Jack Phillips

Section A:
(a) Discuss your approach to costume design in this extract to communicate ideas to an
audience, focusing on the role of the MANIAC.
[10]
In this extract, I want to communicate to the audience the commedia dell’arte
influence on the character. To do this through costume design, I would have multi-coloured
diamond patches sewed onto a large trench coat, taking inspiration from the diamond-
patches found on the character of the Arlecchino. These colours would be very random and
have no order to hint at the acted craziness of the Maniac in the opening of the play. I
would also want to communicate the differences between the Maniac and the police
officers. I would do this by having the Maniac’s costume very colourful, along with the
diamond patches having a colourful shirt and a brown fedora with a coloured handkerchief
in the rim. This would separate the Maniac from the darker police costumes. With lots of
colour, it may remind the audience of a clown from a circus and therefore they could build a
relationship with the Maniac through that, which was one of Dario Fo’s intentions. Towards
the end of the extract when the Maniac is trying on lots of costumes, I would make these as
different as possible to the first costume to suggest this is the slyness and cleverness of the
Maniac coming through. The trench coat and fedora would not be worn again, as the
Maniac is no longer acting crazy as he was before.

(b) As a director, outline and explain your directorial approach to this scene and the advice
you would give to the actor playing the role of the MANIAC. You should focus on how you
intend to create meaning for a contemporary audience.
[30]
For this extract I would be advising the actor playing the Maniac to use movement,
vocal performance and space and proxemics to show the acted craziness and later slyness of
the Maniac while using certain things to create meaning for a contemporary audience.
When the Maniac first enters at the start of the extract, on the stage direction “Re-
enter MANIAC cautiously”, I would advise the actor to enter on tiptoes taking inspiration
from the pantomime during the “he’s behind you” sketch. This disjointed, comedic style of
tiptoeing highlights the acted craziness of the Maniac but also his slyness beginning to come
through, which we see more of later in the play. This would also create meaning for a
contemporary audience as they would recognise this from the pantomime. When the
Maniac begins to throw the files out of the window, on the stage direction “He empties files
out of the window”, I would advise the actor playing the Maniac to exaggerate this
movement as much of possible and make a big thing of it, for example taking some files and
spinning round before launching them out of the window. This would up the slapstick
element of the extract and a contemporary audience could recognise this. Having this crazy
style of throwing files out of the window would also highlight the acted craziness of the
Maniac during the opening of the play. On the stage direction near the bottom of pg. 12,
“Opens middle drawer. Rummages.” I would advise the actor playing the Maniac to
exaggerate this movement and send files flying across the stage to the other side or into the

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audience. This would break the fourth wall which is an important part of the play while
showing the acted craziness of the Maniac to the audience.
I would also advise the actor on their vocal performance during this extract. When
the Maniac picks up the phone on the line, “Hello, Inspector Bertozzo’s office,” I would
advise the actor to change the pitch of his voice slightly, showing the Maniac is doing an
impersonation of someone who works in the police station. He could make his voice similar
to those of the police officers from the previous scene, and the audience would recognise
this. For example, if all the police officers spoke quite low, then the Maniac would
impersonate that during this phone call and vice versa. Then at the bottom of pg. 13 on the
stage direction “Tries on a mad disguise”. I would have the actor playing the maniac to
completely change the pitch and speed at which he talks. For example on the line, “Ah my
dear Inspector…” the actor could speak much slower than before, contrasting with the acted
craziness of the Maniac to the now sly character being shown. This would also make it very
clear to a contemporary audience that the Maniac is acting as a different character now
which is especially important as the costume changes would be minimal to make fun of the
fact the police officers do not see through the disguise.
One final thing I would advise the actor on is the use of space and proxemics. During
the first part of the extract when the Maniac is throwing files out of the window, I would
place filing cabinets all around the stage, and then advise the actor to go running around in
a crazy style, once the Maniac has realised nobody is in the office, throwing files out of all
the filing cabinets all across the room. Maybe a little later on, the Maniac could accidentally
slip on some papers which were flung on the floor and be sent flying across the room
heightening the acted craziness of the Maniac and using the slapstick comedy which would
be recognised by a contemporary audience. The other moment of good use of space and
proxemics would be during the final bit of the extract at the top of page 14. There is a stage
direction, “Sees clothing in auditorium”. I would advise the actor at this moment to go into
the audience and take a piece of clothing from one of the members of the audience. This
would be breaking the fourth wall and taking inspiration again from the pantomime.
Therefore a contemporary audience would recognise this and find it funny.
In conclusion, I would advise the actor playing the Maniac to exaggerate his
movements, to use changes in voice to indicate changes in character and to use space and
proxemics to heighten the acted craziness of the Maniac during the opening of the play and
to create contrast with the Maniac’s new character later in the play.

