelids, made by either a brush or a pencil. Follow the natural line of your own eyes unless you are seeking a special effect, but do not make rings around the eyes. NEVER totally outline an entire eye, but line the outer half only. NEVER outline the eyes in black. You must only accentuate the eyes and not ring them. Use either brown, gray, green, or maroon for eye lining. A light use of eye shadow will enhance the eyes. A light color or shadow will give a .soft effect to the eyes, and a darker tone will make the eyes seem deep set. A soft touch of rouge applied at the upper corner of each eye will give an especially bright effect.

NOTICE THE SHARPNESS OF THE FEATURES OF OLDER PEOPLE. MAKE-UP FOR AN OLD-AGE CHARACTERIZATION SHOULD BE APPLIED WITH MORE CONTRAST THAN ONE FOR A YOUNGER PERSON.

Cheeks

Coloring on the cheeks must be used sparingly unless an artificial look is desired. Choose a color of rouge that blends with the character's age and type. Remember, ROUGE IS INTENDED TO HIGHLIGHT THE EYES AND CHEEK BONES AND NOT TO COLOR THE CHEEKS. There are not many people who are naturally rosy cheeked, so use rouge sparingly. Some older people have flushed faces, and younger children have a healthy glow, but in general the cheek color must be subtle and soft. Blend rouge upward, toward the eyes, not down onto the jaw.

Face Lines

Every face develops characteristic lines. The older we become, the more pronounced these lines become. We need to bring out the lines of the face so they will carry to the audiencehowever, these are lines and not marks; they must be small and thin.

First, get a good idea of the type of person the character is supposed to be; second, grimace and squint so that the natural lines in the face will show up; third, use these natural lines as the bases for your lines and shadows.

What the beginner sometimes forgets is that there are highlights on the face as well as shadows. Therefore, he must use a considerable amount of white as well as brown, black, or dark purple. Notice the sketches below:

USE THE NATURAL LINES AND CONTOURS OF YOUR FACE AS THE BASE LINES FOR LINES AND SHADOWS

We begin by wiping white coloring into the wrinkles. Secondly, we use our colored pencils to line the deepest part of the wrinkles. Thirdly, we take our fingers and smooth out the dark into the light. What remains should be dark portions in the deepest parts of the wrinkles, blending into light portions at the crests of the skin between the wrinkles.

Lips

The actor should be very careful not to wear too much lip rouge. Most girls in their street make-up wear too much rouge on the lips. Experienced actors paint on their lip rouge with a brush. In any event, the rouge is applied to the inner part of the lip and blended outward. If the lips must appear wrinkled, high lights may be drawn on them with white and dark pencils. The effect of this shading should be tried out under the stage lights to see if the desired look has been achieved.

APPLY POWDER LIGHTLY AND EVENLY. USE A COLOR WHICH BLENDS WITH THE COMPLETE CHARACTERIZATION

Powder

To keep the make-up from shining unnaturally under the lights on the stage, it is necessary to dull the effect by putting powder on the face. The powder comes in many different colors. Remember to choose a color which blends with the characterization. Pat the powder on lightly, being careful not to smear the make-up. Keep it evenly distributed.

False Hair

It may be necessary to affix a false mustache, beard or eyebrows to the actor. This can be done rather simply.

The adhesive to which the hair will be glued must be applied directly to the skin and without a base having been put on. A form of liquid rubber or spirit gum may be applied to the .skin and, since it is slow in drying, the hair may be applied to the already-prepared place.

Cut the hair in advance to the desired lengths. For a mustache, begin in the center of the lip and work toward both extremities at the same time. For sideburns, begin at the bottom and work up into the natural hair line. For beards, start under the chin and work up over the jaws toward the cheek.

Since it is possible to trim a beard after it is applied, but difficult to increase its length unless the process is begun again, it is safer to apply the hair too long and cut it off than it is to make it too short.

COSTUME AND MAKEUP COMPLETE THE CHARACTERIZATION

False eyebrows may be applied in a similar manner, cither over the existing eyebrows or in another area with the existing eyebrows made invisible with base and powder or with soap.

If the beard or mustache, sideburns, or eyebrows are to be used more than once, it is sensible to use latex as your adhesive because it will allow you to peel off the hair and use it a second time by applying fresh latex.

Hair Coloring

The problem of hair coloring until recently has been one of the major difficulties in make-up, but with recent developments in the cosmetics industries, stage make-up has been greatly aided.

There are now several successful and easily used hair sprays available in a great variety of colors for stage use. These can be applied to the hair for short periods of time and washed out easily.

The major problem is with gray and white hair. The commercial hair whitener is still the most successful, although it is possible to use some of the silver sprays and remove the excess. In hair coloring, it is best to be very careful to achieve the right effect without looking false, especially with white hair. The hair coloring is applied after all of the other make-up is on. But, be sure the shades and colors in your face make-up will blend with the desired hair color.

