Additional notes

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More notes - from Carlong English B for Csec

In all plays the first scene is very important. Because a play is meant for viewing and not reading, the patron cannot ‘turn back the pages’ and reread something he or she has missed. As a result, in setting the tone and mood of the play, or giving basic background information, the playwright tends to take great care that what is written comes across clearly and grabs the interest of the viewer.

THE ‘STORYTELLING’ DEVICE

Old Story Time is a play in which a character, Pa Ben, tells a story to a group of people. In the story that he tells, he is one of the characters.

Storytelling as a dramatic device became popular in the Caribbean in the 1970s when theatre artists were searching for ways of presenting their work to audiences that would have greater impact on them. At this time, many societies in the Caribbean and Latin America were involved in serious social, cultural and political revolutions as they strove to establish their cultural identities. One of the clearly established Caribbean art forms was storytelling. In the Caribbean, the Anancy story had a specific style in which the storyteller ‘enters into’ the story and becomes one or more of the characters.

In Old Story Time, the playwright hones this storytelling style into a most effective technique. Pa Ben is the storyteller and he is telling his story to a number of people, which includes both the persons in the audience- note that he says to them: “Make yourselves comfortable on them nice chairs...”- and the other villagers who are on stage with them. The villagers play dual roles. They are, at some moments in the play, in the present where Pa Ben is telling a story. At other times they enter the stage as the characters in the story that is being told. They then enact whichever episode Pa Ben has introduced.

Pa Ben’s role is interesting. Like the actors who play the villagers, the actor who plays him has to play two characters. He is Pa Ben of the present, the storyteller, and he is also Pa Ben, the character in the story. This gives the tale he is telling authenticity- he was there when the events were taking place and he was close to some of the main protagonists. But as storyteller he ‘knows’ everything, including things that Pa Ben the character could not know. So we, the audience (and reader), must at all times be aware of this.

The fascinating part of his dual role lies in the fact that as participant in the ‘story’ of the play he has an important function but then, as the storyteller, he has a separate and even more important role in the ‘plot’, that is how the drama develops.

The use of this technique allows the playwright to include many different settings and time periods simply by having the storyteller say somethingthat means ‘the next scene takes place in...’

To facilitate our recognition of Pa Ben’s dual role, and avoid confusion, the playright in his stage directions asks the director to create a ‘space’ for Pa Ben the narrator.

The Playwright's Craft

Techniques

• Storytelling

ü  Use of suspense

• Use of flashback
• Use of elaborate stage directions

ü  To highlight costume

ü  To highlight characterization

• Use of language

Function of each Technique

• Storytelling

ü  One central character used to pass on information to the audience

ü  The story teller is both a bystander as well as involved in the action

ü  The story teller has control over when and how information is relayed as well as how much of it – this creates the suspense

ü  The story teller – allows for the smooth transition in time – whether an incident is elaborated on or merely mentioned.

ü  The perspective from which the story is told is skewed – based on the teller’s intention - typical of storytelling – the aim is to allow the listener to see things from his or her side.

ü  This technique also allows for greater engagement with the audience – as it allows for direct interaction with the storyteller.

ü  other characters – (Ms. Aggy and George) are allowed to tell their side of the story about specific situations.

See notes in text book (latest edition).

• Flashback

ü  Helps in the transition of time – helps in connecting the events of the past

ü  Aids in the use of suspense by the storyteller

ü  Provides information for the audience as well as characters in the play about specific situation.

ü  Eg. Ms. Aggy goes back in time to inform Len about how she met George – this is for both Len and the audience.

• Elaborate Stage Directions

ü   help in understanding the function of costume, and characterization.

ü  Costume aids in shedding light on personality of characters as well as their status in society.

ü  Provide a guide to the characters so they know how and when to behave

ü  Help in the passage of time – it is through these that characters know when and how to freeze and unfreeze so the action can continue.

• Use of Language

ü  Language is used to represent status, educational background and generational gap.

ü  Pa Ben and Ms. Aggy – use words and expressions that are of their generation. Pa Ben invents words to facilitate his storytelling craft – to be impressive

ü  Len transitioned from speaking with Pearl and his mother to a more sophisticated and restrained language.

ü  Lois’ use of language is representative of her exposure and educational background

ü  George manipulates his to get what he wants – difference in how he speaks to Len, Ms. Aggy, Bertie and even Lois – George able to switch register comfortably.

Pa Ben's roles as:

• narrator
• social commentator
• charactor
• director

How the concept of 'Old Story Time' is presented and maintained

• his narrative of the past - how it was done by his father and the rituals involved
• summoning of the village or villagers - repetition of 'ole story time'
• names of events, places and people of the past eg. Pa Zaccy
• use of common courtesies  - eg.  All well all well - 'everybody hearty'