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Section B:
c
Hedda Gabler is a play about a woman stuck in a patriarchal society in which she
feels trapped and wants to escape from. This is the key theme of the play, the feeling of
being trapped and the wanting to escape. Using the set, you can place emphasis on this
theme and heighten the naturalism of the play in many different ways.
For my design for Hedda Gabler, I would place emphasis on the black and white
contrast in the set. I would use high light grey walls taking influence from Ivo van Hove’s
production of Hedda Gabler from 2016 to show that Hedda is trapped inside this patriarchal
world in which she wants to escape from. I would contrast this with a darker stone-grey
floor taking inspiration from O’Mahoney’s design for Hedda Gabler. I would place a great
emphasis on the French windows using the blinds as a gobo creating an image of bars on the
floor which Hedda could stand in in moments when she feels trapped, for example during
exchanges with Brack. I would have a large screen above the stage to use for video footage
taking inspiration from Katie Mitchell and her “live cinema” technique. Many of my furniture
pieces would be of the 1890 context however, I would emphasis certain items which many
people still have in their homes today, taking inspiration from the Old Vic’s production of A
Doll’s House, where set pieces which people still have today were used. This helps to
enhance the relevance for a contemporary audience as they can recognise certain set pieces
/ props. The portrait of General Gabler would be a key set piece being placed very high up
on the wall and right in the centre of the stage. It would be a rectangular frame showing the
sternness of the general, but it would be gold showing the wealth of the family.
My first extract is pages 83-85, the end of Act 3. During this extract Hedda and
Loevborg have their final exchange and Loevborg leaves to go kill himself. One important
moment I would highlight in this extract would be when Hedda gives Loevborg the pistol to
go kill himself, on the line “Here! Use it now!”. I would do this by using the large screen
above the stage to play a short montage of scenes of love between Hedda and Loevborg,
things that could have been. This is taking a large inspiration from Katie Mitchell’s “live
cinema”. One of the criticism of Mitchell’s work is that it takes away from the live acting
taking place on stage. Therefore I would use this video screen in small amounts just to show
flashbacks and memories to heighten the naturalism of the scene and the sadness of the
scene as Hedda and Loevborg say goodbye for the last time. This would make it more
relevant to a contemporary audience as they could see the past these two have had
together. My second key moment from the extract would when Hedda burns the Loevborg’s
manuscript at the end of Act 3, on the line “I’m burning your child, Thea!”. This is a key
moment as it shows Hedda’s insanity and craziness in the moment. I would take inspiration
from Ivo van Hove’s production of Hedda Gabler and have the fire come up from the floor in
the middle of the stage placing emphasis on the fire in that moment. I would use design to
turn the auditorium into the fire, with fire crackling and red/orange lights used. I would also
project on the back-wall flames and ashes. This would create a huge impact on a
contemporary audience as it would be completely different from anything they had