Additional refinements in make-up are fun to try. For more detailed explanations, see any of the following:

Richard Corson. Stage Makeup, New York: Appleton-Century- Crofts, Inc., 1949.

Richard Johnson and Robert Seaver, A Guide to Makeup for the Stage, New York: Paramount Cosmetics and Theatrical Make-Up (242 W. 27th St.), 1955.

The University of California's Extension service also has films available on stage make-up.

Price lists may be obtained from the following concerns:

Paramount Theatrical Supplies, 32 W. 20th St., N.Y. 11, N.Y.
Max Factor, 1666 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, California Gray's, 1690 Broadway, New York 19, N.Y.
Other concerns are listed in Simons Directory referred to earlier.

Selections for Dramatization

1. In Act II of Oliver Goldsmith's "She Stoops to Conquer," two young gentlemen, Marlow and Hastings, have come from town into the country, where Marlow is to be introduced to Kate Hard-castle, his father's choice for his wife. The two men are purposely misled into thinking that the Hardcastle house is an inn, so that when Marlow first meets Kate, in the company of Constance Neville, the fiancee of Hastings, Marlow thinks he is fust running into her by chance at the inn.

Hastings. My dear Charles! Let me congratulate you! The most fortunate accident! Who do you think is just alighted?

Marlow. Cannot guess.

Hastings. Our mistresses, boy, Miss Hardcastle and Miss Neville. Give me leave to introduce Miss Constance Neville to your acquaintance. Happening to dine in the neighborhood, they called on their return to take fresh horses here. Miss Hardcastle has just stepped into the next room, and will be back in an instant. Wasn't it lucky? Eh?

Marlow. [Aside] . . . Here comes something to complete my embarrassment.

Hastings. Well, but wasn't it the most fortunate thing in the world?

Marlow. Oh, yes. Very fortunatea most joyful encounterBut our clothes, George, you know, are in disorderWhat if we should postpone the happiness till tomorrow?Tomorrow at her own house-It will be every bit as convenientand rather more respectful-Tomorrow let it be. [Offering to go.]

Marlow. Oh, the devil! How shall I support it? Hem! Hem! Hastings, you must not go. You are to assist me, you know. I shall be confoundedly ridiculous. Yes, hang it, I'll take courage! Hem!

Hastings. Pshaw, man! It's but the first plunge, and all's over. She's but a woman, you know.

Marlow. And of all women, she that I dread most to encounter.

[Enter Miss Hardcastle, as returned from walking, a bonnet, etc.]

Hastings. [Introducing them.] Miss Hardcastle, Mr. Marlow; I'm proud of bringing two persons of such merit together, that only want to know to esteem each other.

Miss Hardcastle. [Aside] Now for meeting my modest gentleman with a demure face, and quite in his own manner. [After a pause, in which he appears very uneasy and disconcerted] I'm glad of your safe arrival, sir. I'm told you had some accidents by the way.

Marlow. Only a few, madam. Yes, we had some. Yes, madam, a good many accidents, but we should be sorrymadamor rather glad of any accidentsthat are so agreeably concluded. Hem!

Hastings. [To him] You never spoke better in your whole life. Keep it up, and I'll insure you the victory.

Miss Hardcastle. I'm afraid you flatter, sir. You, that have seen so much of the finest company, can find little entertainment in an obscure corner of the country.

Marlow. [Gathering courage] I have lived, indeed, in the world. madam; but I have kept very little company. I have been but an observer upon life, madam, while others were enjoying it.

Miss Neville. But that, I am told, is the way to enjoy it at last.

Hastings. [To him] Cicero never spoke better. Once more, and you are confirmed in assurance for ever.

Marlow. [To him] Hem! Stand by me then, and when I'm down, throw in a word or two to set me up again.

Miss Hardcastle. An observer, like you, upon life, were, I fear, disagreeably employed, since you must have had much more to censure than to approve.

Marlow. Pardon me, madam. I was always willing to be amused. The folly of most people is rather an object of mirth than uneasiness.

Hastings. [To him] Bravo. Bravo. Never spoke so well in your whole life. Well, Miss Hardcastle, I see that you and Mr. Marlow are going to be very good company. I believe our being here will but embarrass the interview.

Marlow. Not in the least, Mr. Hastings. We like your company of all things. [To him] Zounds, George, sure you won't go. How can you leave us?

Hastings. Our presence will but spoil conversation, so we'll retire to the next room. [To him] You don't consider, man, that we are to manage a little meeting of our own. [Exeunt Hastings with Miss Neville]

Miss Hardcastle. [After a pause] But you have not been wholly an observer, I presume, sir. The ladies, I should hope, have employed some part of your addresses.

Marlow. [Relapsing into timidity] Pardon me, madam, IIIas yet have studiedonlytodeserve them.

Miss Hardcastle. And that, some say, is the very worst way to obtain them.

Marlow. Perhaps so, madam. But I love to converse only with the more grave and sensible part of the sexBut I'm afraid I grow tiresome.

