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during our first 2 lessons, my group and I have been brainstorming on a large piece of parchment paper. with a little bit of fun doodles, we expressed various ideas and concepts within our chosen stimuli, the corona virus.

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Ruby-

24 years old

Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was 2

Regular hospital visits, but it got progressively worse when she was 23 (a year prior to covid)

Married to poppy for 2 years, dating for 3

Black cat

Doesn't show many emotions, hates being pampered

Works at home prior to covid as an online English tutor

Poppy-

25 years old

Married to ruby

Works as a lawyer

Main provider for the family

Alexander-

36 years old

Really hard working, workaholic, works extra hours

Has family backstory that is a key factor to his over working mindset (poverty, being forced to be independent, etc)

Married to Rachel

Rachel-

35 years old

Married to Alexander for 8 years prior pandemic, time skip 5 years after pandemic

Both working as pharmacists

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The play is set in 2020 at the height of the pandemic when Victoria enters one of their first Lockdowns. The play explores the hardships brought on from the Covid 19 pandemic.

Couple 1: the relationship between ruby and poppy explores not only the hardships of a lesbian marriage but showcases the struggles of health issues.

Couple 2: Angie and Jackson

the plot line outlines their marriage of 8 years. Before the pandemic they were running a pharmacy together.

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Victoria

Queensland

Pharmacy

House 1 (alexander and Rachels house)

House 2 (ruby and poppy's house)

Train

hospital

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set in 2021 at the time of heavy lockdowns. ruby and poppy are in a long-term relationship, poppy helping and supporting ruby through her journey with cystic fibrosis. when rubys mum comes to stay with them after losing her job due to covid, all hell breaks loose. rubys condition worsens as she catches the deadly disease and poppy struggles with her new form of reality.

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Victoria

Hawthorne

Hawthorne station/train

apartment

hospital

grave yard

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ruby-

24 years old

Diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was 3

only child

father passed away when she was 2 years old

dating her girlfriend poppy for 3

Works at home prior to covid as an online English tutor

Poppy-

25 years old

dating ruby

Works as a lawyer

Main provider for the family

Rachel-

48 years old

widowed

mother of ruby

arrogant

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Two mugs

Tray for all the doctor scenes

Pillows

Blankets

Suitcase

Little table

Little lamp

Books for decoration

Fake plant

Chopping board

Wheely table (hospital bed)

Two drama blocks (couch)

White sheet (hospital bed)

Sheet (any colour) (couch cover)

Gravestone

Plague doctors mask

Medical utensils

Shower cap

Pandemic book

Medicine bottles and pills

Plates

Bowls

Cups

Fake blood

three smaller drama blocks (kitchen counter and black the hold the couch in place)

White tissue with blood on it

Covid masks

Covid tests

Photo frame

Music stand (for door)

Couch throwovers

Cardboard door

Clock

Handbag

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At the start of the play making process, our group (me, Ella, Angie and Jackson) came up with the idea to create a performance set in the rough times of covid 19, with the plot being centered around 2 separate couples and their realistic struggles through this period. however, one of our members was no longer in the class anymore, so we were forced to rethink. After a few lessons, and while staying on the covid 19 idea, we formulated the plot of a couple surviving in covid, but their world is rocked when ruby's (my characters) mother comes to town. along with this knew plot, we were forced to rewrite our already made script and become set back in comparison to the other groups. However, i think we made use of our time and resources wisely and will be able to perform to the best of our abilities.

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lily mcmahon playing ruby kizzy

ella skordakis playing poppy smith

angeline chee playing rachel kizzy

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physical theatre-

Physical theatre is used in the 'train scene' to vividly portray the rhythm and effort of getting on and off a moving train through expressive body movements and precise gestures. Physical theatre is a form of performance that emphasizes storytelling through the use of the body rather than relying mainly on dialogue.

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performance styles - australian gothic theatre

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performance styles - australian gothic theatre

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Australian gothic horror-

Australian Gothic horror in theatre is a genre that combines elements of traditional Gothic horror with Australian settings, themes, and culture.

