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*Growing up
*Change/transitions
*Seperation/ends- not many beginnings. Christies dad dies. Julies parents divorce. Julie doesnt open a bookstore. Julie and Christie seperate. Christie and Luke dont really have a friendship anymore. Lukes life almost ends and dont think he finishes the Army. Christmas is miles away seems like an unreachable goal
*Generations
*Life/Relationships
*Dependency
*Mental Health?
*Home Life
*Routine
*Friendship
*First loves?
*Adult life
*Childhood

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Oasis in the early 90s and the Hacienda Night club 

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Oasis in the early 90s and the Hacienda Night club 

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Doctor talking about the effects of PTSD on war veterans 

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Doctor talking about the effects of PTSD on war veterans 

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Doctor discusses PTSD, its effects on war veterans

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Video talking about suffering from PTSD in the Gulf war 

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Video talking about suffering from PTSD in the Gulf war 

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Gulf War veteran talks about living with PTSD

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Photo of the Gulf war from the Guardian 

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Photo of the Gulf war from the Guardian 

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This was the largest oil spill in history triggering the gulf war.

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War can have a huge effect on your body physically but the silent killer is what it does to your mind.

"Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), sometimes known as shell shock or combat stress, occurs after you experience severe trauma or a life-threatening event like war. It's normal for your mind and body to be in shock after such an event, but this normal response becomes PTSD when your nervous system gets “stuck"

A patient cannot take certain images from there mind. this means that you become fixated and confused on what is right and wrong this then creates self destructive patterns in a individuals behaviour. One of the main effects of PTSD is that you feel like you are on the verge of panicking and exploding and can't control your emotions. we see this with Luke when he returns from war as he is unable to control his emotions.

"He takes a bite out of his sandwich and bursts into tears"

Another effect of PTSD is that you are aggravated easily and very "emotionally reactive". this is shown throughout all of the scenes when he has returned from war, as he is a a lot more aggravated and quick to have a go and his friends.

War can also cause depression and high levels of anxiety. this is a quote from Amrita Rathi who is talking about the phycological effects of war.

"War adversely affects combatants and non-combatants alike, both physically and emotionally. Death, injury, sexual violence, malnutrition, illness, and disability are some of the most threatening physical consequences of war, while post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety are some of the emotional effects. The terror and horror spread by the violence of war disrupts lives and severs relationships and families, leaving individuals and communities emotionally distressed"

Luke is a prime case of someone who is struggling after war. He is conflicted between what he has seen while serving in the Gulf War and now trying to get back to his life in Manchester.

while it doesn't state that what war he was in, we can assume that he was in the Gulf War as the timelines match up . This means that he is suffering from "Gulf war syndrome" this is when the patient suffers from lots of physical pains such as  fatigue, headaches, memory problems, joint pain, diarrhea, indigestion, nerve conditions, skin conditions, respiratory conditions. whole also suffering from intense PTSD.  the final thing that they mention is the trouble with sleeping - this is something that is mentioned in the play that Luke is suffering with his sleep.

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All of the photos are films that were huge successes all over the world and would have been watched by all of the characters as cinema was extremely popular at the time

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Riots after clothing the mines and Factory's 

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Riots after clothing the mines and Factory's 

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Riots after closing the mines and factory's 

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Riots after closing the mines and factory's 

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Many of the fashion trends where set by bands, in particular Oasis once they where established in the early 90s

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Another popular band from Manchester in the Late 80s and the "Madchester" movement.

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AVID® / Closing the Opportunity Gap in Education

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AVID's mission is to close the opportunity gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society.

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Between the years of 1984 and 1997 there was a group of radical socialists that tried to change the way that the local Manchester government was run this was difficult due to the fact they were receiving cuts from the Tory government that were in power at the time. This would have been supported by Charities Parents as it had a high Hippie following.

In 1986 Manchesters Main train station was finished- this would have allowed the characters to venture out of Manchester, while this is never mentioned I would believe that all three of them would have gone camping around the city using the train as a mode of transport.

In the time there was a lot of unrest in the whole of the north of England as the Tory government under Margret Thatcher began closing all of the mines and the factory's to reduce the power of the trade unions. This meant that a lot of the working class families lost their jobs. This then began a movement were people began to create art and music to support their families, starting the Madchester movement.

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1990
Some 50,000 people demonstrate on the streets of London to support of Britain's ambulance workers, as the ongoing ambulance crew strike continues four months after it began
The ambulance crew dispute ends after six months when workers agree to a 17.6% pay rise

Britain's unemployment is now down to 1,610,000 – the lowest since 1978. However, it is a drop of just 2,000 on January's total and economists fear that a sharp rise in unemployment could soon begin as there are widespread fears of a recession.