Miss Hardcastle. Not at all, sir; there is nothing I like so much as grave conversation myself; I could hear it for ever. Indeed I have often been surprised how a man of sentiment could ever admire those light, airy pleasures, where nothing reaches the heart.

Marlow. It'sa diseaseof the mind, madam. In the variety of tastes there must be some who, wanting a relishforumaum

Miss Hardcastle. I understand you sir. There must he some who, wanting a relish for refined pleasures, pretend to despise what they are incapable of tasting.

Marlow. My meaning, madam, but infinitely better expressed. And I can't help observinga

Miss Hardcastle. [Aside] Who could ever suppose this fellow impudent upon some occasions! [To him] You were going to observe, sir,

Marlow. I was observing, madamI protest, madam. I forget what I was going to observe.

Miss Hardcastle. [Aside] I vow and so do I. [To him] You were observing, sir, that in this age of hypocrisy,something about hypocrisy, sir.

Marlotv. Yes, madam. In this age of hypocrisy there are few who, upon strict inquiry, do not ... a ... a ...

Miss Hardcastle. You mean that in this hypocritical age there are few who do not condemn in public what they practice in private; and think they pay every debt to virtue when they praise it.

Marlow. True, madam; those who have most virtue in their mouths have least of it in their hearts. Btit I'm sure I tire you, madam.

Miss Hardcastle. Not in the least, sir; there's something so agreeable and spirited in your manner, such life and force,pray, sir, go on.

Marlow. Yes, madam, I was sayingthat there are some occasions when a total want of courage, madam, destroys all theand puts us uponaaa

IN MARGO JONES' THEATRE IN DALLAS, TEXAS, PLAYS ARE PERFORMED "IN-THE-ROUND." EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON THE ACTING AND COSTUMING AS VERY LITTLE SCENERY IS USED

Miss Hardcastle. I agree with you entirely; a want of courage upon some occasions, assumes the appearance of ignorance, and betrays us when we most want to excel. I beg you'll proceed.

Marlow. Yes, madam. Morally speaking, madam . . . But I see Miss Neville expecting us in the next room. I would not intrude for the world.

Miss Hardcastle I protest sir, I never was more agreeably entertained in all my life. Pray go on.

Marlow. Yes, madam, I wasBut she beckons us to join her. Madam, shall I do myself the honor to attend you?

Miss Hardcastle. Well, then, I'll follow.

Marlow. [Aside] This pretty smooth dialogue has done for me. [Exits]

Miss Hardcastle. [Alone] Ha! Ha! Ha! Was there ever such a sober, sentimental interview? I'm certain he scarce looked in my face the whole time. Yet the fellow, but for his unaccountable bashfulncss, is pretty well, too. He has good sense, but then so buried in his fears, that it fatigues one more than ignorance. If I could teach him a little confidence, it would be doing somebody that I know of a piece of service. But who is that somebody? That, faith, is a question I can scarce answer. [Exits]

2. Act III of James M. Barrie's "Quality Street" ends as Captain Valentine Brown escorts Phoebe home from a dance. Before the Napoleonic Wars, Phoebe thought that Captain Brown might ask her to marry him. But he left without doing so, and Phoebe's beauty faded as she and her older sister kept a school in order to make a living. Now, some ten years later, Phoebe has plotted to have one last fling. Dressing herself up as she used to look, she has gone to a ball disguised as a non-existent cousin, Livvy. She has been the hit of the ball and the favorite of Captain Brown. Now Captain Brown is taking "Miss Livvy" home.

Valentine. You are an amazingly pretty girl, ma'am, but you are a shocking flirt. 1 speak, ma'am, in the interests of the man to whom I hope to see you affianced.

Phoebe. I beg you.

Valentine. No, we must have it out.

Phoebe. Then if you must go on, do so. Who is this happy man?

Valentine. As to who he is, ma'am, of course I have no notion. Nor, I am sure, have you, else you would be more guarded in your conduct. But some day, Miss Livvy, the right man will come. Not to be able to tell him all, would it not be hard? And how could you acquaint him with this poor sport? His face would change, ma'am, as you told him of it, and yours would be a false face until it was told. This is what I have been so desirous to say to youby the right of a friend.

Phoebe. [In a low voice but bravely] I see.

Valentine. [Afraid that he has hurt her] It has been hard to say and I have done it bunglingly. Ah, but believe me, Miss Livvy, it is not the flaunting flower men love; it is the modest violet.

Phoebe. The modest violet! You dare to say that.

Valentine. Yes, indeed, and when you are acquainted with what love really is

Phoebe. Love! What do you know of love?

Valentine. [A little complacently] Why, ma'am, I know all about it. I am in love, Miss Livvy.

