ipl-logo

Analysis Of Tom Wright's Black Diggers

753 Words4 Pages

Black Diggers is an epic theatre production produced by an Australian Queensland Theatre Company. Tom Wright, using his extensive knowledge on Australian History wrote the piece in 2014 and expresses clear themes of war, race and equality. Subsequently, the themes assist in creating the overall dramatic meaning. Black Diggers engages its audience through conveying a didactic message, it brings the realisation that Australian aborigines were brave honourable men who were ultimately rejected and their story lost, thus creating the dramatic meaning. Through employing dramatic languages of symbol, space and roles and relationships, Black Diggers successfully conveys the overall dramatic meaning to its audiences.
The story of Black Diggers shows …show more content…

These representations are essential in creating an entertaining performance to shape the overall dramatic meaning. An example found consecutively in the performance is Brechtian sign posting. Key words and dates are clearly painted on the walls by actors to express the play as educational by presenting historical facts. Later in the performance the walls are whitewashed therefore symbolising the indigenous involvement that had been lost. Contradicting this, a flame is positioned stage right to symbolise the Australian war memorial, the Eternal Flame. This represents those who acknowledge the indigenous involvement, although the flame is small to depict the underwhelming amount of people who are educated about the issue. Therefore, through the implication of symbolism the dramatic meaning is emphasized thus educating the audience of indigenous involvement in …show more content…

Space is used in theatre in order to clearly imply to the audience where the action is taking place. The minimal props on stage allow the audience to interpret the performance in their own way and gives the play a sense of originality. An example of space is identified when actors are switching between scenes in Gallipoli and scenes in Australia. To represent times at war a long black box positioned down stage is utilised by actors to jump over and sit in front of to resemble a trench; giving the notion that the scene is set in war. On the other hand, the actors perform up stage behind this box when presenting scenes in Australia to create a clear distinction between the two settings. Using up and down stage to symbolise these different settings assists in creating the tension and mood as the audience’s focus is not drawn to props but solely on the character’s dialogue. Thus, the use of space in Black Diggers creates the desired tension and mood to convey the overall dramatic meaning to the

Show More
Related
1065 Words | 5 Pages

When comparing Dwight Okita’s “In response to Executive Order: 9066” and William Yellowrobe’s “The Star Quilter”, it is easy to see the differences between the texts, but what is shocking is all of the similarities. Both Yellowrobe and Okita pick very controversial times in America as their scene and discuss the troubling events going on in that time. Although there are clear differences in their works, they share many feelings and messages. William Yellowrobe’s “The Star Quilter” features the interaction between two women, one Native American and the other Caucasian, in their 30s. The most crucial aspect of the two women’s conversations are the microaggressions that Luanne, the Caucasian women, is constantly berating Mona, the Native American

Read More
1117 Words | 5 Pages

Ray Lawrence’s socially provocative Australian film, Jindabyne(2006), presents a thought-provoking and contemporary outlook on racial prejudice, the dramatised moral dilemma of responsibility, and a confronting depiction of reconciliation. The film dramatises the struggle over Australia 's history, representing the past as deeply alienating, as it explores the complexity of the relationships between racially diverse characters in post-colonial Australia. Lawrence establishes the reconciliation of characters through sound, further examining the relationship between cultures and genders in conflict. Through symbols, Lawrence explores deceit, and the roles, perceptions and experiences of men and women within various relationships, demonstrating the unforgiving consequences of division and distrust. The film presents

Read More
831 Words | 4 Pages

The quote ‘I did not have the power to build a memorial, so i wrote a play instead’ reveals to us John Misto’s view on the forgotten heroes of the war, that the POWs deserve just as much respect as the soldiers do. The play was also written to criticise the British and Australian government actions and how they responded to the POWs “Just keep smiling”. This statement that was sent to the POWs reveal to us how out of touch the government is. The composer engages with the concept of distinctively visual using a powerful image of comradeship, friendship and loyalty through Bridie and Sheila’s interactions.

Read More
807 Words | 4 Pages

This text is an excerpt from Chapter 2 of Richard Wright’s novel Black Boy. Richard is a young naive boy who lives in a religious household with many restrictions . He is a troubled kid due to his huge curiosity and determination achieve his desires. In this excerpt Richard urges Ella, a schoolteacher who works for Granny, to read him a ‘forbidden’ book. Ella refuses, knowing Granny would be angered by reason of her strict and religious beliefs.

Read More
672 Words | 3 Pages

The productions of this play were successful through stage design, lighting crewing, and acting. Those three aspects made the quality of the play stand out to me, as an audience member. The production of the set design of the play was a good effort. The set design for the play staging aims for the sweet spot between feeding adult nostalgia and satisfying a new generation of children.

