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Lyrics to Another brick in the wall part 2

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Lyrics to Another brick in the wall part 2

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We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teacher, leave them kids alone

Hey, teacher, leave them kids alone

All in all it's just another brick in the wall
All in all you're just another brick in the wall

[Chorus by pupils from the Fourth Form Music Class Islington Green School, London]

We don't need no education
We don't need no thought control
No dark sarcasm in the classroom
Teachers, leave them kids alone

Hey, teacher, leave us kids alone

All in all you're just another brick in the wall
All in all you're just another brick in the wall

[Spoken:]
Wrong! Do it again!
Wrong! Do it again!
If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding!
How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat?!
You! Yes, you, behind the bike sheds, stand still, laddy!

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                                             TECHNICAL ELEMENTS 

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                                             TECHNICAL ELEMENTS 

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Script

There was quite a bit of the script that was cut. This was mainly due to the time limitation on the performance. My part had a lot of lines in scene 3 but this whole scene was taken out. I also had some of my original lines cut as they were in a paragraph and not very consistent with the style of the rest of the part. A section that was cut, was one I wasn’t enjoying acting, so I was unperturbed.

On my script, I had a variety of notes and highlighted areas. These annotations included staging and blocking instructions, parts I needed to remember that were spoken as a group and comments to assist in improving my characterisation. Changes, such as those made to characters names, are indicated, as are the sections where lines were removed. I put my script in a presentation folder as it fell apart straight away and I wanted to keep it in good condition.

Rehearsal logs

At the end of each rehearsal, I filled out a rehearsal log. I made mine bigger as there was only a small amount of room on the original ones.

Setting

As the play is set in the 20th century, the set reflected this. The set design was basic, desks and chairs set out replicating a typical exam arrangement. A chair was placed downstage left for the teacher.

I was unsure on the difference between set and props, so I educated myself on this and ascertained that all the things we used fell under the props category.

Props

Pupil desks and chairs used by the whole class.

Pens and a sheet of paper used by the whole class.

Mug and clipboard for Miss Baxendale

Rubber, this was used by Chas.

I, personally, carried a text book to authenticate my students studious character. I also used glasses to visually distinguish between her, and my other part, Mr A.

Costume

The group wore school uniform with the exception of the two teachers who dressed in smart but casual suits. This helped the audience see the actors as school children and defined the teacher’s roles.

Sound

The track ‘Brick in the wall part 2’ by Pink Floyd was used as we came on and went off stage. The song was chosen due its appropriate lyrics and it also fit the ambiance of the play.

I was told I was responsible for sound, but I didn’t do anything. I would’ve enjoyed the music aspect as I come from that kind of background. Making sound effects would also have been exciting.

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                                           AUDIENCE FEEDBACK                                                                                      After the performance I obtained some feedback from the audience. It was stated that the play was well acted out. The dialogue was audible, and the timings were good. Most of the lines were remembered and it was not apparent if they had been forgotten. It was also said that the scene was unclear as it appeared that all the pupils were in the same room but the three main characters were actually in the corridor to start with. Also, it was felt that the other characters were too idle and needed more to do.

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                                           AUDIENCE FEEDBACK                                                                                      After the performance I obtained some feedback from the audience. It was stated that the play was well acted out. The dialogue was audible, and the timings were good. Most of the lines were remembered and it was not apparent if they had been forgotten. It was also said that the scene was unclear as it appeared that all the pupils were in the same room but the three main characters were actually in the corridor to start with. Also, it was felt that the other characters were too idle and needed more to do.

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                                                                          OVERALL EVALUATION

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                                                                          OVERALL EVALUATION

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We had about 6 weeks from when we first saw the play until the performance. I think that everyone did superbly, with learning their lines in this limited amount of time. We rehearsed a few times a week and most of my rehearsing was done with Sophie, who played Mrs A. Some was done with the other parents and the rest of the rehearsals were spent as a group. I felt that we supported each other well, suggesting time counts for multiple people’s lines and prompting. At one point, it was decided that, as Daniel is deaf, it would be beneficial for him to have vibrations as cues. We attained this by stamping on the floor at the correct moment. It fit into the scene well too.

I took time to research voice projection as I had feedback explaining that I was too quiet. I watched a few YouTube videos and read some articles, but I still found it hard to tell if I was shouting or projecting. I’d like to become confident with this.

During the play, we changed seats. I think this was to show that the scene altered when the three main characters were in the classroom. I don’t think that was totally successful and I was still confused as to how the other pupils were in the class when it couldn’t be unlocked.

