various left wing student political slogans in these early scenes. His preconceived trendy left ideas about doing a Brecht play about how ‘a man sacrifices himself for the good of his mates’ are quickly dismissed by Roy‚ who bullies Lewis into directing Cosi Fan Tutte and ignores his couations about the appropriateness of the light oopera in the time of theVietnam War and a world where love is no longer ‘important’. In the initial rehearsals‚ Lewis’ uncertainty and inexperience cause tension ‘.......
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ENGLISH FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT TASK YEAR 11 – STANDARD Jenai Lawrance TASK 4: THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE -ESSAY ON ‘COSI’ ‘’Drama allows us to examine our national identity through characters and conflict’’. Discuss this statement with reference to the play you have studied in class. The play ‘Cosi’ composed by Louis Nowra and set in Melbourne during the early 1970’s allows the audience to reflect on what it mean to be an Australian in the era and in modern times. Through the eyes of
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Louis Nowra’s screenplay ‘Cosi’ explores the attitudes to and perception of the mentally ill in 1971. During this period Australia is at war and undergoing social reform. The perception of mental patients in the 70s can be seen as unethical and inhumane‚ with society grouping them with animals and locking them away in asylums with barbaric conditions. The 70s saw mental illness being neglected and kept in the dark and with movies that depict ‘mad’ people as animals; a negative connotation is placed
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Cosi Act one Scene one: Plot: Lewis along with his girlfriend‚ Lucy‚ and his friend‚ Nick‚ enter “a burnt out theatre.” As they struggle to find a light switch they joined by Roy. Lucy leaves and Nick who is frightened joins her. Lewis meets Justin the social worker and then the other members appear. Doug‚ a pyromaniac‚ Henry‚ who says nothing and Zac‚ a musician. The women join them soon after‚ Cherry‚ who is violent‚ Julie‚ a drug addict and Ruth‚ who suffers obsessive compulsive disorder
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Nowra’s play is set in a ‘burnt out theatre’. Discuss the importance of setting and imagery in conveying Nowra’s idea on ’Cosi’. The setting and imagery used in Louis Nowra’s play ‘Cosi’ explore the turbulent time that took part in Australia. The play is set in a mental institution in Melbourne‚ in the 1970’s. Using the ominous presence of the Vietnam War‚ Nowra explores the insanity of the war; and the need to condemn war and to protest against Australia’s involvement in Vietnam. The main presence
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“Working with these people has changed you”. How does Nowra show change in Lewis through the play in Cosi? In the play‚ “Cosi” written by Lewis Nowra demonstrates his life through the character of Lewis Riley‚ who is the central character. The actions of Lewis and other characters are shown through the stage directions. His personality in the beginning is described to be a shy and an unsure University student who is still trying to figure out the society of the mid-sixties. Lewis started off only
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Cosi‚ composed by Louis Nowra‚ is a minimalist play contextualised by the Vietnam War which emphasises the characters and their growth. Cosi explores the distinctive ideas of illusion verses reality and the concept of “madness” in a comedic and innovative way‚ through a variety of dramatic techniques. The device of a play-within-a-play of Cosi Fan Tutte‚ develops an effective dichotomy‚ while highlighting the dramatic verisimilitude of the values presented in the outside and inside worlds. Lewis
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Cosi is a semi-autobiographical play. The Lewis that audiences encounter at the end of Louis Nowra’s play Cosi is very different from the Lewis in Act One. Within the context of Australian society undergoing radical social and political changes in the 1970′s‚ Nowra also charts the radical changes in his protagonist‚ Lewis. Faced with the daunting job of directing mental patients in an opera‚ Lewis undergoes transformative personal repercussions. His world views are challenged and enriched by the
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The 1970’s was a time of change for many issues however mental illnesses and how the mentally ill were seen by society were not one of these issues and were still seen negatively by most people. In Louis Nowra’s play Cosi a range of techniques are used to engage the audience by exploring certain characters and themes that were significant to Louis Nowra. Contrast and settings are important in exploring the theme of insanity‚ while characterisation and dialogue reveal what type of person one of
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How does Arthur Miller successfully engage an audience with "A play with no surprise"? A view from a bridge is a play written by Arthur Miller in the 1950’s. Miller wrote the play as a modern day Greek tragedy in New York Brooklyn. Arthur Miller captures the audience with a true story twisted in his own words from which emerge the controversial ideas of incest‚ cultural obligation and masculinity. The part in the play where Alfieri mentions it is not what but how’ means that even though we know
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