Notes on Hull Truck Theatre Company's DNA at the Salisbury Playhouse
Open
ended stage with shallow apron
Aims:
show ‘the group’, individual vs. group, show society on small scale,
theme
of responsibility
Style:
Overtly naturalistic, transcript-like script
Genre:
naturalistic piece with dark humour and tragic elements
Set-non
naturalistic
Preset
·
Mat on floor: didn’t cover whole stage – covered in QR code
·
8 banks of 4 plastic blinds along the back = create cyclorama
o Flaps serve as entrances
and exits
·
Dim house lights, Fingerprint scan, DNA sequence projection,
occasional grille silhouette. Darkness = sinister
·
Static noises: pattern-less, set
the audience on edge
·
Lights snap off and music increases. Projection remains
Field
·
Minimalist: rectangle of bright green Astroturf. Sometimes
longer (when Leah
is leaving)
·
Lit from above but stretches US: rectangular shape matches
shape of grass (close and cosy, enclosed, together)
·
Projection: clouds, sky, birds, moving. [identified scene =
motif]
·
All grass pulled out together for final scene. Length = empty
·
Brightest scene/detached from other scenes:
audience gets to know characters better
·
Grass progresses across stage in different scenes
Woods
·
Only time flaps used as entrance/exit
o Makes space
seem enclosed and separate/more immediate: gave woods depth
·
Projection: started long branch silhouettes but gradually
became more tangled and complex
o Mirrors plot: shadows of
people moving through trees [shadowgraph] = creepy,
unnerving, guilt
o Shadows combined w/ flaps =
danger, entrapment, atmosphere and tension
·
Flaps open when Adam is found: reveal all characters (except
John Tate)
Street
·
1st à Office windows = urban
environment/faceless outside world
o Low strip of light across
stage
·
2nd à (phone call) video footage
of street w/ cars and houses. Diagonal and pans, like walking up a street on a
slope; shaky, hand-held camera shot
o Mobile phone = SFX
o Trains, cars SFX,
stereophonic: gives sense of movement (suggestion
of outside world)
o Two low strips of light
across stage from side to side, 1 DS, 1 US = big shadows in opposite directions
·
3rd à wall w/ graffiti = urban and contemporary
o Urban/moral
decay, danger but also acceptance of danger
o Low strip of light across
stage
Sound
·
Field at end: birdsong (Leah not
there to fill silence OR Phil
listened to Leah all along: birds = not listening to Richard)
·
Naturalistic sounds for Richard/Cathy scenes
·
Music during scene transitions and revealing of Adam (v. dramatic as blinds turn)
Lighting
·
Non naturalistic
·
Head height and thigh height side lights = dramatic shadows (guilt,
hiding, two-faced characters [?])
·
Sculpture profile spots: two horizontal strips across stage
·
Field lit from above near audience = effect of slanted
daylight
Costume
·
Cathy: (Bright colours shows
personality and boldness/ confidence), more confident in heels than Lou
o start: black bodycon skirt,
white shirt w/ loose school tie, purple puffer jacket, bare legs, high tops
o middle: yellow crop top
jumper, purple top under, pink/red leopard print skirt, bare legs, high tops
o end: shiny red bodycon
dress w/ belt, red stilettos (status and power
‘dominatrix’)
Acting
moments
·
John Tate: retelling of Adam’s death (the last
scene with John Tate)
o Interpreted
as the most guilty: body language – tries to hide behind Danny (blocking alerts the audience)
o Lowers head, lack of eye
contact, arms crossed, chin lowered = defensive
(CONTRAST with previous aggression)
o SR compared to previous CS
– shows he is wary of Phil
o Stands up straight at end
of retelling – faces the group ‘he’s dead’ = acceptance/reassurance
– still in charge. Moves on
o High pitched voice = nervous or angry
·
Phil: finds out about fat postman
o Doesn’t visibly react – doesn’t want people to see his emotions