Phoebe. [With a disdainful inclination of the head] I wish you happy. Valentine. With a lady who was once very like you, ma'am. [At first Phoebe does not understand, then his meaning comes to her]

Phoebe. Not . . . not . . . oh no. Valentine. I had not meant to speak of it, but why should not I? It will be a fine lesson to you, Miss Livvy. Ma'am, it is your Aunt

Phoebe whom I love.

Phoebe. [Rigid] You do not mean that. Valentine. Most ardently.

Phoebe. It is not true; how dare you make sport of her,

Valentine. Is it sport to wish she may be my wife?

Phoebe. Your wife!

Valentine. If I could win her.

Phoebe. You really mean Phoebetired, unattractive Phoebe, that woman whose girlhood is gone.

Valentine. [Stoutly] Phoebe of the fascinating playful ways, whose ringlets were once as pretty as yours, ma'am.

Phoebe. 'Tis an old garden now.

Valentine. The paths, ma'am, arc better shaded.

Phoebe. The flowers have grown old-fashioned.

Valentine. They smell the sweeter. Miss Livvy, do you think there is any hope for me?

Phoebe. There was a man whom Miss Phoebe lovedlong ago. He did not love her.

Valentine. Now, there was a fool!

Phoebe. He kissed her once.

Valentine. If Miss Phoebe suffered him to do that she thought he loved her.

Phoebe. Yes, yes. [She has to ask him the ten-year-old question] Do you opinion that this makes her action in allowing it less reprehensible? It has been such a pain to her ever since.

Valentine. How like Miss Phoebe! [Sternly] But that man was a knave. Phoebe. No, he was a good manonly a littleinconsiderate. She knows now that he has even forgotten that he did it. I suppose men are like that?

Valentine. No, Miss Livvy, men are not like that. I am a very average man, but I thank God I am not like that.

Phoebe. It was you.

Valentine. [After a pause] Did Miss Phoebe say that?

Phoebe. Yes.

Valentine. Then it is true. [He is very grace and quiet]

Phoebe. It was raining and her face was wet. You said you did it because her face was wet.

Valentine. I had quite forgotten.

Phoebe. But she remembers, and how often do you think the shameful memory has made her face wet since? The face you love, Captain Brown, you were the first to give it pain. The tired eyeshow much less tired they might be if they had never known you. You who are torturing me with every word, what have you done to Miss Phoebe? You who think you can bring back the bloom to that faded garden, and all the pretty airs and graces that fluttered round it once like little birds before the nest is torn downbring them back to her if you can, sir; it was you who took them away.

Valentine. I vow I shall do my best to bring them back.

3. George Bernard Shaw's "Androcles and the Lion" is a re-telling of the old story about a Roman tailor whose Christianity saved him from death. The play has both very humorous and very serious passages. The first selection opens the play. A howling lion with a thorn in his paw has limped onto the stage and, after unsuccessfully trying to extract the thorn, has gone to sleep under a tree. Androcles and his wife, Megaera, enter next. Androcles is a thin, stooped man, while Megaera is healthy and strong looking. Note that Shaw's ideas of punctuation are not conventional.

Megaera. [Suddenly throwing down her stick] I wont go another step.

Androcles. [Pleading wearily] Oh, not again, dear. Whats the good of stopping every two miles and saying you wont go another step? We must get on to the next village before night. There are wild beasts in this wood: lions, they say

Megaera. I dont believe a word of it. You are always threatening me with wild beasts to make me walk the very soul out of my body when I can hardly drag one foot after another. We havent seen a single lion yet.

Androcles. Well, dear, do you want to see one?

Megaera. [Tearing the bundle from his back] You cruel brute, you dont care how tired I am, or what becomes of me [she throws the bundle on the ground]: always thinking of yourself. Self! self! self! always yourself! [She sits down on the bundle]

SIMPLICITY IN SETTING AND COSTUMING CAN BE VERY EFFECTIVE

Androcles. [Sitting down sadly on the ground with his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands] We all have to think of ourselves occasionally, dear.

Megaera. A man ought to think of his wife sometimes.

Androcles. He cant always help it, dear. You make me think of you a good deal. Not that 1 blame you.

Megaera. Blame me! I should think not indeed. Is it my fault that I'm married to you?

Androcles. No, dear: that is my fault.

Megaera. Thats a nice thing to say to me. Arent you happy with me?

Androcles, I dont complain, my love.

Megaera. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

Androcles. I am, my dear.

Megaera. Youre not: you glory in it.

Androcles. In what, darling?

Megaera. In everything. In making me a slave, and making yourself a laughing-stock. It's not fair. You get me the name of being a shrew with your meek ways, always talking as if butter wouldnt melt in your mouth. And just because I look a big strong woman, and because I'm goodhearted and a bit hasty, and because you're always driving me to do things I'm sorry for afterwards, people say "Poor man: what a life his wife leads him!" Oh, if they only knew! And you think I dont know. But I do, I do, [screaming] 1 do.

Androcles. Yes, my dear: I know you do.

Megaera. Then why dont you treat me properly and be a good husband to me?

