Theatrical Intention

My theatrical intention in the performance of the narratorial role in the short one-man play boy
girl wall involved many theatrical devices to heighten the humorous timbre of the piece. Written
by Australian playwrights Matthew Ryan and Lucas Stibbard, the play revolves around the role
of the narrator, who manages to transform his character into different gender and even inanimate
objects in order to get his message across. In response to the original style of realistic theatre, I
have adapted many of the quirks that the initial playscript requires and have realised these in a
more minimalist fashion.

To begin, I start with the setting of my performance; a single wall and an armchair, and a desk
with a computer, Dave, perched on top; the minimalist design allows for more use of expressionistic
movements and less reliance on outer-human items (such as the projector initially used, and also
the chalkboards required). In order to replace these set items, I have chosen to mimic them in my
movements and use less spectacle-driven properties to enhance the ideas behind the performance;
namely the use of the action of a star chart being changed to that of a star position in front of the
wall and also the paints that Alethea uses are replaced by a beret placed on my head.

Moving on, in the transformation to the inanimate section of the performance which the narrator
becomes the trio of characters briefly (the wall, the ceiling and the floor), I use the desk, which has
now been stripped of Dave, and place it in front of the wall. I utilise the presence of each character
by taking a different position on the table, and make it appear as though the narrators body, which
has transformed into the wall, is eavesdropping on the conversation behind the wall; thus, the
ceiling is done by lying my ear flat on the table, the wall by standing next to the table, and the
floor by lying either beneath or next to the table. I also heighten these humorous stances by finally
kicking the wall over after the walls final comment, which is followed by the epithet from the floor.
This enhances the different qualities of each caricature supplied; in retrospective, the ceiling is
fairly high-strung and worried, the wall is childish and rebellious (but also a romantic) and the
floor is a dopey, oblivious old-man style character.

Thus, my lighting and sound techniques remain simple and general, but it is through all of these
movements and expressions of vocal boisterousness that the character of the narrator form boy
girl wall comes to life in my performance.