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Year 12 - Drama - Solos Prescribed Structures 2020

Character

Character: The Stage Parent ​

"The pushy Stage Parent insists that their child continue the audition in front of an audience of stunned diners."

Above: Image sourced from - https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4d/39/9e/4d399e54463b15a0d01df4ae3b34bbd9.jpg

Stimulus: The film Gypsy, directed by Emile Ardolino 

Character: The Stage Parent

Performance focus:

Create a solo performance based on the character of the Stage Parent. At a local restaurant the Stage Parent bumps into the director from their child’s most recent failed audition. Chastising the director for cutting short the audition, the pushy Stage Parent insists that their child continue the audition in front of an audience of stunned diners. Refusing to take no for an answer, the Stage Parent attempts to ‘prove’ that, unlike themselves, their child is destined for fame. The Stage Parent does this by:

  • demonstrating the many sacrifices the Stage Parent has made to get their child into show business
  • revealing a moment(s) from the Stage Parent’s own failed career in ‘showbiz’
  • showing the impact that three or more real-life stage parents have had on their child’s lives and/or careers.

Performance Style:  Eclectic with aspects of musical theatre

Eclectic theatre draws on a range of performance styles to devise performances that go beyond the reality of life as it is lived. It juxtaposes a number of performance styles to make dramatic statements and theatre that is innovative, transformational and creative. Eclectic theatre is devised with a specific purpose and intention for the audience. Eclectic theatre draws on drama traditions and practice including:

  • ritual and storytelling
  • contemporary drama practice and performance styles
  • the work of drama practitioners and associated performance styles
  • a combination of any of the above.

Musical theatre exemplified by:

  • central characters often involved in a romantic entanglement set against a bigger event or context that often results in conflict
  • emotional content, such as love, pathos, anger or humour, expressed through song and/or dance
  • use of a range of differing musical and/or dance forms and styles.

Convention & Dramatic Element:  As selected by the student from the list (linked here).  Write your selected convention and dramatic element on your Statement of Intention.

Mr Boon's Notes