1990 Strangeways Prison riot in Manchester.

With nineteen inmates at Strangeways Prison in Manchester still staging a rooftop protest against prison conditions, rioting has broken out at prisons in Cardiff and Bristol.

Inflation now stands at 9.4% – the highest level for eight years.

12 May – The final of the FA Cup ends in a 3–3 draw between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium.

Manchester United win the FA Cup final replay 1–0 at Wembley Stadium, with the only goal of the game being scored by defender Lee Martin. Manchester United have now won the FA Cup seven times, equalling the record already held by Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur

Unemployment is reported to have risen for the first time in nearly four years.

An army recruit is shot dead and two others are wounded by two suspected IRA gunmen in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

Unemployment rises for the second month running, though by just over 4,000 to a total of 1,611,000 in May.

Margaret Thatcher joins in with the politicians who are denying that the British economy is slumping into recession, despite manufacturers reporting their biggest drop in output since 1982, as well as a growing number of bankruptcies.

The CBI confirms that the whole of Britain is now in recession, with every region now reporting a fall in output

1991
As the recession deepens, 335 employees at the Peugeot car factory in Coventry are made redundant, while Ford is looking for up to 1,000 voluntary redundancies at its British factories. Thousands of jobs in the financial services factor are reportedly at threat, as the total UK unemployment figure is currently standing at nearly 1,800,000, but is expected to rise to well over 2,000,000 by the end of the year.
It is announced that unemployment has reached more than 1.8 million, and experts warn that the figure will exceed 2 million later this year
The UK reportedly has the fastest pace in rising unemployment of all the European Community countries
Unemployment is now above 2,000,000 for the first time in two years. The number of British workers employed in the manufacturing industry has fallen below 5,000,000 for the first time since records began.
Unemployment is now at 2,175,000 – the highest figure since late-1988. It is also above the European average for the first time since 1987
Unemployment reaches 2.25million, the lowest monthly rise reported this year

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The Haçienda was a nightclub and music venue in Manchester, North West England, which became famous during the Madchester years of the 1980s and early 1990s. Post-punk, Haçienda opened in 1982 unleashing the Manchester house and rave scene, which New Order's early success with Blue Monday, helped to subsidise.

The Hacienda was a famous night club that ran through the time of the play - whilst this was never mentioned in the play it would be somewhere that the characters would have visited on a night out. I think that Luke would haver gone more often with people from the army where as Julie and Christie would have not as they appear to be more introverted.

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This video helps to explain the culture movement in this time that would have completely changed the characters in how they dressed, acted and what the listed too.

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Madchester: Sound of the Past Documentary

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at this time there was the "Madchester"  movement that changed the entertainment industry all over the Uk. this changed the whole of the fashion, music and culture. this started in Manchester and began a movement. This saw a huge influx in indie music with element of acid house and rave music.

This would have been huge for the Christie and Luke as they where both into the indie music. this would have also effected Julie as she spends a lot of time around the two of them so she would be influenced by the fashion and the music and the culture of this movement.

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Literature is mentioned by Julie and would have been a big part of her childhood and early adult life. she mentions reading books. while Music and Film was the biggest movement throughout the 80s literature was took and would have been a big part in the characters lives. the phots are some examples of popular literature in the 80s and early 90s that I think would have suited the characters.

throughout the play she also mentions that she wants to own a book store throughout the first half of the play - so literature would have been a huge part of her life.

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Stated that parents were Hippies and love Mod rockers

"shes a Hippy your ma, isnt she?"
"Hippies are alright. Mods are better though. My dad was a Mod"
"Mods had better music. Mods were fuckin well cool. Once a Mod always a Mod. Dennis had a scooter. He went in big mad convoys to.. all them places where the mods went. Your dad wore a necklace didnt he?"

"He did...proper beads"

Luke seems to tease Christie about his parents apparently being Hippies and that the Mods seemed to be cooler in his eyes. Maybe thats how he views their relationship aswell that hes the cooler out of the pair.

These characters were influenced by a completely different generation that their parents came from which will have helped to shape them all.

Mod is a subculture that began in London and spread throughout Great Britain and elsewhere, eventually influencing fashions and trends in other countries
Focused on music and fashion, the subculture has its roots in a small group of stylish London-based young men in the late 1950s who were termed modernists because they listened to modern jazz. Elements of the mod subculture include fashion (often tailor-made suits); music (including soul, rhythm and blues, ska, jazz, and later splintering off into freakbeat); and motor scooters (usually Lambretta or Vespa)

A hippie (sometimes misspelled as hippy) is a member of the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world

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These could be reasons Luke was so unmotivated to try and achieve with his exams at first and look for a job . As an individual he isnt optimistic and loses hope quite easily and becomes disinterested so this couldve been a great contributer.
Another attribute i believe contributed towards this is his Dad they seem to butt heads and disagree on what he should do with his life so i believe Luke knowingly rebels against this, he quotes his father saying "you can do whatever you wanna do....if yer put yer mind to it" so i believe in a way this is him subliminaly and internally trying to prove his dad wrong. He then goes on to force him to recruiting for the Army to which he gives in to after reconsidering re sitting his exams after he previously stated "im not fuckin going back doin more resits. What for?" so he reverts and sees that as a better option than following his dads wishes and joining the Army, however his dad shuts him down.

