Devised Theatre
As part of the GCSE Drama course requirements, students were asked to form groups of 4 or 5, develop themes, write scripts, and act them out on their own. Our group, consisting of 4 girls, decided to take on the struggle between parents and teenagers, the contrast between urban and rural teens, and their attitudes towards the future and dream.
After coming out with the themes, we started developing characters and furthering plots through improvisation and thus made the play flow reasonably. To refine and polish our performance, we spent a great amount of time rehearsing, which was actually a real rest of our time management skills.
4 Characters:
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Scarlett - Rebellious girl with a delicate heart
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Ashley (me) - Left-behind girl who loves writing diaries
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Amber - Art teacher who just graduated, controlling
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Holden - Brother of Amber, rebellious, who wants to create his own future
It is a rainy day. Scarlett, who runs away from home, arrives at the hotel run by Ashley's family with Ashley as the servant. Amber and Holden, who come to the countryside to investigate, are forced to stay in the hotel as well. Amber has a conflict with Scarlett, while Holden and Scarlett find themselves very similar. Ashley observes them quietly, serves them patiently, and sometimes mediates between them.
Act 1
Act 2
During lunch the next day, the four characters develop their conflicts and expose their true feelings towards the current situation and expectations for the future. The climax is achieved by changing the lighting, more violent physicality, and overlapping dialogues. It is the explosion for my character Ashley, who is formerly obedient and mature. I literally cried when performing this act in the final performance.
Act 3
After the climax, characters understand each other better, come to an agreement, and even inspire each other to achieve more. The play is actually a flashback and resonates with the opening when it ends. Ashley, who is now a writer, and Scarlett, who is now an interviewer, recognize each other during the conversation. Thus, the play ends in a touching way. Some audience burst into tears while cheering for the characters in the end.
