Traverse

Theatrical Configuration

The theatrical configuration for the play 'Nations' is in a traverse style. This is where the audience is on either side of the performance. This is a good style for the piece as it makes the performance seem more intimate between the audience and the actors, especially as the play is very emotional throughout, it makes sure that the audience is their with the characters throughout the journey.

My Character

My Character

In the play I am the character named 'Green'. Which is one of the five gentlemen of the last resort. My purpose in the play is to inform the 'grandmother' (the mother of the future king) that her son is to be crowned kind and that she has to find him as well as perform the ceremony when she eventually does. As my character is upper class I have to show this in my physicality and make it clear to the audience that this is what my character is. I have also changed the pitch of my voice slightly to make 

my character more believable and realistic.

However when I am not in character and playing 'Green' i am a part of the ensemble, the ensemble is such an important part of the play because together we the actors work together we work together as one body to represent something to the audience it is described as one body with many heads – but many heads who work in the same direction. The ensemble is very effective because through this technique we are able to portray not only the nation effectively but also in an abstract way to some extent, also haaving te play this style could be more interesting and entertaining to the audience.

My Immediate Thoughts Of Nation

My First Thoughts Of Nation Play

When first reading the play nation I was very confused, at some points I found it very difficult to keep up with what was going with in the play and what characters belonged were. However after re-reading the play a couple more times and doing some research into tribes and what certain objects symbolize e.g. The Crab I found myself highly enjoying the play. I think that what i enjoyed most about the play is the characters and different each of them were. I mostly enjoyed seeing Mau and Daphne's character grow as the play went on and see them begin to trust each other and depend on each other to help the nation grow together - it was very interesting to see them having to overcome the language barrier between each other and see them grow up from the young people they are into leaders of a nation. I also like the character of Locaha (my favorite) and how he'she'it represented evil on the island. One of the things that I didn't like about the play is that to some people the might be seen as very confusing as it took me a few tries to fully comprehend the play and it will have to be performed extremely well, carefully and clearly to make sure that the audience understand what is going on at all times during the play.

Some research

The Crab Meaning

Throughout the play their is reference to a crab, it is described as something that prevents Mau from becoming a 'man' towards the beginning of the play and towards the end is used as a sort of weapon against the raiders which results in them being very afraid and causing them to retreat. To help me understand the play and a bit more of the meaning behind the crab and what it represents i decided to do some research on crabs and what they symbolize in tribes. 

It is believed that anyone who is drawn to the crab likely displays the obvious crab-like feature of a tough exterior protecting a vulnerable interior, suggesting perhaps that there are hidden weaknesses. A closer look at the crab, however, might suggest that the highly developed emotional skills often found beneath the crab's shell can lead to strong leadership. I believe that this true because towards the beginning of the play Mau might be described as vulnerable and unable to lead a nation as he was considered just a boy however towards the latter part of the play it was seen that Mau showed strong leadership skills as he fought off Cox and the raiders and also Locaha as well as taking on hungry islanders and taking care of them (making them apart of the nation).