Actors - Example Pictures

Mother:

Father:

Blocking Notes

Lights on
- Father sitting on couch reading a newspaper, mother knocks on door
- father gets up, opens the door
- mother stays in the doorway until the fourth line, then she moves into the house
- they walk over to the couches and stand there talking
- Mother says her last line and starts to walk away towards the door
- Father says his last line and sits on the couch further right stage and says his last line
- Mother opens the door and leaves
Lights off

Rehearsal Schedule

Before 13 December 2010: Casting must have been completed and scripts handed out with basic blocking notes
13 December 2010: Lines memorized and basic blocking finalized
14 December 2010: All properties brought in and large stage items are set, costumes need to be given for tailoring
15 December 2010: Lighting and sound needs to be completed without technical difficulties
16 December 2010: Costumes are ready and fitted, run throughs
17 December 2010: Dress rehearsal with all props, lights, sounds, costumes
18 December 2010: SHOW! 8 pm

5 days of practice, 3 hours each day, show on Saturday night
Practices start with a warm up, then run through with stops, then run through without stops, director gives notes and actors adapt, run through again and again
Being such a short play, many run throughs are acceptable and doable

Basic Ideas for:

Scenic Design:
- mother and father are both wearing traditional 1920s Spanish attire
- two big plants
- tray with food
- door mat
- backdrop should contain simple wallpaper with a window
- no lamps on stage
- greyish black colors
- dull colored couches
- wooden coffee table
- only real color is from the two plants at the back

Lighting:
- two main lights faced on either side of the stage
- both lights on and then play commences
- After the last line, both lights off
- lighting is dim

Sounds:
- Knocking on the door when the mother arrives

Casting:
- Mother: 50+ years old, female, Caucasian
- Father: 50+ years old, male, Caucasian

Bird's Eye View - Sketch

The audience is shown in rows and should be able to accommodate around 25-30 people. There are 2 large couches positioned at a 125 degree angle and a coffee table in the middle of them. There are also two plants upstage left and upstage right, in the corners. The door/entrance is downstage left (house right).

Space

For this play, I need a small 'hole in the wall' theater in the outskirts of a busy city. The theater must be able to accommodate an audience of 25-35 people and there should not be any balconies or boxes, everyone will be seated on the ground at the same level as the stage. The audience should only be in front of the stage, not on either side, and the seats should be in rows. A small theater is best for this type of play.

Predominant Element

The predominant element of Blood Wedding is language. 


Audience should be able to close their eyes and simply listen to the characters in order to understand the story and any involved relationships.

Script Analysis

Where?
- Father's house, rural Spain

When?
- August 1924

What?
- Mother and Father are meeting because their respective children want to get married. They both boast about their children and pretend as if they are in favor of the marriage, when in reality there is major tension between the two characters.

Who?
- Mother: has a son who apparently has money, is handsome, and has a good reputation. She is extremely proud of her son, and does not like the fact that he wants to marry  "Father's" daughter.
- Father: Has a daughter who apparently has money as well, never talks, and is good at house work. Major tension between the Father and Mother

Why?
- The Mother and Father have a complicated history with one another which ended badly (open to audience interpretation) and don't wish for the wedding but stay artificial with one another. They both feel that they would 'lose' if they tell the other that they are against the idea of the marriage. As they are in constant battle, instead of fighting about their own problems they simply try to beat the other by bragging about their children. If the two were open with each other, the conflict could be dissolved quickly, but they choose to act childishly and therefore continue their subtle, hidden fight.

Director's Concept - Pitch to Theater Company

Blood Wedding by Federico Garcia Lorca is a dark alley. As a mother and father of their own respective families discuss the future of their children, relationships are portrayed and characters are formed. As the audience follows along with the two characters, they start to realize the roles of these people in society and start to consider these circumstances in their own lives. A daughter and son of different families have agreed to marry each other, and now their parents meet to discuss this important step in their lives. There is more to the play than what is shown on stage as each character is hiding more than they are allowing themselves to show. As a brief two person scene, Blood Wedding allows for speculation and forces the audience to be creative and innovative. Once people have watched the play they are able to discuss their own artistic interpretation and interaction between themselves and the actors.

Metaphor

This play is a dark alley.

Initial Impressions

My initial impressions towards the small portion of Blood Wedding which was given to us include grey and black, dull colors. The tone of obligation and disconnection comes through the text. I see square shapes trying to fit into other square shapes which won't fit. The shapes look similar, but are slightly different causing drastic disconnection. The shapes are trying to be like the other, trying to satisfy one another, but they are unable to do so. It takes place in the year 1924. Right now I am wondering how these people know each other and I want to know how they greeted each other before this conversation so that I could have more background information. Words I would use to describe this scene are fake and vague.