1. art and entertainment
2. theatre

THE MARGUK PROGRAM
BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY
Education Resource Pack
VCE AREA OF STUDY 3 OUTCOME 3
Acts I - IV
COLLATED BY KAMARRA BELL-WYKES
WITH CULTURAL & ACADEMIC CONSULTANCY BY RACHEL CUMMINS & LYNORE GEIA
PHOTOS BY PONCH HAWKES, HEIDRUN LÖHR AND FRANK MAINOO
DRAMA: UNIT 3, OUTCOME 3
ANALYSING A NON-NATURALISTIC ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
Remember these questions are designed only as a guide to prompt
discussion, you as an audience member will take away your own
interpretations and may choose to focus on different features of the
performance for your SAC assessment task.
Characters
BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY features the devisors/performers playing
themselves. Other “characters” portrayed are a range of real life people
taken from across history to the current day, including Palm Island
community members, police officers and prosecutors.
Structure
BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY is made up 4 acts, each act focusing on different
parts of the Palm Island story and each having similarities and differences.
In this section we will look at each act separately to best analyse some of
the main conventions and elements in each. This is not a definitive list and
you will find that some elements and conventions are embedded within
others.
Themes
BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY focuses specifically on the life and times of the Palm
Island community however the themes within it: oppression, injustice, the
spirit of survival, the strength of family and community, a greater
exploration of Australian History, subsequent Government’s treatment of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in general. As you watch
the performance consider the individuals themes and message of each act
and how the dramatic conventions and elements are used to highlight
these themes.
1
EXPLORING ACT I
KEY SKILLS:
PERFORMANCE STYLES AND EXPRESSIVE SKILLS.
REPRESENTATION OF CHARACTERS AND THE ACTOR/AUDIENCE
RELATIONSHIP
Two of the non-naturalistic conventions used in BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY is
that the performers play themselves, using the convention of direct
address.
•
What effect does direct address have on the actor/audience
relationship?
•
Does it engage or distance? Choose some examples and discuss in
detail.
•
When the performers are playing themselves do you still consider
them as characters? Why/Why not?
•
When the performers are playing themselves do you see the
performers all being of an equal status? Why/Why not?
•
What effect do the personal recollections have on the representation
of characters and how the audience perceives them?
•
What other performance skills (focus, timing, energy) do the
performers use?
•
Do you consider the style and delivery of dialogue naturalistic or
non-naturalistic? Explain your answer.
•
How do the performers playing themselves contribute to the nonnaturalistic style of Documentary Theatre?
•
How does the rhythm highlight the intended meaning of the dialogue
and the themes of the play?
•
How does the rhythm in this piece create tension?
•
How does this rhythm contribute to the non-naturalistic style of the
performance?
•
How does repetition create rhythm?
•
How does repetition create tension?
2
Character transformation generally occurs when the style of verbatim
(word for word recounts from actual documents and interviews) are used.
•
Make a list of as many of the verbatim characters and the way their
character transformations are achieved in Act I.
•
(Costume, performance style, expressive skills, use of props, direct
introduction)
•
Why do you think some of the verbatim characters are given
costumes and others are not? How does this work to highlight the
themes of piece? How does this contribute to the non-naturalistic
styles within the piece?
•
How do the performers use their expressive skills to shift/transform
between themselves and the verbatim characters?
•
Is there a contrast between each of the different verbatim
characters?
•
How was this achieved through expressive skills and performance
styles?
•
How does the portrayal of the Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
Verbatim characters relate to the themes of the performance?
•
How does the portrayal of the the verbatim characters affect the
way you feel about the characters they are playing?
•
Do you consider the verbatim characters to be fully realised and
detailed characters? Why? Why not? How was each character
portrayed/created?
•
How do the verbatim characters contribute to the dramatic elements
of contrast, conflict and tension?
3
KEY SKILLS:
DRAMATIC CONVENTIONS, ELEMENTS AND STAGECRAFT
Rhythm and tension
The element of rhythm is used generously through out the performance.
Major shifts in rhythm can be seen in each act and smaller shifts between
sections of dialogue. Some rhythms are more noticeable and up-tempo,
some slow and heavy.
Recall the rhythm of Paul Dwyer’s delivery of The Aboriginal Protection
Act:
PAUL:
“No answering back to the native police.