o CS – shows dominance. Brian/Cathy SL, Leah USR
o ‘This is a bad situation’ –
calm, soft voice, puts a reassuring hand on
Brian’s shoulder but then tightens grip: shows he
won’t be stood up to
o loses control and resorts
to violence - grabs Brian w/2 hands
around face and back of his neck, held v. tightly = dominance
physically + mentally ‘we’ll take you up to
the grille…’ he is calculating, not fazed by
violence, cold. Not governed by emotion
o returns to normal while
Brian’s posture closes: wraps arm around him, cries, feet together, knees bent
o Tone of voice softens,
pause, ‘we’ll kill you’ = draws attention to line, separates it from other
lines. Delivery contrasts w/ meaning = more
unnerving
o Phil: manipulation w/ Br/Ca
but physical aggression w/ Richard to establish
dominance. Impresses John Tate w/ cleverness
·
Phil and Leah: Field
o Phil doesn’t know how to respond to Leah so ignores her
o End scene: tried to comfort
her but awkward – side hug = uncomfy w/ contact, offers sweet. Never before
so shows his feelings/her importance
o Eating crisps/suicide: faf before
eating crisps = OCD. Leah: ‘Phil, this is
it…’ Phil opens crisps = anti-climax and shows he
knows her well (she won’t do it)
o Starbursts: v. specific
actions. Unwrapped them and laid them out
o Waffle – frustration at
being interrupted. Frustration = actor? Effective?
o Hat = Leah. Gone when she
is gone. Phil SR, Leah SL, Phil cross legged, Leah hugs knees
·
Leah: talking w/ Phil
o Talks fast –fill silence,
eye movements – always looking at P, jiggling, wringing hands, fiddling w/
grass
o Timing of lines: pauses make audience/Leah uncomfortable, not Phil.
Reflects Leah’s insecurity ‘Are you happy?’
realises what she says, hurries to cover it up
o Slow pace in these scenes
despite Leah because P doesn’t respond
o ‘Phil, Phil, Phil, Phil,
Phil, Phil’ does it to get a response.
Variation.
o Tolerant of
his silence.
Rarely questions it. Often only looks to see if he reacts then goes back to
talking
o Bonobo scene: flops to
ground after suicide on back, knees up. Half-sits to check his reaction. Flops
back…goes into ‘sex, sex, sex,’ looks to see for reaction. Sits up and gives up
·
Brian: before and after
o First woods scene: Pulled
on by Richard, internalised body language (feet together, arms folded or
wrapped around him, turns slowly, brings head up then down and starts to cry
quietly)
o Shaken by Phil = floppy to show lack of control
o Insane: open posture – feet
apart, arms swinging, chest out, face up, smiley expressions
o Exaggerated movements,
doesn’t maintain eye contact, ALWAYS moving, unnerving
and unnatural, different, BIG CONTRAST
o ‘lets hold hands’ grabs
hands, energetic. ‘shut up’: sits cross legged, arms folded, finger to lips USR
o Reverted to childhood
o Plastic bag: obedient to
Phil: stood still straight DSL
o Ineffective: eat dirt (there was no
dirt: hard to reconcile naturalistic acting w/ non
naturalistic set here)
·
Cathy:
o Returned from police
station w/ Richard: stood DSL and spoke out to audience = proud of herself/excited, not fazed by situation
o ‘shut up’ – frowns, turns
and moves US, turned towards group = needs acceptance
of group, cares what people think. Wants excitement not consequences
o She steps forwards at
mention of Adam’s death – voice grows louder, becomes defensive
but excited, leans forward
o Admitted about policeman:
CS in centre of group/attention. Looked around at everyone = proud. But when she realised she’s wrong she
immediately backed down – tried not to be noticed. Moved to edge of group +
stayed quiet
o Mentioned
using violence to get Adam out of the hedge: matter
of fact, defying a challenge
o Relishes describing
threatening to tear his eyes out – smiles, looks down or out, as if imagining
it, likes violence
 |
| Phil and Leah I did not take this picture |
