Layout of Stanley Halls

Ideas for layout of each scene

Prologue and Scene 1 

Childing break into a building, begin to play a game that becomes serious. 

Abandoned building changes into a ship.

The audience will make the boat.  

Tree made of cardboard. 

Weapons, blanks of wood. 

Scene 2 

Mau meets death Locaha. 

When nation enter they can be singing playing drums - celebrating. 

When father takes off mask nation will be screaming. 

Costume - bare foot, Maul all white, Daphne all white ,Milton bright clothes, Shorts, vest, Locha costumes, Black feather, Cape inside black, Make up black make up, colours, Farther - mask, Cloak, Beard to show age, White shorts, Barefoot / sandals. 

Masks - Big and Tribal. Colourful. 

Scene 3 

Projection of telescope point at the island. 

Balcony represents the Sweet Judy. 

Blue lights where audience sit to show sea. 

Sand on floor. 

Spot light on Milton moving around on the balcony. 

Milton is a puppet. 

Daphney holds a lantern, more light created by spot light on her. 

Scene 4

Mau will be on stage, Daphney will get scared and she will run back to the audience. 

Daphney could use pop out umbrella for the gun. 

Daphney vist Maul for tea. 

Tribes enter from orchestra pit. 

Tribes wear cloaks - chant / hum maybe a dance. 

Grandfather also bird like. 

Tattoos on face for tribals. 

Scene 5 

Grandmother appears shouting at each other. 

Grandmother turns into a bird and flys away. - blackout sound effects of thunder and lights bird in puppet form. 

Stage split into 2. 

Half ship half Island. 

Mau is curious as he hasn't been on a ship before. 

Below the balcony would be the ship as well. 

Scene 6

The beach at night time. 

Scaffolding with netting to represent abandoned sea. 

Physical theatre, a lot of movement for tribal effect. 

Bright costume. 

Scene 7

Awakening of cox, water to spit out. 

Costume, bow tie, waist coat, feathers. 

Chief getting shot - audience see from an angle. 

Sound scape of death of the Chief. 

Chief falls back on a mat. 

Scene 8 

Night sky projected on walls. 

Nature and trees shown through umbrellas. 

Backlit sheet of sillouttes of somebody giving birth to Twinkle. 'Womens place'. 

All on audience level. 

Projection of telescope view and night sky. 

Scene 9

Cahle gives birth to her baby. 

Sticks, umbrellas, brooms, mops to make a teepee. 

Physical theatre exercises to transition the sticks etc to the teepee. 

Blanket/cloth to throw over the teepee. 

Men looking over the teepee. 

Cahle sings to her new born child. 

Twinkle twinkle little star sung however sung over with the tribal song. 

Candle sticks to hold. 

Scene 10 & 11

Beer ceremony - tribes gather around centre stage. 

Ritualised ceremony, singing and stirring of beer. 

Daphney and Mau bring on bowl. 

Scene 12

Heavy rain sound scape with projection/shadow/sillouttes on walls. 

Convosation between Mau and Milo happens on beach and middle of isle. 

Lights to show blood of cut on foot. 

Mau and Cahle enter from side stage. 

Boat in the middle. 

Islanders coming on from behind audience/balcony. 

Garments - skirts etc. to show changes in how she looks. 

Scene 13

Underwater scene

Moving in unison to show rowing of boat. 

Locaha on balcony (voice of him). 

Physical movement to show surrounding him. 

Scene 14 & 15

On stage when dialogue happens. 

Daphney has to take poison.

Rolls into orchestra pit to convey death. 

Phsical theatre to help play with levels. 

Lighting goes dark to show underworld. 

Soundscape of water/sea. Hysteria. 

Dream fish - streamers of different colours. 

Scene 16

Daphney & mau laying down together. 

Nation on balcony. 

Doors to balcony are the opening of the cave. 

Interval 

Act 2 - A year later

Scene 1 

Physical montage of time - Establishment of the nation. 

Audience given god anchors made from balloons. 

All women sing - choir like. 

Ataba at the entrance of cage arguing. 

Mau high up as everyone surrounded by him listening to his speech. 

Scene 2

Black blankets to resemble cave (stage). 

Torches. 

Lighting state changes. 

Actors wrapped in white sheets - mumafied ancestors. 

Scene 3

Grandmothers find out son is king. 

Table in centre, picture frames (home). 

Feather of colours. 

Scene 4

Foxlip shoots Ataba. 

Polegrave coming out of the ocean. 

Foxlip and Ataba in audience. 

Umbrella used as a gun. 

Ensemble waves taking Ataba out to sea. 

Scene 5

Broom sticks/rope creating a teepee affect. 

Foxlip drinks postion - humming/chant getting louder and louder. Stops when he dies. 

Scene 6

Daphne in the centre. 

Place actors in the audience on both sides. 

Mau on the balcony looking down. 

Bright courtroom lighting. 

Scene 7

Battle happens down stage. 

Change in pace, actors slow down. 

Raiders coming from the bottom of the stage. 

Mau entering from stages. 

Change in paint on face (darker). 

Drum played faster and faster as raiders appear. 

Witchcraft doll looking Locaha - Voodoo

Scene 8

Grain material representing water. 

People involved come down the river (actors who died) river used at time machine. 

Coughing to act with influenza. 

Soundscape. 

Scene 9

Stars hanging down in the background to recreate a previous moment. 

Daphne's father enters from stage. 

Dim lights to represents confusion. 

When they are sent off the nation have flags and banners. 

Honouring the 'king' (daphnes father) with a red carpet as he walks.

Characters freeze. 

 

Tribe ritual diary entry - Birthday

Dear diary, 

Today it is my brothers birthday! 

To celebrate his birthday, my family and I will perform a ritual in honour of his new age and the earths spirits around him. First we will pray to the great spirit where we thank him for the blessings my brother has experienced during this year. My brothers chest will then be pierced with a skewer and a rope which connects the skewer to a pole this represents the tree of life. He will then move back and forth to try and break free from the skewer which is in his skin. Whilst this takes several hours, the family and I will chant encouragements and birthday songs. This is a beautiful, overwhelming experience we all wish to endure as each year comes and we all celebrate our birthdays, being appreciative of living. 

Birthdays are an extremely special occasion for us Native Americans as it is vital we perform these rituals as it is part of our belief and soul purpose of being in a tribe.