Androdes. What can I do, my dear?

Megaera. What can you do! You can return to your duty, and come back to your home and your friends, and sacrifice to the gods as all respectable people do, instead of having us hunted out of house and home for being dirty disreputable blaspheming atheists.

Androdes. I'm not an atheist, dear: I am a Christian.

Megaera. Well, isnt that the same thing, only ten times worse? Everybody knows that the Christians are the very lowest of the low. I'm going back. I'm going home.

Androdes. [Barring the way back] No, dearie: dont take on like that. We cant go back. Weve sold everything: we should starve; and I should be sent to Rome and thrown to the lions

Megaera. Serves you right! I wish the lions joy of you. [Screaming] Are you going to get out of my way and let me go home?

Androdes. No, dear

Megaera. Then I'll make my way through the forest; and when I'm eaten by the wild beasts youll know what a wife youve lost. [She dashes into the jungle and nearly falls over the sleeping lion] Oh! Oh! Andy! Andy! [She totters back and collapses into the arms of Androdes, icho, crushed by her weight, falls on his bundle]

Androdes. [Extracting himself from beneath her and slapping her hands in great anxiety] What is it, my precious, my pet? Whats the matter? [He raises her head. Speechless with terror, she points in the direction of the sleeping lion. He steals cautiously towards the spot indicated by Megaera. She rises with an effort and totters after him]

Megaera. No, Andy: youll be killed. Come back.

The lion utters a long snoring sigh. Androdes sees the lion, and recoils faintly into the arms of Megaera, who falls back on the bundle. They roll apart and lie staring in terror at one another. The lion is heard groaning heavily in the jungle.

Androdes. [Rising] Meggy: theres one chance for you. Itll take him pretty nigh twenty minutes to eat me (I'm rather stringy and tough) and you can escape in less time than that.

Megaera. Oh, dont talk about eating. [The lion rises with a great groan and limps toward them] Oh! [She faints]

Androdes. [Quaking, hut keeping between the lion and Megaera] Dont you come near my wife, do you hear? [The lion groans, Androdes can hardly stand for trembling] Meggy: ran. Run for your life. If I take my eye off him, it's all up. [The lion holds up his wounded paw and flaps it piteously before Andwclcs] Oh, he's lame, poor old chap! He's got a thorn in his paw. A frightfully big thorn. [Full of sympathy] Oh poor old man! Did um get an awful thorn into urn's tootsums wootsums? Has it made um too sick to cat a nice little Christian man for urns' breakfast? [The lion responds by moans of self-pity] Now, now [taking the paw in his hand] um is not to bite and not to scratch, not even if it hurts a very very little. Thats right. [He pulb gingerly at the thorn. The lion, with an angry yell of pain, jerks back his paw so abruptly that Androcles is thrown on his back] Steadeee! Oh, did the nasty cruel little Christian man hurt the sore paw? [The lion moans assentingly but apologetically] Well, one more little pull and it will be all over. [He gives the thorn another pull. The lion yells with pain, and shakes his paw wildly] Thats it! [Holding up the thorn] Now its out. Now lick urn's paw to take away the nasty inflammation. [He licks his own hand. The lion nods intelligently and licks his paw industriously. The lion licks his face. Androcles embraces the lion, who finally takes the end of his tail in one paw, places that right round Androcles' waist, resting it on his hip. Androcles takes the other paw in his hand, stretches out his arm, and the two waltz rapturously round and round and finally away through the jungle] Megaera. [Who 1ms revived during the waltz] Oh, you coward, you havent danced with me for years; and now you go off dancing with a great brute beast that you havent known for ten minutes and that wants to eat your own wife. Coward! Coward! Coward! [She rushes off after them into the jungle]

The second selection from Shaw's "Androcles and the Lion" concerns a conversation between a captured patrician girl and an army captain. The girl and her other Christian companions are calmly awaiting their turn to be thrown to the Roman lions before the crowded amphitheatre.

The Captain. Lavinia: do Christians know how to love?

Lavinia. [Composedly] Yes, Captain: they love even their enemies. The Captain. Is that easy?

Lavinia. Very easy, Captain, when their enemies are as handsome as you.

The Captain. Lavinia: you are laughing at me.

Lavinia. At you, Captain! Impossible.

The Captain. Then you are flirting with me, which is worse. Dont be foolish.

Lavinia. But such a very handsome captain.

The Captain. Incorrigible! [Urgently] Listen to me. The men in that audience tomorrow will be the vilest of voluptuaries: men in whom the only passion excited by a beautiful woman is a lust to see her tortured and torn shrieking limb from limb. It is a crime to gratify that passion. Why will you not choose rather a kindly love and an honorable alliance?

Lavinia. They cannot violate my soul. I alone can do that by sacrificing to false gods.

The Captain. Sacrifice then to the true God. What docs his name matter? We call him Jupiter. The Greeks call him Zeus. Call him what you will as you drop the incense on the altar flame: He will understand.

