The play we have been studying is called ‘Too Much Punch For Judy’. It is about two sisters who go out drinking and both get drunk. They have to decide who will drive home, Judy decides she should as she has not drunk as much and if they get aught Joanne will lose her licence. So they get in the car, and suddenly Judy loses control and they rash. Judy is OK, but Joanne is dead. Then the story explores how Judy might cope with life after that horrible night.
In our lessons we took pieces of the play, and acted them out using different techniques, such as frozen images, abstract and form theatre. In one lesson we used frozen images to show how attitudes towards alcohol progress. The sketches show how we were stood, and the numbers of the scene. In this scene are me and Sabrina leaning on a double height rostra, drinking and laughing. In this we are in a having a laugh situation with the alcohol. 2. In this scene are Harry and Tara driving a car while drunk. In this they are using chairs as car seats. They are about to crash and at this point the serious consequences of alcohol start to show.
3. In this scene are Danielle, Gemma and Hannah. They still use the chairs as car seats, but now only Danielle is in the car and she is drooped over the seat dead. Then Hannah is holding Gemma back from the scene to the left side. This is showing the seriousness of alcohol and the situations that can follow. These frozen images showed how drinking can start off as a laugh but can be fatal. I found that it helped me understand the play better, as it showed me how the atmosphere and emotions developed from such a light-hearted beginning.
In another lesson we used marking the moment to add effect, in the part of the play before the accident when Judy and Joanne are drunk. In this me and Rosalia acted drunk and tipsy. We showed this by walking in a drunken manner. While we were walking to the car we were talking rubbish about a fit guy. Then when we reached the car we argued about who would drive, then I tried to open the door with the wrong key, and let (Rosalia) Judy drive. Then I walked around the car drunk and kicked it. We both got in and I found some alcohol, and then said “Thank God for that,” about the bottle. Then as (Rosalia) Judy turned the car on she said “Look at you, it’s a good thing I’m driving.” Then she can’t start the car as she misses the keyhole.
The point at which we marked the moment was when Rosalia said “Look at you, it’s a good thing I’m driving.” What we did was freeze, as she was about to say it, just after I say about the bottle I find. Then while we were frozen she says it, and then we carry on. Marking the moment meant it showed the audience that something was about to happen, and therefore adds tension by the way Rosalia says her line in a drunken manner. It is also ironic, as it is not a “good thing” that she’s driving. This exercise helped me understand the play more, as it showed what can happen from a tiny misjudgement.
In another lesson we used Emotion exercises to really show the emotions of our characters. In my group were Sarah and Holly, and we were given number three. This meant that we had to perform a scene where there are three friends, where two betray the other one. In this me and Holly basically tease Sarah about her wetting the bed, after she told me not to tell anyone about her secret. In this I used two main facial expressions, and a happy laughing one when before we see Sarah and I tell Holly the secret, then again after we tease her. The other facial expression is a faking upset not guilty look, which I used when Sarah asked me if I had said anything. I also used my body language, one way was a huddled up, giggly manner when I was talking to Holly. Then as soon as Sarah came along I stood up as tall as possible to show that I’m more important and stronger than her, to show status.
I used my voice when me and Holly were whispering and giggling I used a low pitch and tone, fast pace and low volume to show how much of a secret it was. Then immediately after I used my voice in a giggling way to show how evil and devious we were. Then the other way I used my voice was when Sarah asked us what we were talking about, and we both used a high pitch, loud and hesitant voice. We used these as we thought the hesitation showed we had to think and make up what we were saying, and a high, loud pitch to show the shocked, lying side.
