The Crucible Play Guide for AQA GCSE Drama

COMPONENT 1 UNDERSTANDING DRAMA 42 How lighting and sound contribute to context Other design specialisms which you might be asked to discuss in relation to the play’s context include lighting and sound. Your design ideas for either must reflect the social, economic, historical or cultural circumstances of the characters and their setting: the 17th-century colonial Puritan village. This might seem more challenging than designing either costumes or a set, which could more easily be based on paintings and other research about the place and time, so you will need to be imaginative in the ways that the sound and lighting could suggest the period, location and social message. Lighting You will need to think carefully about how lighting can show the context of a Puritan community in the 17th century, including the location and seasons, as well as the different types of candle, lantern or torch that could be used as part of the period setting in addition to being a production source of lighting. Think about, for example: In order to suggest the context of The Crucible , you might use lighting to: 4 Suggest the seasons and time of day (the first three acts take place in the spring, Act 4 is in the autumn) 4 Be naturalistic in showing the types of lighting used in the 17th century, such as lanterns and candles 4 Indicate the location of the scenes (the lighting in the prison, for example, would be different from that of the Puritan homes) 4 Create atmosphere or mood in relation to the play’s themes (for example, lighting could be used to suggest the death awaiting John Proctor). KEY TERMS Silhouette: The outline or shape of a figure. An eerily lit scene in a production by the National Theatre of China 6 Angles and intensity Special effects Use of shadow and silhouette Light from onstage sources Transitions, such as the use of blackouts or fades