Context Homework - 26.3.15

Context Homework - 26.3.15


Today we explored two versions of the scene between Antigone and Creon. 

Which scene did you work on?

I worked on Version 2 of Antigone which was different to the normal Antigone because it wasn't punctuated and the lines were changed so that they were more modern, however, the formality of the lines did not differ to the original version. I feel like the writer did this to keep the actors who were performing as these characters free to do what they want with the roles.

What did you think of the style of the writing? 

I really enjoyed this style of writing as you could be much more free with the roles you play, especially with a character like Antigone as she can be interpreted in many different ways.

How was this scene different to the other script used in the lesson?
 

This scene was different to the other script used because Version 1 was stripped of its formal language and was completely turned on its head and modernised. All the original grittiness was taken from the language and it was all fairly basic. I preferred Version 2 because it was much more intense and it stuck to the formality of a Greek Tragedy.

Did the lauguage make the characters change?

In Version 1, the language did in turn make the characters change to go from some very sophisticated to slightly common which, in my opinion, wasn't a positive change. In Version 2,  I feel like because it kept the originality and grittiness of the original Antigone, the characters didn't change too much, even though it does give you much more creative reign.

In groups you then created a version of Antigone focusing on setting it in a specific context. By doing this you had to focus on the use of the language in the piece. 

What did your group create? 

Our group created a scene where we used our phones as an element of multimedia to in turn create a real life group chat/chat room sort of setting. We transformed something that is virtual into something physical. We used the idea that in our context, the death of Polynieces would be equivalent to Polynieces being "deleted from the group chat". I played the part of Creon in our scene and I depicted him as being like a controlling leader of a friendship group. Polynieces was depicted by Rory and he decided Polynieces would not to be involved in the group chat and kept hypothetically "leaving" the chat. Antigone was played by Nina who decided that Antigone would have been bullied by all the other characters.

We decided to go off script and we devised our lines to be more modern and informal. Much like Version 1 of the other 2 scripts we studied.

Type up the notes that you made on the other groups.

Oriana's group:

• School setting
• Nice use of a "chorus" by using gossiping girls
• Creon as a headmaster. This worked because headteachers in schools can be as brutal (to a smaller scale) as someone like Creon.

Matteo's Group:

• Set in a Gang environment
• Authority was shown and was very clear to understand who played who and who had the power and who didn't

Alex's Group

• Used The Big Brother house as theme and setting
• Was realistic as all the 'housemates' were arguing just like in the actual show
• Big Brother was the character of Creon and all the housemates seemed to complain and distribute their thoughts to him.

Thiago's Group

• Really nicely set in 1930s gangster type of theme
• Lloyd had a good use of humour and worked well with other characters to create a kind of 'chorus'.

Set Design Task...

You need to design a set for your own version of Antigone. You need to imagine that you'd have as much money to create this, therefore you have no limits on your ideas.

 

Multimedia Lesson - 30.3.15

Multimedia - 30.3.15

Choices we made for my group's scene:

My group (Jake, Robyn, Roseby and I) were set pages 11-14 which entails a messenger coming to King Creon and telling him that Antigone has been buried. We sat and thought about different ideas and in the end we came to the idea of doing most of the scene as written, but instead of the sentry saying one of his really long lines, have it rewritten and reported by two news reporters instead. For the multimedia aspect of this scene we have decided to film some CCTV footage of Antigone burying her brother. I filmed and edited this myself which can be found here:
Antigone - CCTV Footage

Adding in the two News Reporters will help show the audience that the news of the burial has spread fairly fast and this will then result in Creon getting angrier and knowing that he would have to stick to his word, will end up having to kill his own niece.

The props we decided on are:

• TV Screen
• 2 chairs
• Table
• Camera

The characters we decided on are:

• Jake : King Creon
• Benji : Sentry Guard
• Roseby : Newsreader and Antigone
• Robyn : Newsreader and Polynieces

Staging

The are we have been given to perform in is a long corridor in the Theatre block near some stairs. We have split the audience so they area in two groups facing the performance space diagonally on each side. We have used a filing cabinet for the Newsreaders to sit on and a desk and chair for King Creon to sit at.  

Women In Greek Theatre

Q - How were woman viewed in Greek Theatre? Why?

The roles of women in Greek drama are all roles conceived by men, because all the ancient Greek playwrights were men. And the actors were usually men, too. They turned to the women in their lives as models, because the women in the plays were frequent and important. But it seems likely that women attended the theatre but maybe only the courtesans. Women participated heavily in religion so it is possible they participated fully in the theatre, but they were excluded from the festival where the dramas that have come down to us were performed. 

Cultural Context

CULTURAL CONTEXT 

• What were the performance conventions in Sophocles’ time? 

All the actors were men or boys. Dancers and singers, called the chorus, performed on a flat area called the orchestra. Over time, solo actors also took part, and a raised stage became part of the theatre. The actors changed costumes in a hut called the "skene". Painting the walls of the hut made the first scenery.

The plays were comedies (funny, often poking fun at rulers) or tragedies (sad and serious, with a lesson about right and wrong).

• What were the trends or fashions within the performing arts?

During the Greek plays, the most honourable of the audience sat at the front of the theatre and the rest of the general public sat behind. These honourable audience members ranged from High Priests to Politicians. 
For an example, Sophocles' Oedipus trilogy (all three plays) would have been performed within 8 hours in one day. It was like a theatre marathon and was taken very seriously by many Greeks