1. Higher Section A Specified text The Birthday Party

2. As a director, explain how your design concepts would illuminate the themes and issues of your prescribed text. Introduction saying what the themes and issues are and briefly how you are going to show that through – ‘design concepts’

3. Design Concepts could include: staging set design props and set dressing lighting design pyrotechnics sound costume design drama media such as back projection, video footage, slides, etc actor/audience relationship.

4. Themes Absurdity Alienation and Loneliness Apathy and Passivity Violence and Cruelty Sex Oppression of the individual by the state

5. Theme 1-Absurdity To doubt anything with certainty ‘Kafka’ Theatre of the Absurd Ambiguity/Fluidity of time/place/identity Disjointed information – what is real? All this intensifies the dreadful angst Stanley feels. How can we make the audience feel this more through the design concepts? Set design? Staging?

6. Theme 2 Alienation and Loneliness Stanley recollections of himself as a ‘concert pianist’ (a yearning for some lost Eden as a refuge from the uncertain present.) Stanley has isolated himself from society ‘dropped out’ of everyday life. Meg- sad figure, stuck in an uneventful marriage. Lulu tries to overcome her loneliness firstly with Stanley and then Goldberg. Design concepts? Props/Set dressing?

7. Theme 3 Apathy and Passivity Stanley – apathetic, ‘given up on life’ slovenly Passive and docile at end "a deeply political play about the individual's imperative need for resistance," Design concepts to show this? Costume design?

8. Theme 4 Violence and Cruelty Stanley abusive to Meg ‘throttling her’ Goldberg/McCann towards Stanley / emotional torment/physical Aborted rape of Lulu by Stanley Goldberg’s sexual abuse of Lulu How to show this through design concepts? Sound?

9. Theme 5 Sex Aberrant behaviour Repressed sexuality Violent aggression Flirting The death of love is a common theme or condition in much absurdist drama. Design concepts? Lighting? Actor/audience relationship?

10. Conclusion Refer back to question – final overall vision / design of your production of The Birthday Party and how it would help to illustrate the themes for your audience.

11. Theme 6 Oppression of individual by the state. Goldberg representing Judaism McCann representing Catholicism Polish critic Gregorz Sinko ‘that the two executioners, Goldberg and McCann, stand for all the principles of the state and social conformism.’ Pinter:’It's the destruction of an individual, the independent voice of an individual. I believe that is precisely what the United States is doing to Nicaragua’ How could you show this through design concepts? Leaflets? In the venue? Slides? Photographs?