Gothic horror theatre sets mainly in the outback, remote towns, or rugged wilderness, where the landscape itself becomes a source of fear and mystery. however, in my performance, we explored the themes of Australian gothic horror with the reality of covid 19 in Victoria, Australia, and through the presence of the doctors from pandemics from decades ago. in one of my scenes, you see a flashback through time as the concepts of the Black Plague and Scarlett Fever are introduced to the narrative. this was incorporated into the performance to not only reach the gothic stimulus, but to also give the perspective of how pandemics were dealt with years ago compared to now.

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death

grief

sickness

sadness

chaos

love

strained family bonds

personal growth

meaning of life

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"Burning" – 2021 Documentary on the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires (Amazon Prime) and/ or “Australia Burns: Silence of the Land” (SBS/ClickView)

https://www.amazon.com/Burning-EVA-ORNER/dp/B09M45NHTX or https://www.clickview.net/secondary/videos/47649868/australia-burns-silence-of-the-land

“The Rescue” – 2021 'The Rescue' chronicles the dramatic 2018 rescue of 12 Thai boys and their soccer coach, trapped deep inside a flooded cave. (ClickView)

https://www.clickview.net/secondary/videos/58289708/the-rescue

“Beaconsfield “ -2011 The true story of Brant Webb and Todd Russell, who were trapped nearly a kilometer below the surface. (ClickView)

https://www.clickview.net/secondary/videos/29727/beaconsfield

“Saving MG99” – 2021 Documentary – A Refugee story with heart. (ABC iView)

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-20/saving-mg99/13504454

"Storm Boy" by Colin Thiele – Picture Book

https://matthewjageranduniversenews.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/06020807.pdf

"The Storm Whale" by Benji Davies- Picture Book

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbWjTRiZR0Q

Australia's Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic – Government and community actions

"Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil – Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejorQVy3m8E

“Rabits” by James Marsden and Shaun Tan – Picture Book

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=64&v=T128Y-0h6Wk&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fsearch%3Fq%3D%25E2%2580%25A2%2B%25E2%2580%259CRabits%25E2%2580%259D%2Bby%2BJames%2BMarsden%2Band%2BShaun%2BTan%26rlz%3D1C1GCEA_enAU1137AU1137%26oq%3D&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE

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Tension within this performance started from the very moment rubys mother, rachel, step foot in ruby and poppys home. some examples of tension is:

Claustrophobic Setting & Context (External Tension)

Lockdown: The pandemic context naturally generates tension, restricting movement and forcing everybody within the close proximity of the home. The addition of Ruby's mum into their living space, already strained by lockdowns, adds to the claustrophobia. The loss of privacy, routine disruption, and shifting power dynamics heighten unease.

Health Crisis (Physical Tension)

Ruby’s Cystic Fibrosis: A chronic, life-threatening condition already creates ongoing tension. The stakes are raised significantly once she catches covid, something that could easily be fatal for someone in her condition. Her worsening health introduces fear and helplessness. The narrative tension grows as every cough signals a turn for the worse.

Relational Conflict (Emotional Tension)

Poppy’s Dual Role: She's a partner and a caregiver—two identities that can come into conflict. As Ruby's health declines and stress mounts, Poppy begins to feel overwhelmed, trapped, or invisible. Rachel's arrival brings unresolved family dynamics to the forefront. Whether it’s tension between Poppy and Rachel, or Rachels influence on Ruby’s choices and emotions, the household becomes resident to negative emotions.

Psychological Descent (Internal Tension)

Poppy’s Struggle: Watching someone you love deteriorate while feeling powerless creates deep emotional conflict. Add to this a changed daily life, isolation, and resentment towards Rachel or guilt for not being able to truly help Ruby, we see a person nearing psychological collapse. along with ruby, her own suffering—physically, emotionally, and existentially—can cause her to lash out, withdraw, further straining the relationship.

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Similar to tension, conflict is conveyed in thew performance as Rachel makes her stay with her daughter and her daughter's girlfriend. Heads clash as the tension proceeds throughout the performance. Examples of conflict are:

Poppy vs. Rachel:

Poppy feels protective and territorial over ruby, especially with rubys condition and of what shes heard about rubys relationship with her mother. Ruby’s mum, Rachel, arriving due to her own crisis, imposes her opinions and only now decides to revert to a parental role, undermining Poppy. Ruby is torn between her partner and her mother.

rachels personal issues:

With Rachel having lost her job and dealing with her own grief and stress, survival instincts kick in, often at the expense of kindness or rationality.