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Margret thatchers conservative government put over 4 million people from the North of Britain unemployed due to her decision to close factory's and mines. this led to many people looking for a more creative touch in music. these artists would have taken lots of inspiration from Joy Division. Christie and Luke would have listed too along side these artist's:

The stone roses - another popular band that all of the characters would have listened too. coming out of Manchester would have had a huge fan base within Manchester and the north of England. Most of this fanbase would have also been a younger audience.

James - popular songs like "Sit down"  would have been popular among Julie, Luke and Christe's age group.

Oasis - at the time of the play, Oasis were an up and coming band and performed around Manchester and then became the global success that they are today. throughout the early 90s they became huge so toward the end of the play it would be something that they would have listened too.

Happy Mondays- another popular band that the characters would have listened too.

I have combined a playlist of music that I think that characters would have listened too.

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This is the type of place that Christie would have been working in when he was at Art College.

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Fashion was a Huge part of the "Madchester" movement. people where now starting to experiment with more freely with how they dress whereing  more vibrant colours and expressing themselves more with how they dress. This would have been heavily influenced by the music at the time.

At the time Manchester was a big Hub for fashion shows, this would have had an effect on what the people at the time would have been wearing. I think that Christie and Julie would have worn more vibrant colours and experimented with there dress sense, however the play states that he wears more neutral and earth colours, this is more highlighted  when he returns from the army.

throughout the play it mentions that they where brands such as Berghaus, Lacoste.

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I dont believe any of the characters come from strict religious backgrounds as nothing is really mentioned and they all at some point engage in activities which would be looked down upon for example, sex before marriage which is also underage, underage drinking and using profanity and slurs especially Luke

If Luke was primarily influenced by his father which we know he is throughout the play its unlikely that he'd be religious as his father was a Mod who tended to rebel and be involved in riots and didnt exist within the rules

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As the majority of the play takes place in 1989 this is the information i paid most attention to in relation to the characters lives
Sky Television begins broadcasting as the first satellite TV service in Britain- the characters will have more external influences and know how from news etc
*Unemployment is now below 7% for the first time in eight years, but still remains marginally over 2 million
Britain's dock workers go on strike in protest against the abolition of the Dock Labour Scheme
The government announces an end to the legislation which effectively guarantees secure work for more than 9,000 dockers over the remainder of their working lives- (more canals than ship dockers)this was a route Luke couldve gone down had it not been unstable as it didnt require merit and was manual labour
Margaret Thatcher completes ten years as Prime Minister – the first British Prime Minister of the 20th century to do so.

Fears of a recession are deepened by the economy's overall growth rate dropping to 1.7%, the lowest since 1981
Recession fears deepen as stock market prices continue to fall dramatically
Economy experts warn that a recession could soon be about to hit the United Kingdom. This would be the second recession in a decade
The fall in unemployment continues, with the tally now standing at slightly over 1,800,000 – the lowest in nearly a decade
*Unemployment is now below 2,000,000 for the first time since 1980- giving Luke less options or motivation to work hard
An IRA bomb kills a British soldier in Hanover, West Germany- assumingly before Luke joined although he would have witnessed atrocities like this which inevitably led to a decline in his well being and mental health
Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards agrees to sell the club to Michael Knighton for £10million
Michael Knighton drops his bid to buy Manchester United
British Army and Royal Air Force troops are now manning London's ambulance services as the regular ambulance crews are still on strike- Did Luke take part in this?
Margaret Thatcher, along with American president George Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, declare the end of the Cold War after 40 years
Inflation increases significantly this year, standing at 7.8% – the highest for seven years
Britain experiences its worst flu epidemic since the winter of 1975–76, with cases peaking in mid-November. Over a million infections are recorded by December, with an increase in flu-related deaths, while hospitals are forced to cancel surgery

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Luke & Christie

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One of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, and in this capacity the landlocked metropolitan county constitutes one of the most urbanised and densely populated areas of the country- which means an even greater demand for jobs

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1- Surprise surprise - A show that Luke mentions he watches in the play. this was very popular with his age group.

2- red dwarf - a popular Television show staring Rob Brydon. this began filming in Manchester in the late 80's. I think that Julie and Christie would have enjoyed this show.  As they are slightly more youthful than Luke. And at this point he (Luke) is serving and having battles with Mental health.