No laughing or whistling after curfew (7 days jail) .
No untidiness. No untidy hair. No dresses above the knee. No
pants or shorts for women. No fashionable home-made
bikinis. No going to church without a police escort. No going
to school without a police escort. No cheekiness. No offensive
language. No traditional languages. No traditional
ceremonies. No speaking against the laws. No disobeying the
orders of a protector. No asking why. No answering back. No
leaving the reserve without permission.”
• How does the rhythm highlight the intended meaning of the dialogue
and the themes of the play?
• How does the rhythm in this piece create tension?
• How does this rhythm contribute to the non-naturalistic style of the
performance?
• How does repetition create rhythm?
•
How does repetition create tension?
Read the extract below and consider the way small excerpts of dialogue
from Act II are woven throughout Act I. Describe the effect this has on the
rhythm of Act I, how it creates tension and how it contributes to the nonnaturalistic style of performance.
RACHAEL:
They sat up all night waiting for the police. Two o’clock in the
morning the raids began, front doors were kicked down, Willie
Thaiday ran out and came face to face with a white sergeant
and a gun pointed at him:
PAUL:
“Don’t move Willie or you’ll get it”.
RACHAEL:
The seven leaders were marched to the jetty handcuffed, at
gunpoint, and surrounded by police. Then they took the
leaders’ families off the island, marching the women and
children at gunpoint as well, down to the jetty, and off Palm
Island.
JANE:
“Very significant force has been applied?”
PAUL:
“Correct.”
JANE:
“Resulting in a very significant injury?”
PAUL:
“Correct.”
4
Contrast
Contrast is created a number of different ways throughout the
performance, in Act I this is mainly through image and dialogue.
•
Think of a specific moment in Act I where contrast is created and
describe how it is achieved
•
Describe how this contributes to the non-naturalistic style of the
performance.
Song, Dance And Voice-Over
Song, dance and voice over are used very deliberately during the retelling
of Shirley Abicare’s visit to Palm Island.
•
How does Jane and Paul’s singing “Froggy goes walking” combined
with Shirley Abicare’s voice over contrast with the mood and the
dialogue of this section?
•
How does the traditional dance contrast with the song and voice
over and what effect does this have?
•
How does the use of song, dance and voice over contribute to the
non-naturalistic style of the performance?
https://vimeo.com/116820961
(To watch enter password: B1day)
5
EXPLORING ACT II
KEY SKILLS:
PERFORMANCE STYLES AND EXPRESSIVE SKILLS
REPRESENTATION OF CHARACTERS
Act II features the inquest and court transcripts related to Mulrunji
Doomadgee’s death in custody, Chris Hurley’s character dominates most of
this act.
•
How is the character of Chris Hurley introduced?
•
What expressive skills does Paul Dwyer use to represent Chris
Hurley?
•
Would you consider his performance as naturalistic or nonnaturalistic?
•
How does his performance affect the way the audience perceives
him?
•
Is Chris Hurley a fully realised character? Justify your answer.
•
How is the character of Mulrunji Doomadgee represented on stage?
•
Rachael Maza sits on a chair throughout this whole act – what effect
does her presence have? What different roles and purposes does she
have?
6
Symbol
• In the second act the character of Chris Hurley has a name placard
placed around his neck– this is used as a character device but also a
symbolic representation – what do you think it signifies?
•
Chalk is used to draw up the court room outline - what do you think
this signifies?
•
How do these symbols relate to the themes of the piece?
•
Can you think of a non-naturalistic style of theatre that uses similar
conventions?
•
The sound of a bell is used on a number of occasions throughout the
performance – what purpose is it used for and what does it signify?
7
KEY SKILLS:
DRAMATIC CONVENTIONS, ELEMENTS AND STAGECRAFT
Transformation of place and time
In Act II the space is transformed into that of a courtroom over a number of
dates and at the same time we are taken into the world of Palm Island after
dark.
•
How is this transformation achieved?
•
What effect does it have on the actor/audience relationship?
•
What non-naturalistic convention is used to indicate time jumps?
Stagecraft, mood, tension and the actor/audience relationship
Stagecraft is used deliberately in Act II to create mood and tension:
•
Describe your impression of the mood in Act II – what are the main
factors that contribute to this?
•
Describe how the interaction of light and sound production create
contrast, mood and tension?
•
Describe the use of video screens in this act and how they contribute
to the world of the play.