I was hoping that the audience would find the play, funny and entertaining and this seemed to be the case as they were laughing a lot. I was really pleased when they laughed at the bit where I growled like a tiger.

I think the strongest part of my performance was the blocks of lines I performed, as I remembered all the words. I ended up going blank when I said the one lines, despite knowing them all. I put this down to stage fright. I managed to cover other group members when they forgot their lines by saying mine in place. It did concern me that it came across as me forgetting my lines when I did this though. I had to ad lib one of them to cover up what I had forgot. I was pleased with the way I did this though.

The first time we read through the play, I found it really funny but after the first four times of rehearsing it, not so much. It was difficult to stay focused and maintain interest, as most of the time it was only the three main characters doing anything and the rest of us were technically redundant. I thought the play was entertaining and the group did an amazing job with the roles, but I felt that it would’ve been better had there been more significant parts. I would’ve liked more time to rehears as well.

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The acting for the parents in the play was akin to the characters depicted in the novel/film The Stepford Wives.                                                                                                                                              What is the Stepford Wives?                                                                  The Stepford Wives is a 1972 satirical thriller novel by Ira Levin. The story is about Joanna Eberhart, a photographer and young mother who begins to suspect that the submissive housewives in her neighbourhood may be robots created by their husbands.

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The acting for the parents in the play was akin to the characters depicted in the novel/film The Stepford Wives.                                                                                                                                              What is the Stepford Wives?                                                                  The Stepford Wives is a 1972 satirical thriller novel by Ira Levin. The story is about Joanna Eberhart, a photographer and young mother who begins to suspect that the submissive housewives in her neighbourhood may be robots created by their husbands.

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               CHARACTER EVALUATION  

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To start this task, I looked online at character profile templates to get ideas of information I could include. For my character of Mr A, I was unsure of how to portray him. I decided to make him a her as I felt this would add diversity, but in hindsight, I could see that that would affect how the parents raised their daughter and change some of the dynamics. The two actors who played Bea and Andi, were unaware that I had changed my character to a female. Consequently, they learnt the lines with me as a male, so that’s what I was in the final performance. Typically, the gender issue made my life harder when it came to the evaluation.  I found the character very weak and this made depicting him, difficult. He is described as comedically dynamic, I consulted the dictionary to get a solid definition of these words. My research consisted of looking into the sort of person that would read the Daily express, this information was provided at the start of the script, and exploring accents which might be relevant. I thought I had found the perfect way to play him/her, amusing, full of optimistic energy with a slightly patronising tone, but it wasn’t quite right. I needed to make her more robotic but still with tone and emotion. My posture and gestures were stiff and exact and very little facial expression was allowed, which was tricky. My part was played with Mrs A, alongside the other parents, Mr and Mrs B and Mrs C, Chas and Bea's parents. The majority of my lines were one sentence and spoken between the lines of the other parents. The pace of this was fast and staccato. I worked with the actress who played Mrs A to make our joint parts, tight. We achieved this by agreeing on a time count, guaranteeing that the things we said together were done in unison. There were parts of the script which conveyed the affection Mr A has for Mrs A and can be observed through the terms of endearment he/she often uses. I had a couple of paragraphs to voice too which I preferred. It was easier to add characterisation when the dialogue was longer. I wanted him/her to be liked by the audience and someone they could relate to as a parent. To memorise my lines, I used repetition and word association. Writing down the number of lines that came in between mine was also helpful. I found it hard to perform the quick one line parts as I wasn’t confident about when it was my turn. Unfortunately, this was not something I could practice by myself which meant I could not improve as much as I would have liked. I felt that I needed to rehearse my parts with the other parents more to become proficient. I was the first person to speak in the play which was a bit nerve-racking. The paragraphs I had were much easier to remember and I could learn them by myself, mainly while folding washing.                                                                                                                                                          If I did it again I would make the sex of my character definite as this confused me and others as well, especially as there was two Mrs A’s if I played a girl. I would also watch the Stepford Wives as that would give me an exact idea of the robotic movements I should do. I am incredibly annoyed that I did not think of doing this when I was rehearsing my part. I would have liked to have played a stronger character because I would really enjoy it and I am certain I could do a sterling job.                                          My secondary character was an anxious and keen student who hoped to receive good grades. She enters the stage with her head in a text book, trying to slip some last minute revision. Her expressions are that of concern and worry. She exits the stage in much the same way. During the time I played her, I was directed to imitate what students might do in that situation. I mimed being exasperated by the questions when the exam began, as I thought that would be true to her character. I found acting this more interesting as she was more defined. As I played two parts, I thought it would be a good idea to use my glasses as a prop. The idea was that when playing the student, I wore them and then took them off the play the parent. I hoped this would help the audience to distinguish between the two parts.