Relationship Conflict

• Ruby and Poppy’s dynamic shifts. Moments of love are weighed down by obligation, fear, and grief. The intimacy they once shared become strained or performative, leading to conflicts.

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Love shown through action (Poppy) vs. authority (Rachel)

Long-term endurance vs. sudden re-entry

Chosen family vs. blood family

Caretaker burnout vs. maternal guilt

Sick vs. well

Motivations vs. reactions

Want vs. need

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Flashback-

Flashback to when ruby was first diagnosed with cystic fibrosis

Monologue-

Monologues were present during the news reporter or Dan Andrews scenes.

Silence-

Poppy has a moment of silence alone as she stands by Ruby's grave, taking in the reality of the situation.

Use of fact-

Real facts and information were told on the matter of how the Black Death and Scarlett Fever were delt with during their peak.

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ruby is my character within our performance 'just breathe.' ruby is a stubborn character who feels as though her sickness has not only weighed down her girlfriend, poppy, but her mother growing up as well. ruby is a 24-year-old women who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis when she was three years old. this has put a permanent strain on her, unable to do a lot of things in fear of worsening her condition. along with ruby, her father also suffered the fate of cystic fibrosis before sadly passing when she was two years old. although saddening, her father's outcome has made ruby not want to meet the same fate, constantly fighting to not let her illness possess her.

ruby sees a light at the end of the tunnel, getting a lung transplant to improve her condition, however, with the introduction of this lung, the chances of her getting sick were increasingly higher. when Rubys mother comes to stay with, bringing along the new corona 19 virus, ruby immediately catches it, but doesn't blame her mum. this reflects on Ruby's kind and forgiving personality, not blaming her mother even after all they went through growing up, however, this may also be a weak trait that cost multiple fights between ruby and poppy.

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poppy is a 25 year old women who grew up with a steady life. after meeting ruby, her girlfriend, poppy became somewhat of a caretaker for ruby, being the main provider for their way of living. poppy is a character who doesn't enjoy the idea of change and is very protective of ruby. when Rachel. Rubys mother, takes it upon herself to make herself home within poppy's house, poppy doesn't take too lightly to this new unwanted change. to the very end of the performance, poppy is a stubborn, caring, and rational character who is deeply in love and is scared of losing the one thing she loves most.

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Rachel is a complex character with many layers. Rachel's resentment toward ruby and her illness stems off her past trauma with caretaking somebody with the same illness. her husband, Rubys father, also has cystic fibrosis, and after only 3 years of fathering his child, he passed away. Rachel spent her entire relationship with her husband being somewhat of a caretaker and now has to do the same with her daughter even after seeing how the illness destroyed her husband. instead of someone she needs to help, Rachel views ruby as a burden, with Rachel thinking she will never be free of the illness that took away the love of her life. Rachel also grew distant with her daughter, fearing if she got too close there would be more to lose when ruby would finally succumb to her disease. as Rachel momentarily moves in with ruby, she maintains her distance, determined to keep the strained relationship the way it is. when ruby inevitably passes, Rachel realizes she was wrong all along and regrets not spending time with her daughter while she could.

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although there wasn't much interaction with the audience, there was a point in the performance when my character, ruby, is looking at her covid test, and after seeing her result, she is looking up to the audience. this is to show the audience that the test is positive by the fear and shock on her face. this allows the audience to feel the dread that she is feeling as ruby looks through them.

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costume-

we tried to coordinate our costumes with items pf clothing we thought people would have worn in 2021. for example, we chose tracksuit pants and jumpers to symbolize the amount of time spent home, and how nobody needed to dress up because leaving their house wasn't really an option.

props-

we strategically used props such as masks, medicine bottles and tissues to show not only how the people living in the household deal with the realities of covid and Ruby's cystic fibrosis, but also to give the set a more homely feel.

set-

as a group we really took pride in our set. we tried to make the 'apartment' look as realistic as we could, incorporating a couch, kitchen, and front door. the aim of the set was to bring the audience back to the times of covid 19, and how it was like living back then in the enclosed space.

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rough outline planning of scenes (before changes)

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rough outline planning of scenes (before changes)