Black Death

Black Death

Alex Park

Time: This play will be taken place in the early morning and will end in the afternoon. It starts in the morning because the story simply states “It is early morning” (Paragraph 2). I chose for the play to end in the afternoon because after the kids play and the black shadow comes along, this will happen over a long period of time. There will be few events that happen throughout the play that will need time to occur.

Period: The month will be July because the story states that kids are outside playing; the most lively month of the year is July because it is the hottest month and most enjoyable. I chose the year of 1349 because the Black Death and the Medieval Times both correlate in time well. Also, in the story, the word “medieval” is used so I decided to use a date from the Medieval Ages.

Place: This will happen in the courtyard. There are houses, a well, and a market surrounding the scene. The children will be playing on the cobblestone courtyard.

Locale: This will occur in Britain because the Black Plague affected Britain in the early 1349’s. This correlates strongly with history in terms of past events. Also, communicating with peers, most people say that Britain is an appropriate place.

Theme: Religion can be a driving force in overcoming obstacles. I thought of this theme because in the story, the dark shadowy figures were defeated by the nun who was catholic. The nun played a big role in saving lives by defeating the figures and making the figures lose their powers forcing them to fly away.

Mood: The play is going to undergo through some transitions in mood. It is going to start off in a lively and happy mood because the children are paying outside; next, the mood will switch to a dark and gloomy mood because the Friar brings the bad news about the plague and the three dark shadowy figures arrive; then, the mood will go to a happy and hopeful mood because the nun saved most of the people.

Style: The style of this play will be a non-talking, just actions and emotions play. Flowing is a key factor in making this be outstanding. The actors have to clearly convey the story clearly to the audience by emotions and actions.

Revealing Character: The three dark shadowy figures will be the revealing characters. They will be dressed in black and move swiftly and gently like a moving cloud. These were the ‘things’ that caused the underlying conflict in the story.

Solving Problematic Problems: Even though the theatre production department doesn’t have all the materials in stock to use for this play, the meaning behind the story is mainly up to the actors trying to convey the message to the audience. It is how they present the story with gestures and emotions.