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Name of character. Mr A

Relationship status. Married to Mrs A

Family. A teenage daughter, Andi.

Class and background. Lower middle class and well educated.

Personality. Tries to be a trendy, humorous parent who makes bad jokes. Full of energy and enthusiasm. Intelligent and open minded. Seems to care for Andi and Mrs A.

Characters motivation. Wants Andi to be well adjusted, well-educated and to achieve her full potential.

Attitude towards exams. Wants Andi to succeed but not at expense of her health. Tries to offer helpful advice, ‘You fell off the horse. The answer is to get straight back on the horse.’

Similarities of my character to me. I have a sense of humour and, as a parent, I too provide a huge amount of ‘helpful’ advice. I can be a bit cringey like Mr A.

My secondary character

Summary. She is studious and anxious about doing well in the exam. She is a worrier who gets stressed easily. She is the opposite of me when I was at school as I was very blasé about my exams.

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Chas

Chas is a happy go lucky lad who doesn’t take exams too seriously. He knows that being intelligent is not one of his strengths. He uses humour in most situations to mask awkwardness. It is apparent that he is a caring person as he constantly checks on Andi throughout the exam. ‘Andi are you ok?’ This could be since he has four younger siblings who are often neglected, and feels a sense of responsibility for them. The style of parenting he is receiving definitely fits that of uninvolved parenting. This is evident in his mum’s attitude towards him and the exams. She states, ‘You should do your best and if your best isn’t good enough, well, never mind.’ She doesn’t seem to have a huge interest in her children, which fits the uninvolved profile. Chas’ dad is dead and the way in which he talks to his dad’s ghost, highlights how much he misses him and the support of a male adult. He uses the memory of his dad for guidance.

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Bea

Bea is an intelligent girl who generally does well academically. In the play we see how this puts pressure on her, with her parents having high expectations that she must fill. She feels her parents try and control her a lot as she relays how they constantly push her to eat cakes and sweets. She is conscious about her weight and that she isn’t very popular. ‘It’s ok for you, everyone likes you.’

Her parents, Mr and Mrs B, are a working-class couple, homely and moral. I think the style of parenting that fits best for them, is authoritarian, due to their ignorance to her needs and high expectations.

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(formally Andy)

The character’s name was changed to Andi in our version, to suit a female.  Andi is a child who worries excessively and gets anxious easily. Having a stomach ulcer, suggests she is prone to stress. Throughout the play, she is feeling or being sick. This highlights how her nerves are affecting her. She’s is a bit of a daydreamer and idealist who loves motorbikes. We are told that this isn’t the first time she’s sat this exam and failing the first time round has knocked her confidence. Her parents are aspiring middle class fitness fans. Her dad is ‘comedically dynamic’. Her mum is the voice of reassurance and calm. The parenting style being demonstrated, most resembles the authoritative model. They are encouraging, yet not too forceful and tend to worry about her well-being.

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                                                           Permissive

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                                                           Permissive

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Permissive parents, while often warm and accepting, make few demands on their children. They’re lenient, avoid confrontation and allow considerable self-regulation. They may worry about stifling the child’s creativity and sense of self. They’re hardly ever demanding but extremely responsive. Some permissive parents want to compensate for what they themselves lacked as children, they grew up in poverty or had parents who were overly strict for example. This results in offering themselves as a friend to their child. They try hard to give the child both the freedom and the material goods they lacked, providing the child conforms to what is asked of them. At worst, permissiveness may take the form of indifference. Parents are too busy, poor, troubled, or self-involved to exert much control. They may give material goods and freedom in an attempt to distract the child from missing their attention. If the parents try to regain control, the older child will probably fight back in dangerous ways. As a result, they’re more likely to be involved in problem behaviour and perform less well in school, though they have higher self-esteem, better social skills, and lower levels of depression than Authoritarian children.

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                                                           Authoritarian

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                                                           Authoritarian

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Authoritarian parents are very strict and controlling, committed to justice and sticking to the rules. These parents do not tolerant being challenged.  Compromise and open-mindedness are rare. Although highly demanding, they lack responsiveness.