•
When the stage action is projected on the video screens what effect
does this have on the actor/audience relationship?
•
Do the screens compete with the physical actors in the space?
•
Is there a fourth wall?
•
How close is the action on the stage to the audience? What effect
does this have?
•
Describe how stage craft contributes to the overall non-naturalism of
the performance.
8
EXPLORING ACT III
KEY SKILLS:
PERFORMANCE STYLES AND EXPRESSIVE SKILLS
REPRESENTATION OF CHARACTERS AND THE ACTOR/AUDIENCE
RELATIONSHIP
Verbatim theatre aims to present material objectively, accurately and to
stay as close to the source as possible. BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY uses a range
of written accounts, interviews and video footage. In Act III, we are
introduced to the verbatim characters of Erykah Kyle, David Bulsey, Lex
Wotton, Georgina Haines, Perry Thompson (members of the Palm Island
Community who were present at the 2004 protest), as well as various
police officers involved in the raids.
•
What differences and similarities do you see between the verbatim
performances in Act III compared to Act I and II?
•
What specific performance and expressive skills are used?
•
How do you think performing verbatim material affects the
performance and expressive skills used by the performers?
•
How is sound production used and to what effect?
•
How are costume and prop used in the playing of multiple roles?
•
Is there any character transformation in this act and if so how is it
achieved?
•
When Paul Dwyer and Jane Phegan appear dressed in full riot gear,
what effect does this have on the actor/audience relationship?
•
The expressive skills used to portray David Bulsey(Kylie), Lex
Wotton(Harry) and Eryka Kyle (Rachael) are very different to those
used earlier in the performance - describe the skills used and the
effect they have.
Analyse the image below for its non-naturalistic elements and consider:
• Use of space and the performers placement in it
• The microphone as an image and a prop
•
Use of light and technology
9
Stillness and Silence
Stillness and silence are used very deliberately in Act III when the Palm
Island performers take a moment of silence to commemorate Mulrunji
Doomadgee’s death. The non-Aboriginal performers are noticeably absent
during this moment.
•
Why do you think the directorial choice to have only the Palm
Islanders on stage was made?
•
Describe the impact this moment of silence has on the audience.
Climax and conflict
The recreation of the Palm Island riot and the police raid portrayed in Act III
are the climax of the performance.
•
Do you agree with this statement? Justify your answer.
•
How is verbatim theatre used in this recreation?
•
How are stagecraft and theatre technology used in this recreation?
•
Describe the other non-naturalistic conventions that contribute to
the climax?
•
Describe how performance and expressive skills contribute to the
climax.
Thinking about conflict, who do you think it exists between in the
play?
•
(Keep in mind that the conflict may be symbolic)
10
EXPLORING ACT IV
KEY SKILLS:
PERFORMANCE STYLES AND EXPRESSIVE SKILLS
REPRESENTATION OF CHARACTERS
In Act IV, Magdalena Blackley recalls memories of her childhood and
introduces video footage of different members of her family and the Palm
Island community on the video screens behind her. These people then
reflect on the past, present and future of Palm Island.
•
How does Magdalena interact with this video footage and does this
shift the actor/audience relationship?
•
Do you consider the people featured in these videos as characters in
the performance? Justify your answer.
KEY SKILLS:
STAGE CRAFT AND THE ACTOR AUDIENCE RELATIONSHIP
•
How is sound production and theatre technology used and what
effect does it have on the actor/audience relationship?
•
What adjectives would you use to describe the mood of the last act?
•
What connections can you make between the mood and the themes
here?
BRECHT’S EPIC THEATRE
Reflect now on the production and the knowledge you have of Epic
Theatre.
•
What aspects of BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY draw on the conventions of
Epic Theatre?
•
Do you think the themes of BEAUTIFUL ONE DAY suit the style of
Epic Theatre?
11
ILBIJERRI THEATRE COMPANY
Arts House, Meat Market
5 Blackwood Street
North Melbourne
VIC 3051
T: 03 9329 9097
F: 03 9329 9105
[email protected]
ilbijerri.com.au
facebook.com/ilbijerri
@ILBIJERRI
Kamarra Bell-Wykes
[email protected]
(03) 9329 9097
ILBIJERRI acknowledges the support of the Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation and Gandel Philanthropy for providing seed
funding for the Education program.