Lavinia. No. I couldnt. That is the strange thing, Captain, that a little pinch of incense should make all that difference. Religion is such a great thing that when I meet really religious people we are friends at once, no matter what name we give to the divine will that made us and moves us. Oh, do you think that I, a woman, would quarrel with you for sacrificing to a woman god like Diana, if Diana meant to you what Christ means to me? No: we should kneel side by side before her altar like two children. But when men who believe neither in my God nor in their ownmen who do not know the meaning of the word religionwhen these men drag me to the foot of an iron statue that has become the symbol of the terror and darkness through which they walk, of their cruelty and greed, of their hatred of God and their oppression of manwhen they ask me to pledge my soul before the people that this hideous idol is God, and that all this wickedness and falsehood is divine truth, I cannot do it, not if they could put a thousand cruel deaths on me. I tell you, it is physically impossible. Listen, Captain: did you ever try to catch a mouse in your hand? Once there was a dear little mouse that used to come out and play on my table as I was reading. I wanted to take him in my hand and caress him; and sometimes he got among my books so that he could not escape me when I stretched out my hand. And I did stretch out my hand; but it always came back in spite of me. I was not afraid of him in my heart; but my hand refused: it is not in the nature of my hand to touch a mouse. Well, Captain, if I took a pinch of incense in my hand and stretched it out over the altar fire, my hand would come back. My body would be true to my faith even if you could corrupt my mind. And all the time I should believe more in Diana than my persecutors have ever believed in anything. Can you understand that?

The Captain. [Simply] Yes: I understand that. But my hand would not come back. The hand that holds the sword has been trained not to come back from anything but victory.

Lavinia. Not even from death?

The Captain. Least of all from death.

Lavinia. Then I must not come back from death either. A woman has to be braver than a soldier.

The Captain. Prouder, you mean.

Lavinia. [Startled] Prouder! You call our courage pride!

The Captain. There is no such thing as courage: there is only pride. You Christians are the proudest devils on earth.

Lavinia. [Hurt] Pray God then my pride may never become a false pride.

4. In the Chodorov and Fields' comedy, "Jiimor Miss," Judy Graves and her friend, Fuffy Adams from the apartment downstairs, are arranging for dates to take them to Mary Caswell's New Year's dance. Fuffy's brother, Barlow, is "stuck" with taking Fuffy, and he has a friend, Haskell Cummings, who has come to give Judy the once-over before he asks her. After some stiff introductions, the conversation gets going when Fuffy and Judy remember that they had a lot of fun at the last party.

Haskell. Where do you go in the summer?

Judy. [Trapped] Who, me?

Haskell. Yeah.

Judy. [Getting up and moving around behind Haskell so she can catch Fuffy s signals] South Dorset, Vermont. We've been going there for years. Where do you go?

Haskell. Madison, Connecticut. [Fuffy nods favorably to Judy] Judy. I've been there. I visited my Aunt Julia there one summer.[Barlow sneezes] God bless you, Barlow. Barlow. Thank you.

Haskell. [Poker-faced] Do you know Jane Garside? [Fuffy signals thumbs down] Judy. That drip!

Haskell. [Lighting up] Drip is right ... I can't stand that Jane Gar-side. Where did you swim? At the Yacht Club or the Country Club?

[Fuffy takes a swing at an imaginary golf ball] Judy. At the Country Club.

Haskell. That's where I swim. [Turns brightly to Fuffy] Fuffy. Isn't that wonderful? Judy. [Laughing in relief] Well, isn't that the funniest thing. [She giggles again in excitement] Fuffy. Hey, look out . . . you'll get the hiccoughs. Judy. [Gasping] Oh, don't! Every time you say that, I do get them, and . . . [She draws in her breath] I have got them! Fuffy. Hold your arms over your head and I'll get the vinegar! [She runs into the other room. Judy sits there, her arms over her head] Judy. [After each hiccough] Excuse me . . . Excuse me . . . Excuse me. [Haskell picks up a magazine and hits her sharply over the head] Ouch! [Fuffy runs back into the room with the vinegar bottle]

Fuffy. How are they? Judy. They're gone. Haskell cured them. Fuffy. That's the first time I've ever known Judy to have the hiccoughs and get over them like that. Haskell. [Casually] When they get the hiccoughs, the best thing to do is scare them.

Judy. You're very scientific, aren't you?

Haskell. Sort of.

Barlow. [Moving to the door] Well, we'd better get going.

Judy. Wouldn't you like some ginger ale before you go?

Barlow. We can'twe're late now for our weekly poker game.

Judy. Well, thanks encore.

5. Susan Glaspell's "Trifles" concerns a farm woman who has been jailed on the suspicion that she murdered her husband. Mr. Hale had stopped by the house one morning to see if the Wrights would be interested in going in on a party line telephone. He had found Mrs. Wright sitting in a rocking chair and Mr. Wright upstairs in his bed, strangled.