Researchers believe, children of authoritarian parents tend to have low self-esteem and lack spontaneity. Often timid, they rely on the voice of authority more than other children.

Children of Authoritarian parents may do well in school and not engage in problem behaviour, but tend to have poorer social skills, lower self-esteem, and higher levels of depression. They may grow up to be highly anxious people who don’t realize their full potential.

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                                                              Uninvolved

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                                                              Uninvolved

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The uninvolved parent demands almost nothing and gives almost nothing in return, except near-absolute freedom. These children lack discipline and stability. This style is low in both demanding and responsiveness. At its worst, it can boarder on neglect. Uninvolved parents can cause a lifetime of havoc by their indifference or inability to deal with their children.

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                                                           Authoritative

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                                                           Authoritative

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These parents tend to be warmer and have good communication but still retain authority and respect. Authoritative parents want a balance between the teens’ desire for independence and the parents desire for the children to do what is expected of them. They can be demanding but also responsive. Assertive, but not intrusive or restrictive, they want their children to be confident, a good member of society and cooperative. The most well-adjusted children, researchers found, often have parents with an Authoritative style. They tend to develop into more competent adults with more independence than children brought up in the other styles.

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Dr. Maryann Rosenthal, along with other significant amounts of specialists, believes there are four different parenting types. Research shows, that there is a distinct correlation between parenting styles and how the children develop into adults.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           A recent study of 1,000 teens, suggests that children raised in the Authoritarian or Authoritative styles have just a 25% risk of drug abuse than those of permissive or uninvolved style upbringing. 47% of the former, have good relations with their father and 57% with their mother, compared to 13% having a good relationship with their father and 24% with their mother, in the other two styles.

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Dr. Maryann Rosenthal, along with other significant amounts of specialists, believes there are four different parenting types. Research shows, that there is a distinct correlation between parenting styles and how the children develop into adults.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           A recent study of 1,000 teens, suggests that children raised in the Authoritarian or Authoritative styles have just a 25% risk of drug abuse than those of permissive or uninvolved style upbringing. 47% of the former, have good relations with their father and 57% with their mother, compared to 13% having a good relationship with their father and 24% with their mother, in the other two styles.

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Exploring attitudes towards education.

Education has seen an abundance of changes over the centuries, not just with the way in which pupils are taught but the mark schemes and content of the actual exams themselves.

A Victorian classroom.

A modern-day classroom

These articles below, acknowledge the overhauls that education has seen over the course of time.

https://www.bl.uk/victorian-britain/articles/education-in-victorian-britain

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/pb-assets/assets/17540208/Cohen_Intro_to_JECS_spec_issue_on_education_2mar12.pdf

From this information we can see that the pressure to get high grades on exams has amplified as time has gone on mostly due to fierce competition in the work place.

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                                                    The exam

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                                                    The exam

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The exam is set around 2005 and, although the play is a comedy, the subject matter is quite serious. This play shows us an insight into the pressures put on children to do well academically. We are introduced to three teens, Bea, Chas and Andrew, whilst they wait outside the class for the exam to begin. As the children have different backgrounds and personalities they are not friends initially but by the end, they have built a connection from sharing the experience. We witness how these differences create varied attitudes towards education.

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                                              Andy Hamilton Bio

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                                              Andy Hamilton Bio

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Andy Hamilton was born in Fulham, London in 1954. As a tv director, comedy screenwriter and novelist, he has produced work in various areas of media. His work is notorious for being political satire. As a novelist, he has produced work such as, ‘The Star Witness’, ‘Jessica’s elevator’ and ‘Old Harry’s game’, to name but a few. He has also featured on the radio over the duration of his time; ‘Week ending’, and the ‘million-pound radio’, are titles of two radio works. Andy makes regular appearances as a panellist on the shows, ‘Have I got news for you?’, ‘Q’I, plus many others. The play, The Exam, was published in 2005. This comedic script takes an in-depth look into the way children face exams in this current society. We are introduced to three school children from very different backgrounds. A clever student, a carefree one and one that is full of self-doubt. Andy highlights the way in which each student differs from each other. At a couple of points in the play, the audience hears the voices of the children’s parents in their heads. This is where we can get a real glimpse into their backgrounds. The tension builds up for them, as they must wait an extended period, due to a skittish form tutor, distracted by her teacher lover. Andy Hamilton presents this play in a humorous and thought-provoking style