This I Where We Live Play Analysis

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The dramatic play ‘This I Where We Live’, written by Vivienne Walsh and directed by Jon Halpin, focusses on two main characters; Chloe, played by Matilda Bailey, and Chris, played by Jimmy Smith. Chloe is new in town, moving with her mother into Bill’s home. Bill is her mother’s new, abusive boyfriend. Chloe is in her final year of school and is worried whether she’ll fit in. Chloe meets Chris, the son of her teacher, and finds Chris has his life already mapped out. They become close after finding out their similarities. Home life is hard for Chloe, with her mother and Bill fighting all of the time. Chris builds up the confidence to tell Chloe he loves her, but Chloe is unable to let her guard down, and refuses Chris’s affection. Chloe then …show more content…

Matilda performed the character of Chloe, along with her mother, Bill, Chris’s father, students in her class at school, and occasionally Chris. Jimmy performed the character of Chris, along with Chris’s mother and father, and from time to time Chloe. The language used was poetic, helping the play to flow smoothly. Onomatopoeic language such as ‘crunch’ and ‘cough’ were used, to describe actions and added to the features of several characters. ‘Crunch’ was used when Chloe was walking, which signified the brace on her leg, communicating that she had spinal bifida which had deformed her body structure. ‘Cough’ communicated the symptoms of her father having mesothelioma. The use of different techniques to present the dialogue, helped to portray certain characteristics of each character and allowed the audience to maintain and follow the story as well as which character was being portrayed in the scene. The use of only two actors with several characters did make the play confusing and hard to follow, although when the onomatopoeic language was used it was instantly evident which character was being played.
Overall the play ‘This Is Where We Live’ conveyed the story to the audience well, through the inclusion of certain play techniques. I would recommend for teenagers to go and see this play, as it is insightful and relevant to the contemporary lifestyle of today’s society. The play is