Read More
476 Words | 2 Pages

The Colored Museum is a satire about African American Culture which examines the influence of history on African Americans. George C. Wolfe uses political theater’s alienation effect to engage the audience into critical thought. The title “The Colored Museum” is a direct correlation between the word “Museum” where ancient artifacts are unchanged and “Colored”, a word from the past which is figurative for stopping time and escape. The Colored Museum has 11 exhibits which mock different aspects of African American history and culture. Wolfe also illustrates the affects of African Americans assimilation into the European culture with exhibits such as, “The Hairpiece”.

Read More
214 Words | 1 Pages

In the memoir “The Black Boy” by Richard Wright, it tells a story in first person view of a young six-year-old boy who lives his life during the Jim Crow time period. The memoir tells a story of young Richard growing up in the south, living with his family he experienced many struggles growing up, beaten and yelled at by his family; his mom, grandmother, employer/employees and the kids at school. He would try his best to learn what he considered acceptable to the society and what is not. Due to his race, skin color, and the time period, he struggles to fit in with the people around him, and all he wish he could do is for everyone around to accept who he is. Wright tries to convey this theme that Richard tries to join the society on his

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

The men exploiting the indigenous man, are seen as government officials. The next area to catch eye’s was the horse, where we have two very different represented groups riding. The first is a rich landowner, a group that reaped the benefits of the distribution of land and exploitation of the poor. Behind the landowner, we have the very opposite of the landowning society. The man behind him seems to be an activist fighting against the distribution that makes the man in front of him able to exploit the financial benefits.

Read More
1316 Words | 6 Pages

Black Diggers is a play written by Tom Wright about the indigenous Australians who fought in World War II and their previously forgotten stories. The Ideas and themes involved in the text circle around two main points. The first is the inferiority of non-indigenous Australians in the play which can be seen by all the non-indigenous characters who aren’t called by their names. The second is the injustice shown towards non-indigenous soldiers due to discrimination and violence throughout the play. These arguments are evident in the old soldier’s monologue which was set in 1956.

Read More
1601 Words | 7 Pages

While both stage and screen portrayals were highly acclaimed there are some similarities as well as some marked differences in each interpretation. On the surface, the first difference noted between the stage and screen versions are the sets. The stage version describes the setting of the play, the Younger family living room, as a

Read More
482 Words | 2 Pages

In the play ‘Journeys End’ we learn a great deal about the playwright R.C Sherriff’s style. Sherriff first started to write the play in order to raise money for his rowing club. As Sherriff’s play was only to raise some money, they couldn’t spend too much on props and different backdrops so the play is just set in one place in WW1, the dugout. Just having the play set in one place also makes the play less complicated and easier to understand for those who aren’t as familiar with war. As that’s what the play was for; to show people what their loved ones at war were really going through and the true horror of WW1.

Read More
1559 Words | 7 Pages

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Or: A Closer Look At The Form and Construction Of Storytelling To The Tune Of The Blues Throughout history, many cultures have passed down stories through oral tradition. Though the manner in which spoken word is delivered has changed over time, the fundamental core of the timeless tradition has stayed the same; Words have power. They can be used to spread joy, hope, and keep entire cultures alive. August Wilson’s play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, focuses on the power of the blues to tell the stories of numerous African-American individuals, as they struggle to find meaning and justice in an unfair society dominated by a hateful majority.

Read More
1065 Words | 5 Pages

I enjoyed the comical and lighthearted dancing and singing approach the characters had to the somber situations around them. Watching this few years later and after taking a Text and Meaning course, I was struck at the sheer amount of things that stood out. The Negroes were declared “other”. In post colonialist theory, declaring one race “other” marginalizes them and stresses on how

Read More
515 Words | 3 Pages

Racial segregation affected many lives in a negative way during the 1900s. Black children had it especially hard because growing up was difficult to adapting to whites and the way they want them to act. In Black Boy, Richard Wright shows his struggles with his own identity because discrimination strips him of being the man he wants to be. Richard undergoes many changes as an individual because of the experience he has growing up in the south and learning how to act around whites.

Read More
824 Words | 4 Pages

When people do organize, groups such as CodePink, for example, simply conduct symbolic actions. It's the same faces in the same places. These groups live and work in the Beltway. They perform circus like stunts for the cameras in the hope of what? Embarrassing those in power?

Read More

More about Analysis Of Tom Wright's Black Diggers

Related Topics

Open Document