Drama “Riders to the Sea” by John Synge

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General considerations

When it comes down to conceptualizing what would account for the methodologically legitimate approach towards ensuring the theatrical production’s successfulness, it is utterly important to be thoroughly aware of how this product can serve the purpose of propagating memes (the replicators of spatially unbounded cultural archetypes), contained in the original work of dramaturgy.

According to Dawkins, “Just as genes propagate themselves in the gene pool by leaping from body to body… memes propagate themselves in the meme (cultural) pool by leaping from brain to brain” (192).

This suggestion is being consistent with Hutcheon’s theory of theatrical adaptation, which specifies that in order for the theatrical production to be considered thoroughly faithful to the written script’s original spirit, it must be capable of exposing the contained themes and motifs, as such that correlate with what happened to be the currently predominant socio-cultural discourse (Bortolotti and Hutcheon 447).

What it means is that it is specifically the theatrical production’s ability to convey the message of an ‘innate truth’ about the surrounding reality, regardless of how the director goes about setting up the actual stage-performance, which should be thought of as an indication of this production’s actual quality.

While staging John Millington Synge’s one-act play Riders to the Sea, I will remain observant of the earlier mentioned considerations. That is, it is specifically the atmosphere of impending doom, and the overall spirit of racism, which I will make a point in ensuring, as the production’s foremost qualitative aspects.

Given the fact that the play’s semiotic content suggests that when working on his dramaturgic masterpiece, Synge never ceased being concerned with treating the theme of racism as a ‘thing in itself,’ contemporary directors are being in a position to use a minimalist approach, when designing the production’s settings.

This is because in Synge’s play it is specifically the array of the explored ideas (memes) about the sheer tragedy of people falling victims to the forces of nature, and not the exposure of the characters’ existential uniqueness, which define the unraveling of the plotline. In its turn, this presupposes that the director’s commitment to ensuring the production’s formal fidelity to the original script may prove counterproductive.

After all, whereas, contemporary viewers should well relate to the theme of people failing to confront their unfortunate fates, they may find it rather hard relating to what used to be the specifics of Irish living, during the early 20^th century. The following is the detailed account of how I would go about staging Riders to the Sea:

Space chose

As it was mentioned earlier, the very semiotic premise of Synge’s play presupposes that it can be successfully staged within utterly minimalist settings. What it means is that the play’s production can take place just about anywhere. As one of the possible locations could well serve a public park, with the play’s actual background being made out of the three plywood-boards painted in black or white (representing the room’s walls).

The featured furniture can be limited to a table and a few chairs. Due to the play’s shortness, the viewing audience members do not even have to be seated, or they can be seated on the grass in such a manner so that the view of the onstage action would not be obscured from them.

Directorial concept

My directorial concept of the play’s production can be regarded, as such that correlates with the provisions of dramaturgic modernism. That is, I would make a deliberate point in emphasizing the discursive relevance of the plot developments, within the context of how they relate to the realities of the 21^st century’s living.

To ensure this, I will provide actors with liberty to improvise, while performing on stage. For example, when performing, actors will be provided with the liberty to stress out the more or less contemporary sounding of how they go on about reflecting on their unconscious fears and anxieties, in regards to the unfortunate fates of the characters of Michael (mentioned in the featured dialogues) and Bartley.

Spine of play

An elderly mother (Maurya) and her two daughters (Cathleen and Nora) anticipate confirming their suspicion that Maura’s son Michael has drowned. When Maurya’s other son Bartley leaves to a fair, to sell its pony-horse, she becomes utterly agitated, in regards to the evil omens that haunted her before and after his departure.

In the end, the earlier mentioned omens do prove legitimate – Michael ends up being confirmed dead, and Bartley’s lifeless body gets to be delivered to the cottage, where the action is supposedly taking place.

The play’s discursive significance is concerned with the fact that it hints at the sheer absence of justice in the world and promotes the implicit idea that, while addressing life-challenges, people never cease being the toys of blind fate.

Conducted research and my directing/production ideas

After having conducted my research, I came to realize the fact that, even though the characters’ ‘irishness’ does have a certain effect on the way they act, there is no a good reason to refer to Riders to the Sea in terms of an ethnic-centered play. This is the reason why I decided that the play in question can be well adapted to the essentially cosmopolitical realities of today’s living in the West – hence, my choice in favor of allowing actors to adopt a rather ‘relaxed’ attitude, while on stage.

The overall/unified design concept

The main aspect of the proposed design of the play’s production is that, while exposed to the onstage action, viewers would be able to relate to the sheer intensity of the characters’ anxieties/fears.

Therefore, it is specifically the actors’ ability to adopt the existential posture of the concerned characters, which should contribute to ensuring the production’s successfulness more than anything else would. As such, the proposed design can be well referred to as ‘psychologically genuine’ – while on stage, actors will be expected to become one with the featured characters.

Scenery ideas

Because the concerned plot unravels without leaving the boundaries of a single room, there is no good reason to think that the play’s plausibility can be significantly enhanced by the mean of ensuring the settings’ visual integrity. Nevertheless, to endow viewers with the proper perceptional mood, the interior of the ‘room’ should feature the memetic elements of ‘ominousness.’ For example, it would be to have the visuals of a fireplace, a spider-web, and a coffin featured on the wall that faces spectators.

Costume ideas

I think that is it will prove perfectly sufficient if actors wear minimalist costumes when performing. For example, the characters of Maurya, Nora, and Cathleen can wear contemporarily looking black blouses and black skirts, while on stage. The character of Bartley can well appear wearing a black overcoat and black jeans.

The proposed costumes will do both: intensifying the spirit of tragicalness, emanated by the play (due to their color) and prompting readers to perceive the explored themes and motifs, as such that is being thoroughly modern.

Light ideas

I would suggest that the onstage action should be somewhat visually ‘darkened,’ throughout its entirety. This can be achieved by the mean of limiting the amount of light that reaches the stage.

However, to increase the intensity of the dramatic effects, produced by the characters’ speeches, the beam of light (coming out of the parabolic reflector) should illuminate actors’ faces in time when they come up with emotionally intense statements.

Type or style of acting

As I have implied earlier, my foremost agenda, as a director, will be staging Riders to the Sea in such a manner so that spectators would be able to relate to the play’s discursive overtones. Therefore, I will require actors to indulge in the so-called improvisational acting, while on stage.

That is, it is not only that they would have to remain thoroughly aware of what happened to the essence of cognitive inclinations, on the part of the majority of viewers, but also to be ready to instantaneously adjust their roles to correspond with the viewing crowd’s unconscious expectations, in regards to the play.

However, even though the engaged actors will not be required to remain utterly faithful to the play’s original script while acting, they nevertheless will need to act in the psychologically plausible way. That is, before appearing on stage, they will need to adopt the existential identity of their characters – hence, becoming ‘immersed’ in the play, as its integral parts.

Works Cited

Dawkins, Richard. The Selfish Gene. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1976. Print.

Hutcheon, Linda and Gary Bortolotti. “On the Origin of Adaptations: Rethinking

Fidelity Discourse and ‘Success’ – Biologically.” New Literary History 38.3 (2007): 443-458. Print.

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