provost
ˈprɒvəst/
noun
- 1.BRITISHthe head of certain university colleges, especially at Oxford or Cambridge, and public schools.
- 2.Scottish term for mayor.
Saturday, 6 May 2017
Definition
Research
Written summery of the play:
https://www.rsc.org.uk/measure-for-measure/about-the-play
Visual summary of the play:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l36PK8jCcqk
About the Provost and what they represent:
http://crossref-it.info/textguide/measure-for-measure/3/129
https://www.rsc.org.uk/measure-for-measure/about-the-play
Visual summary of the play:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l36PK8jCcqk
About the Provost and what they represent:
http://crossref-it.info/textguide/measure-for-measure/3/129
Thursday, 4 May 2017
Dress Rehearsal
Having a dress rehearsal really allowed me to engage with my character and weave together previous character work. For example, wearing my characters pencil skirt and blazer automatically made my stand up straighter, have a more powerful stance and made me feel a presence of power that wasn't previously as present as it now was.
My favourite part of my costume has to be the shoulder pads which scream 80's and really allow me to fit into the world we have created around the play. My outfit makes me feel like I could pretty much do anything. I find my body leading with it's chest and despite Angelo having more authority than the Provost, I find myself feeling as though my character is he one with true authority. Perhaps this is because within the play, it is the Provost who is unraveling their own plan in order to save Claudio.
My favourite part of my costume has to be the shoulder pads which scream 80's and really allow me to fit into the world we have created around the play. My outfit makes me feel like I could pretty much do anything. I find my body leading with it's chest and despite Angelo having more authority than the Provost, I find myself feeling as though my character is he one with true authority. Perhaps this is because within the play, it is the Provost who is unraveling their own plan in order to save Claudio.
How my character reacts to other characters
An important note that I have made to myself is what characters are what and whether their status is higher or lower than my own character's. For example, the Provost works for Angelo and so as an actor I have to make sure that when I am on stage I always present my character in a professional and respectful manner when with him. However, I understand the Provost enough to know that she doesn't agree with what Angelo is asking her to do and so I'm not afraid to present my character as being slightly disrespectful of him on stage so long as it is out of Angelo's sight (for example rolling my eyes behind his back). By doing this, I am able to draw out some of the plays comedic side and also meet my scene objectives of pleasing Angelo whilst shinning my version of the Provost's personality (sassiness) through.
Furthermore, characters such as Pompey Bum, Mistress Overdone, Lucio and even the undercover Duke to a certain extent, are victims to the Provost's open expressions of opinion of their lower status'. I am able to deliver the Provost's authority to the audience by only ever raising my voice to Pompey in order to show him who's boss, when arresting Mistress Overdone my facial expressions show the Provost's disgust in having to even touch her and the reactions to some of the vulgar things she says extends that disgust. The Provost's hate for Lucio is a continual thing because he tries to push past the Provost in order to talk to Claudio at the start and his overall ora is that of a criminal. Even the Provost's first encounter with the Duke I've turned into a sort of confrontation when she says 'I would do more than that' because she's questioning the undercover Duke's authority. This also extends the humour at the end of the play when it is revealed that the undercover Duke is in fact the Duke and it is apparent that the Provost regrets her previous attitude and behaviour around him.
Furthermore, characters such as Pompey Bum, Mistress Overdone, Lucio and even the undercover Duke to a certain extent, are victims to the Provost's open expressions of opinion of their lower status'. I am able to deliver the Provost's authority to the audience by only ever raising my voice to Pompey in order to show him who's boss, when arresting Mistress Overdone my facial expressions show the Provost's disgust in having to even touch her and the reactions to some of the vulgar things she says extends that disgust. The Provost's hate for Lucio is a continual thing because he tries to push past the Provost in order to talk to Claudio at the start and his overall ora is that of a criminal. Even the Provost's first encounter with the Duke I've turned into a sort of confrontation when she says 'I would do more than that' because she's questioning the undercover Duke's authority. This also extends the humour at the end of the play when it is revealed that the undercover Duke is in fact the Duke and it is apparent that the Provost regrets her previous attitude and behaviour around him.
| Hierarchy of characters. Mariana has most likely fallen from a high authority to a lower one |
Our version of The Provost
Despite Shakespeare’s role of The Provost originally being one male’s
role, our version of The Provost will be split to create two Provosts and will
be played by two females. This links to the time period that we set the play
(1989) because the roles of women in society began to mirror that of men.
Physically challenging jobs were still mainly done by men; however other jobs
such as administrative and executive type jobs contained both male and female
workers. In fact some jobs even had women working above men.
Shakespeare’s Provost was a male that was devoted to God however
our version of The Provost is devoted to the law, making them similar to police-women
with some serious fashion sense.
Because of this, I imagine the
Provosts' roles to be a couple of women that find empowerment in their
sexuality and enjoy their role in society. They are above many of the
other characters in the play and don’t stand for any discrimination to their sex
unless it is from a higher status such as Angelo.
This also juxtaposes many of the themes in the play such as
sexism. With this constantly arising over the course of the play, The Provosts’
are able to represent the struggle but also eventual success of women (similar
to the ending of the play, in which the women get a chance to express the truth
vocally for the first time).
 |
Image sources from: http://www.oldpolicecellsmuseum.org.uk/page/history_of_women_in_the_police_force |
Tuesday, 2 May 2017
The approval of more married women working in the business world became more widely acceptable. And magazines began advertising men working alongside women equally. Women most commonly worked in administration and executive jobs such as accountants or buyers.
The 80's were also a period in which the feminist movement became more popular which would have been what encouraged the change in the role that women played in society.
In 1985 women were given the right of equal pay act which allowed them to earn the same amount of money as men. This was followed by the sex discrimination act in 1986 which allowed women to retire at the same age as men.
During the 80's there were many other acts established such as the right for women to apply for credit cards in their own name but it was still early days for the acceptance of the new placement of women in society from men and even some women's point of views.
The 80's were also a period in which the feminist movement became more popular which would have been what encouraged the change in the role that women played in society.
In 1985 women were given the right of equal pay act which allowed them to earn the same amount of money as men. This was followed by the sex discrimination act in 1986 which allowed women to retire at the same age as men.
During the 80's there were many other acts established such as the right for women to apply for credit cards in their own name but it was still early days for the acceptance of the new placement of women in society from men and even some women's point of views.
| Image taken from: http://www.billboard.com/articles/6236398/labor-day-playlist-work-songs |
Monday, 1 May 2017
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