The County Attorney has now come to the Wright house with Sheriff Peters, Mr. Hale, and their wives to look for possible clues to the murder. Mrs. Wright has maintained quietly that she was asleep and didn't know what had happened to her husband.

The men have gone upstairs. Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters are gathering together a few things to take to Mrs. Wright at the jail.

Mrs. Hale. [Examining a skirt] Wright was close. I think maybe that's why she kept so much to herself. She didn't even belong to the Ladies Aid. I suppose she felt she couldn't do her part, and then you don't enjoy things when you feel shabby. She used to wear pretty clothes and be lively, when she was Minnie Foster, one of the town girls singing in the choir. But thatoh, that was thirty years ago. This all you was to take in?

Mrs. Peters. She said she wanted an apron. Funny thing to want, for there isn't much to get you dirty in jail, goodness knows. But I suppose just to make her feel more natural. She said they was in the top drawer in this cupboard. Yes, here. And then her little shawl that always hung behind the door. [Opens stair door and looks] Yes, here it is. [Quickly shuts door leading upstairs]

Mrs. Hale. [Abruptly moving toward her] Mrs. Peters?

Mrs. Peters. Yes, Mrs. Hale?

Mrs. Hale. Do you think she did it?

Mrs. Peters. [In a frightened voice] Oh, I don't know. Mr. Henderson said coming out that what was needed for the case was a motive; something to show anger, orsudden feeling. [She brings the large sewing basket and they look at the bright pieces] She was piecing a quilt.

Mrs. Hale. Mrs. Peters, look at this one. Here, this is the one she was working on, and look at the sewing! All the rest of it has been so nice and even. And look at this! It's all over the place! Why, it looks as if she didn't know what she was about! [After an instant Mrs. Hale has pulled at a knot and ripped the sewing]

Mrs. Peters. Mrs. Peters. Oh, what are you doing, Mrs. Hale?

Mrs. Hale. [Mildly] Just pulling out a stitch or two that's not sewed very good. Bad sewing always made me fidgety. What do you suppose she was so nervous about?

Mrs. Peters. OhI don't know. Well I must get these things wrapped up. I wonder where I can find a piece of paper, and string.

Mrs. Hale. In that cupboard, maybe?

Mrs. Peters. [Looking in cupboard] Why, here's a bird-cage. [Holds it up] Did she have a bird, Mrs. Hale?

Mrs. Hale. Why, I don't know whether she did or notI've not been here for so long. There was a man around last year selling canaries cheap, but I don't know as she took one; maybe she did. She used to sing real pretty herself.

Mrs. Peters. I wonder what happened to it.

Mrs. Hale. I s'pose maybe the cat got it.

Mrs. Peters. [Examining the cage] Why, look at this door. It's broke. One hinge is pulled apart.

Mrs. Hale. I wish I had come over sometimes when she was here. I wish I had.

Mrs. Peters. But of course you were awful busy, Mrs. Haleyour house and your children.

Mrs. Hale. I could've come. I stayed away because it weren't cheerfuland that's why I ought to have come. II've never liked this place. Maybe because it's down in a hollow and you don't see the road. I dunno what it is, but it's a lonesome place and always was. I wish I had come over to see Minnie Foster sometimes. Did you know John Wright, Mrs. Peters?

Mrs. Peters. Not to know him; I've seen him in town. They say he was a good man.

Mrs. Hale. Yesgood; he didn't drink, and kept his word as well as most, I guess, and paid his debts. But he was a hard man, Mrs. Peters. Just to pass the time of day with him[Shivers] Like a raw wind that gets to the bone. [Pauses, her eye falling on the cage] I should think she would 'a wanted a bird. But what do you suppose went with it?

Mrs. Peters. I don't know, unless it got sick and died.

Mrs. Hale. Shecome to think of it, she was kind of like a bird herselfreal sweet and pretty, but kind of timid andfluttery. How-shedidchange. Tell you what, Mrs. Peters, why don't you take the quilt with you? It might take up her mind.

Mrs. Peters. Why, I think that's a real nice idea, Mrs. Hale. I wonder if her patches are in hereand her things. [They look in the sewing basket]

Mrs. Hale. [Brings out a fancy box] What a pretty box. Looks like something somebody would give you. Maybe her scissors are in here. [Opens box. Suddenly puts her hand to her nose] WhyThere's something wrapped up in this piece of silk. Mrs. Peters. It's the bird. Mrs. Hale. [Jumping up] But, Mrs. Peterslook at it! It's neck! Look at its neck. It's all Mrs. Peters. Somebodywrungitsneck. [Their eyes meet. A look of growing comprehension, of horror] Mrs. Hale. She liked the bird. She was going to bury it in that pretty box. Mrs. Peters [In a whisper] When I was a girlmy kittenthere was a boy took a hatchet, and before my eyesand before I could get there[Covers her face an instant] If they hadn't held me back I would have[Catches herself, falters weakly]hurt him. Mrs. Hale. [With a slow look around her] I wonder how it would seem never to have had any children around. [Pauses] No, Wright wouldn't like the birda thing that sang. She used to sing. He killed that, too.