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experienced beforehand in the play as it is in complete contrast to the black and white seen
before.
My second extract is from pages 102-104, the end of the play. During this extract
Hedda as her final conversation with Brack and then she goes and shoots herself. My first
key moment I would highlight is when Hedda realises Brack has a hold over her, “From now
on, you’ve got your hold over me.” This is important as Hedda realises she will never escape
the patriarchal society she lives in. I would place emphasis on this moment by using the live
cinema and the screen to show the possibilities of what Brack may do towards Hedda in the
future, all of Hedda’s worst nightmares, being controlled by a man. My second key moment
would be when Hedda shoots herself, “a shot is heard from the rear room” I would again
use the live cinema and screen to show Hedda preparing to shoot herself while the action
continues below and stage but as she shoots herself I’d have the screen go black and the
portrait of General Gabler would fall from the wall and smash. This is taking inspiration from
The Phantom of the Opera where at the end of the 1st act the chandelier falls onto the
stage. This is a huge moment in the show, and I want to have the same emphasis when the
portrait of General Gabler falls and smashes. Some members of the contemporary audience
may recognise the influence of this and understand why the portrait as fallen.
In conclusion, I would place emphasis on the use of live cinema and key set pieces to
make the play relevant to a contemporary audience.

Section C:

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Draw a ground plan, for one stage type of your choice, which illustrates your
approach to staging the extract.
In the space provided underneath, fully explain and justify your directorial decisions
for the positioning and movement of actors throughout the scene.
In your answers, you must:
- analyse and evaluate how any live productions you have seen during the
course have influenced your ideas.
- Consider:
o How you will show character relationships
o How you will present different locations in the extract
o Transitions
o The staging and set and how the performers interact with it
- Demonstrate understanding of the extract within the context of the whole
text.
[40]
Ground Plan:

The first part of this extract takes place in a police station. To show this I would place
a metal table with three metal chairs in the middle of the stage as shown by my stage plan. I
would project a grey colour onto the floor to represent a stone floor in a cold interrogation
room in a police station which is important to create the unknown environment for
Christopher. I would heighten this through the use of a very harsh white light representing

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the strip lights you find in police stations. I would position Christopher and Ed close together
at one end of the table showing how Ed is wanting to protect Christopher from this
unknown environment and I’d have the Duty Sergeant at the other end of the table. I would
have Ed sitting forward in his chair almost in front of Christopher, while the Duty Sergeant
would sit professionally and sternly at the other end. To transition between this scene and
the next section in Siobhan’s classroom I would have Christopher walk away from the table
and up the stairs to the raised platform on which Siobhan’s classroom sits. While this is
happening Ed and the Duty Sergeant would take table and chairs, which are on wheels, up
the ramp on the other side and into the set hold as shown on the stage plan. I have seen this
done in The Barbershop Chronicles where all the set pieces where on wheels for ease of
movement during set changes. The audience would be focused on Christopher walking up to
Siobhan’s classroom and so Ed and the Duty Sergeant could move the set with ease.
The second part of the extract takes place in Siobhan’s classroom. I would have
Christopher and Siobhan sit fairly close to each other as Christopher is very comfortable in
the classroom, a stark contrast to the first part of the extract. They would both be visibly
relaxed with relaxed movements. Siobhan could be sat on a rug on the floor or at her desk
and Christopher could join her on the floor or a chair by her desk depending on where she
was. The lighting would be much warmer than the previous part to show the comfort
Christopher feels when he is in the classroom. To transition to the final part of the extract I
would have Christopher walk back down the stairs as the lights dimed on the classroom and
the soundscape faded in. Ed would be at the bottom of the stairs waiting for Christopher to
come down.
The third and final part of the extract, I would place in the street with Ed and
Christopher walking back home. To set this location I would project a pavement pattern on
the floor in a rectangle down the middle of the stage. I have seen projections on the floor
used the West End production of Dear Evan Hansen when things are projected on the walls,
floor and roof. In Dear Evan Hansen it is used for social media messages, whereas I would be
using it to set the scene but with similar effects of heightening the moment. I would also
have an outdoor soundscape with sounds of cars, people and birds as you would hear if you
were to walk down the street. I would start this section with Ed having is arm around
Christopher until the line, “Christopher you have to stay out of trouble, OK?”. From then on
Ed would not put is arm around Christopher as he is getting more and more frustrated with
Christopher. Ed could possibly walk a bit faster, wanting to get home quicker.
In conclusion I would use the proxemics of characters to show their relationship and
use clear changes in set and lighting to signify different locations with transitions being as
smooth as possible.