Sem 2 Exam

Unit 1:

Konstantin Stanislavski.

  The background

  • Born in 1863 in Moscow to a wealthy family involved in the arts. Died in 1938. 

  • Originally trained in melodrama and very theatrical acting, soon became dissatisfied with exaggerated performances.

     ^ helped him develop his now-famous approach.  (realistic acting)

Co-founder of the moscow art theater in 1898

The ideology

  • The Stanislavski System — a foundation for modern realistic acting.

1. Given circumstances = the time, place, relationships, and events in the world of the play. 

  1. Objectives/super objectives = What the character wants. What is their goal? 

  2. Obstacles = What is stopping the character from achieving their objective?

  3. Emotional memory = Drawing on real past feelings to fuel the emotion on stage. 

  4. Magic if = What would I do if I were in this situation? 

  5. Subtext = what is the hidden meaning? What do I think but not say? 

The application of the approach in rehearsal and/or performance

  • Improvisations to explore backstory and deepen relationships

  • Emotion memory exercises to connect to the inner truth

  • Use Magic If to personalise the role

  • Relaxation + concentration exercises to stay present and responsive

Acting becomes more naturalistic

  • Physical actions reflect real-life behaviour

  • Voice and movement support psychological truth (not exaggerated)

  • The actor remains fully in the moment — reacting realistically to others

  • Performance feels like life unfolding rather than staged acting

  • Communion: Believable action in the play must be directed to the other actors on stage, not the audience. When the actors communicate with one another through their actions, the performance captures more human truth than playing actions to the audience. 

  • Stanislavski’s fundamental questions:

    • Who am I?

    • Where am I?

    • What time is it?

    • Why am I here?

    • Why do I want it?

    • How will I get what I want?

    • What do I need to do to overcome?

  • Stanislavski’s approach is known as the system or the method of physical action.

  • Method acting was not one of Stanislavski’s processes; however, it was developed from his system by an actor and practitioner, R. Lee Strasberg.

When the rain stops: 

“We inherit what is unresolved from the past, and if we do not resolve it ourselves, we pass it on to our descendants. Are we prepared to pass on the damage from the past to our children?”

Form, style and structure: 

non-realism/ Epic theatre or Brechtian theatre. Presentational with moments of representational acting in a non-linear structure, with significant time shifts.

Overview: 

Plot: 

📌 Plot – When the Rain Stops Falling

The play is a multi-generational family drama spanning 1959 to 2039, set in England and Australia. The story shows how trauma, secrets, and abandonment pass through generations and how people try to break that cycle.

Setting: 

Takes place over 80 years (1959-2039)

Timeline=

  1. In a room in Alice Springs, 2039

  2. in a room in London, 1960s

  3. In the room in London, 1988

  4. in the coorong in 1988

  5. At Uluru in 1988 

  6. In a room and a park in Adelaide in 2013

Quotes and themes

Regret • Grief • Betrayal • Abandonment • Deception • Fate vs Fee Will • Coincidences • Surprise/ the unexpected • Melancholy • Hope • Redemption • Legacy • Nature vs Nurture • Memory

🔹 Main storyline threads

1⃣ Henry Law (1959–1960s, London)
Henry mysteriously disappears, leaving behind his wife Elizabeth Law and their young son Gabriel Law. A dark family secret involving Henry creates shame and silence.

2⃣ Gabriel Law (1980s, London → Australia)
Gabriel grows up never knowing the truth about his father. Desperate for answers, he travels to Australia to find out what happened to Henry. There, he falls in love with Gabrielle York.

3⃣ Gabrielle York (1960s–2030s, Australia)
As a teenager, Gabrielle experiences a traumatic event involving a missing child — something that haunts her for life. She later has a son with Gabriel Law but struggles with her past and the burden of grief.

4⃣ Andrew Price (2039, Australia)
Andrew is the son of Gabriel and Gabrielle. He inherits the emotional consequences of previous generations. In the future world plagued by climate crisis and constant rain, Andrew finally reconnects with his own estranged son — a sign of hope and healing.

🌧 Symbolism

  • The constant rain represents sadness, generational trauma, and a world damaged by human actions.

  • Food and fish appear throughout the play to show:

    • family connection,

    • rituals that stay the same over time,

    • The attempt to nourish relationships even when broken.

✨ Core Themes

  • The long-term impact of unresolved trauma

  • How secrets shape family identity

  • Hope for breaking harmful cycles

  • The connection between personal and environmental damage

Unit 2 

Elements of drama:

Drama Processes:

Drama Conventions:

Unit 2:

Bertolt Brecht

The background

Born in 1898 in Germany. Grew up in the political unrest. Witnessed WW1, the rise of Nazism and WW2.

Brecht was a German playwright and theatre practitioner (1898–1956).
His ideology shaped his approach to Epic Theatre, which aimed to make audiences think, not just feel.

The ideology

Brecht believed theatre should educate and provoke critical thought about society, not just entertain.
He wanted audiences to question the world around them — especially issues like:

  • Capitalism and inequality

  • War and oppression

  • Power and social responsibility

His Marxist beliefs strongly influenced this — he thought theatre could help people understand how systems control behaviour, and inspire them to create change.

⬆ Bertolt Brecht = German Practitioner (playwright and poet)

  • designed to wake up and challenge the audience.

  • Creator of epic theatre - the alienation effect or the Estrangement effect.

  • Brecht creates plays that force audiences to think uncomfortable thoughts about money, power and ethics “Art is not a mirror which to reflect reality but a hammer with which to shape it” - Brecht

  • Awkening the waking brain and waking them up to the political reality.

  • the appel is intellectual and not emotional (no crying)

  • I weep when they weep, I laugh when they laugh ⬅DRAMATIC THEATER

  • EPIC THEATER ➡ I laugh when they weep, I weep when they laugh.

  • ejecting the disbelief of the theatre

  • Third person dialogue.

  • Narrator

  • signs and placards

  • half curtains

  • role swapping

  • Remind you that you ARE watching a play

  • Tried to turn the place of entertainment into a place of education

The application of the approach in rehearsal and/or performance.

🎭 Brecht (Epic Theatre) - presentational

Focus: Critical thinking, social issues, audience awareness.

1. Alienation Effect → Stage Directions Out Loud

  • Activity: Read or perform a scene, saying your stage directions aloud (e.g., “He paces nervously”).

  • Instructions: Don’t try to “become” the character—stay detached.

2. Gestus → Frozen Power Poses

  • Activity: Create frozen images that express social power (e.g., rich vs poor, boss vs worker).

  • Instructions: Justify the pose and add a short line or gesture to enhance it.

3. Placards → Caption This Scene

  • Activity: Perform a scene while holding signs that state your character’s motives or status (e.g., “Greedy landlord”).

  • Instructions: The placard should make the audience think critically.

4. Narration → Step Out Monologues

  • Activity: Mid-scene, step out of character and narrate what your character is doing and why.

  • Instructions: Speak to the audience directly—break the fourth wall.

5. Role Reversal → Class Hierarchy Swap

  • Activity: Rehearse a scene, then switch roles (especially across class/power lines).

  • Instructions: Discuss how switching roles changes your perspective.

Curious incident: