OCR GCSE Drama

19 • Phrasing: How lines are shaped, such as emphasising the poetry of a line or speaking informally or haltingly. • Accent/Dialect: Pronouncing words in a way that is associated with certain geographical regions or social groups • Emotional range: Showing the character’s feelings, for example by laughing, crying, sighing, shouting, or vocally trembling or choking while trying to control an emotion (such as attempting to hide sorrow or fear). A Working with a partner, choose a small section of dialogue from the play you are studying. (In the case of Misterman , you may choose a section of the monologue and alternate saying the lines.) A section of about ten lines would be ideal. Stand back to back and say the lines to each other, listening carefully to how your partner delivers their line before you say yours. What do you notice about your partner’s volume, pitch, pace and intonation? • Are they speaking quickly and quietly? • Do they speak slowly and harshly? • Does the pitch of their voice vary (perhaps getting higher or lower at the end of sentences)? B Now facing each other, experiment with the same lines, but by imagining the following situations: • You are both very frightened and afraid of being overheard. • One of you is very angry, while the other is trying to calm you down. • You both need to finish this conversation as quickly as possible. • You are from different parts of the country or world and find it difficult to understand each other. Discuss how these different situations affected your vocal choices. C Focus on what you know about the character or characters who are speaking in this scene. Make notes on: • Their background (including where they are from) • Their emotional state • What they want in this scene. D Now read the scene again, using your understanding of the character’s background, feelings and intentions to influence how they use their voice. E Complete these sentences: This character, [name] uses the vocal skills to show . From this, the audience will understand or feel . F Lastly, choose three moments from the play when you think one of the characters requires specific vocal skills and explain what you learn about the character from their use of their voice. For example: Mr Bishop is a Yorkshire farmer, so speaks in a dialect of that region. He uses a stern intonation when he is angry at his son for not helping with the work on the farm. He uses pauses and shows his emotional range in his final speech, when he begins to express his feelings on the line ‘Go if you…’, but is choked up and can’t continue. This will suggest to the audience that, despite his gruff exterior, he has tender feelings. TASK 2.3 Cillian Murphy in the original production of Misterman . The sample candidate-style responses in this chapter are based on an imaginary play. When reading them, however, note how the ideas are organised, the type of terminology used and how ideas are justified. These skills can be applied to any of the set texts. TIP: PERFORmING A TEXT