Mrs. Peters. We don't know who killed the bird. Mrs. Hale. I knew John Wright. Mrs. Peters. It was an awful thing was done in this house that night,

Mrs. Hale. Killing a man while he slept, slipping a rope around his neck that choked the life out of him. Mrs. Hale. His neck. Choked the life out of him.

Exercises

1. Have a panel discussion followed by questions from the class on the subject, "Why Are Dramatics Important to Me?"
2. Choose one of the following to act out in pantomime (just using bodily movement, with no speech). A chair and a table may be provided. The class should be asked to guess what action is being portrayed.
   1. An old man looking for his glasses
   2. A young lady tennis champion receiving her cup and making her "thank you" speech to the audience.
   3. A middle-aged business man, standing on the corner reading a newspaper while waiting for his wife.
   4. An old woman coming back from grocery shopping, setting down her heavy bundles and picking them up again.
   5. A young girl admiring herself in the store windows as she passes along.
   6. A middle-aged woman who has gotten on the bus with packages but cannot find any change in her purse.
   7. A fat truck driver who is trying on suits that are too small.
   8. A teen-aged baby sitter who has been asleep in her chair and wakes up hastily when she hears the parents coming home.
   9. An over-weight delivery man carrying a heavy load on his shoulders who lets it down with pleasure,
   10. A professional boxer rehearsing a speech he must give to the boxing commission.
   11. An old man getting slowly up from his chair to be introduced to a lady.
   12. A middle-aged woman whose feet hurt from wearing high heels, coming in from a long shopping trip, laden with bundles.
   13. . A young college boy who has just received a "Dear John" letter from his fiancee.
   14. A tired scrub woman who is cleaning a restaurant, o. A mailman during the Christmas rush who sets down his heavy pack to smoke a cigarette.
   15. A middle-aged man who has come home to take his wife out to dinner, only to find a note on the kitchen table saying she has gone to her mother's for the weekend,
   16. A baseball pitcher who throws his best pitch, only to see it knocked over the fence for a home run.
   17. A girl at a dance who has no partner and is stuck talking to the chaperon while she keeps looking for prospects,
   18. A middle-aged widow who has prepared dinner for a caller and is busy inspecting herself and the table,
   19. An old woman who sits down with her knitting only to find that she must get up again to get her wool,
   20. A stock clerk lifting heavy boxes up off the floor and stacking them onto shelves.
   21. An old man bending over on the street to tie his shoelaces,
   22. A boy talking on the telephone to his best girl.
3. Go to a restaurant, a drugstore, a department store or to some other establishment where conversations can be observed. Watch two people in the course of a rather long conversation. Write down the facial movements of each of the conversationalists. Did smiles occur? Did eyes "light up?" Were there any frowns? How active were the faces?
4. Read one of the excerpts from plays given in this chapter and be prepared to discuss the proper way an actor could "get into the mood" for one of the roles in the play.
5. The following situations are often involved in stage business. Choose one of the situations and act it for the class, using imaginary properties.
   1. Go to the telephone, look for the directory and find it, locate your number, and dial the number.
   2. Go to a desk and search it for a missing letter.
   3. Enter quietly, blow out a candle and then pull back the curtains and look out of a window.
   4. Come in angry, first decide you will do something and then decide against it.
   5. You are trying to make up your mind about something while you are arranging flowers in a bowl.
   6. You must write a hurried note to someone. Take out a paper and pen and write hesitantly, thinking hard about what you are writing down.
   7. Someone has hidden something in the room. Search for it carefully.
   8. You have just been highly successful at something. It makes you sing or whistle as you walk around the room, picking up first one thing and then another.
   9. You are casually looking through the newspaper when you see something that startles you, and you can't believe it's true,
   10. You are sitting reading when there is a knock at the door which chills you. You close your book, get up, take a deep breath, and go to open the door.
   11. A letter has arrived in the mail and you find it on the table. You hold it for a moment before deciding to open it, then you rip it open and read it quickly.
   12. You are on the telephone talking to an old friend. Make up your conversation. Make us feel that there is someone on the other end of the line.
   13. You have just had a very difficult experience and your nerves are shattered. You come in hesitantly, sit down, shake your head trying to clear it, and then just stare ahead.
6. Write out a make-up sheet, giving directions for making up one of the following characters. In your comments, include skin protection, base, eyes, cheeks, face lines and shadows, lips, powder, false hair and hair coloring.
   1. An old woman who has been very ill.
   2. A young tennis star.
   3. A middle-aged banker.
   4. A bright, pert girl of 15.
   5. A very rich woman who is very vain.
   6. A prosperous, young businessman.
   7. A dignified lawyer,
   8. A society lady.

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