|
Manipulation of the elements of drama: Cosi - Kellie Duggan
The play Cosi by Louis Nowra through its intricate performance and the careful manipulation of the elemements of Drama by the director, Adam Cook, were used in order to create an underlying dramatic meaning. Upon analysing the elements of drama it is evident that the dramatic meaning within the play is one based upon breaking the social stigmas and stereotypes attatched to certain people.This dramatic meaning is ultimatly produced through the analysis of a controlled use of the elements of drama, including tension, human context, and symbols.
Throughout Cosi there was numerous, and very obvious accounts of the use of tension, and how it was manipulated by David Cook, in order to create dramatic meaning. Haseman and O’Toole (1986:3) state that “tension is the force which drives our drama” and as a result is very important within the creation of dramatic meaning. The tensions used were tension of suprise, tension of mystery, and most dominantly tension of task and relationships. Tension of Relationships and task are evident throughout the whole play as it was imperitive for Lewis to improve his relationships in order to fullfil the task of putting on the show. Lewis’s insecurities towards the mental patients kept him from forming a close relationship with them, which was compulsory in order to keep them under control and therefore be sucesful in his attempt of putting the show on. Tension of mystery was portrayed through the blackout as it was a mystery as to why the blackout occurred, and what was happening during the blackout as it was impossible too see through the darkness. Through these examples it is clear how the element of tension was used and manipulated to create dramatic meaning with in the play.
Along with Tension, the element of human context was manipulated by the director Adam Cook, to create dramatic meaning. According to Haseman and O’Toole “Working in drama invloves stepping into an imagined world.” This imagined world is made up by use of the real world, a main factor of that being human relationsips, or human context, and this is what gives meaning to the drama. An example of human context manipulated within the play was the role of Lewis, and how the role of Lewis dramatically changed from that of a “baby-sitter” to an equal. In the begining of the play it was made apparent that Lewis was scared. He acted fidgety and nervous as he was scared of the unknown, the unknown being the mental patients. He found it hard to relate to the mental patients, he needed to get close to them in order to keep them under control, something that he wasn’t. Though as time went by he got closer to them and found he could relate to their true personalties and look beyound the exterior of their disibilities, he was no longer scared, so he could act himself. In other words he started to accept them for who they were as people, not for who they were through their illnesses. This was made clear through use of costume, and the way in which his costume was adapted. At the beginning his clothes were stiff, and uncomfortable, but towards the end the were more loose fitting and comfortable, intricatly displaying the change in his feelings towards the patients and the status of their relationships. Change in roles was not only evident with Lewis’s character but also within the characters of all the mental patients. Just as Lewis, through the progression of the play they are given a new confidence and a new capacity to see the world from another point of view. Through the use and manipulation of the element of human context within Cosi, a deeper dramatic meaning of the importance of getting to know someone before judging them was achieved.
Within Cosi, it was common that the use of tension, and human context, was supported through the use of symbols. The blackout was an example of tension of mystery, but was also of a very symbolic nature as it symbolised the confusion. The audience members were confused as to why the lights went out, as were the characters, but this blackout also symbolised emotional confusion within the characters. Lewis was confused about his relationship with Lucy, and also was confused over how his perception on the world, and the Vietnam War were changing. The blackout also arose feelings of confusion within Ruth as she reminissed on how her husband often locked her in a closet, she was confused as to why he did that to her. The element of human context, shows how the relationships of the characters changed. This is because the play for them symbolised an escape from their everyday lives, and the roles they encompassed in reality. For Julie especially, the play was symbolic of the escape and detatchment she tried to achieve from her problems, and her life outside the Asylum, also enabling her to become involved sexually with Lewis, despite her sexual preference. In the same way, when the play was finally completed, to the characters it symbolised success, and the closing of a chapter in their lives. For Julie this symbolised the need to get back to reality, and escaping from the surreal world she was living in. Another example of symbols was that of the burnt out theatre. It symbolised the mental state of the patients, the emotional state of Lewis, and the unproffesionalism of the whole production. It is also a symbol of the world at large, in the sense that the drama taking place on the run down stage is a metaphor for the larger drama taking place outside of the Asylum. The manipulation of these symbols gave depth and a new meaning unique to its dramatic meaning.
Through analysis of the elements of drama with in the play Cosi by Louis Nowra, it is evident that the dramatic meaning recognised the need to break the common stereoptypes and form a sympathetic and understanding veiw of the the mental patients, and to reject the superficial veiws that humans hold. It teaches the need to not judge a book by its cover. This understanding of the dramatic meaning is strengthened and portrayed through the director, Adam Cook’s, use and manipulation of symbols, human context, and tension. The intricate manipulation of these symbols, tensions, and examples of human context by Cook were, in Cosi, successful, and crucial in order to obtain a greater understanding to the drama, and overall dramatic meaning of the whole performance.
|
|