3-  Sherlock Holmes - this is something that all off the children would have watched and was popular amongst that age group and demographic. this was also filmed in Manchester and was very popular around the local community. this would have been something that they would have watched growing up.

4- Eastenders - this was a nationwide success. I think that Julie would have watched this however I think the boys would have not. As Christie is An Art student I think he would have avoided main stream television. Furthermore Eastenders target audience is women between the ages of 15+.

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Royal Exchange Theatre

The Royal Exchange Theatre was founded in 1976 by a group of renowned and influential artistic directors who had a vision to make an internationally recognised theatre amidst the vibrant culture of Manchester.

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Manchester seemed to be the epicentre of the change. The city was making headlines, local bands were the toast of the music industry
the mood of 1989 offers hope that change can, and will, come. “Fundamentally the 80s was a very divided, painful decade. The era of Thatcherism, the miners’ strike, nuclear paranoia – it was a nervy time. Then right at the decade’s end, the mood turned
As the mood turned, so did the music. The clubs were quickly becoming filled with garish, psychedelic patterns and the city began to move to an electronic beat. From A Guy Called Gerald to Happy Mondays, Manchester had a new rhythm, and rave was at its heart.
The positivity of 1989 promised a bright future for Manchester, something that Harris believes came to pass: “It made the city feel like a playground. It felt full of possibility. I think that was retained in the vision of a regenerated Manchester that came true - that period was central.”

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Eaten with condiments such as brown sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, or malt vinegar. The chip butty can be found in fish and chip shops. Kate Fox said “it is about as working-class as food can get”- does this  give any insight into our charcters status?

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Questions about immediate circumstances of the scene 

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Questions about immediate circumstances of the scene 

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why does Julie decide to stay in the cold at the clough?
why didn't Julie tell Christie she was seeing Luke?
why does Julies not want a bookstore anymore?
why is it an 'occasion'?
what did Julie say in the letter?
did Luke actually find what he sent funny?
why did Luke do that to a fallen soldier?
does he feel guilt or remorse about what hes done?
does Luke feel numb?
why doesnt Luke want help?
why does Luke end up crying?
how long/ well do they know each other?
how much have they spoken that day?
what time is it?

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Boggart Hole Clough, Charlestown Road, Blackley, Manchester, UK

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Boggart Hole Clough, Charlestown Road, Blackley, Manchester, UK

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Boggart Hole Clough, Charlestown Road, Blackley, Manchester, UK

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1. Facts about what exists and has happened before the action of the scene begins.

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1. Facts about what exists and has happened before the action of the scene begins.

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1-    Luke is trying to isolate himself

2-    Its December of 1990

3-    They are both drinking Stella

4-    Julie Is Very cold

5-    Ealier that month Juile had been to surprise Christie

6-    Luke has severed time in the Army and taken photos of the people he has killed and sent them to Julies boyfriend Christie

7-    Luke has been prescribed pills to help his Mental health

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2. Questions about what exists and has happened before the action of the scene begins. (24 hours before)

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2. Questions about what exists and has happened before the action of the scene begins. (24 hours before)

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has Julie and Lukes relationship changed recently?
where was Luke before?
has Luke seen anyone?
has Julie seen Christie or has she avoided him?

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3. Facts about the immediate circumstances of the scene. 

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3. Facts about the immediate circumstances of the scene. 

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- Luke is trying to isolate from everyone due to his struggles with his mental health.

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1. Facts about what exists and has happened before the action of the play (first scene) begins.

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1. Facts about what exists and has happened before the action of the play (first scene) begins.

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- Luke and Christie have been best friends since Primary school.

- Christie has a crush on Julie and wants to ask her out.

- Luke and Christie have been visiting the same lake since they where 10

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2. Questions about what exists and has happened before the action of the play/first scene begins. 

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2. Questions about what exists and has happened before the action of the play/first scene begins. 

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how long have Christie and Luke been friends?
how did they meet?
do they have any other friends?
do they have good relationships with their families?
how do they feel about leaving school?
how often do they go camping?
is there a reason they camp out and dont go to eachothers houses to sleep over?

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How to Create a Character with Samuel L. Jackson | Discover MasterClass | MasterClass

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Moss grew up in Liverpool and attended Manchester Metropolitan University, where she studied film. She joined the Royal Court's Young Writers programme and wrote her first professional play, A Day In Dull Armour- the fact that she went to uni in Manchester and having to move and live and possibly work there means that she would have a deep understanding of Manchester how it runs and the people in it which will have come in handy when writing Christmas is miles away- she knows what its like to be a teenager here just like her characters and leave school and enter the world of work
At the time of the play she wouldve been 13/14 which wouldve helped greatly when thinking from the characters perspective and seeing the lense of the world at that time as she had experienced it also at a very similar age

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