A Conversation with 1927

This afternoon I had the pleasure of listening and participating in a conversation with the talented members of the acting troop 1927, creators of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Conducted by CBS correspondent Martha Teichner, the conversation explored the troops origins, inspirations, and aspirations. Below are some of the ideas I gleaned that could be helpful in shaping and creating innovative ideas for the classroom.


Item #1: Facial Expressions, A Visual Reference for Artists by Mark Simon Paul Barritt (head of film and animation) said that they had used this book as a source for creating some of the dramatic faces that were seen in the play. Teaching Idea: This book will be a great resource when I am teaching students about indirect characterization in literature. I also plan to use it as a journal entry in creative writing. Students will select a series of facial expressions and write a vignette based on their selection of facial expressions. Click here to view a more detailed description of the book on Amazon.

Item #2: I asked members of the troop how the medium of digitally projected images impacted their creative process. Suzanne Andrade stated that it is restrictive but that they like the discipline it requires them to implement as actors. She did report that the medium of the projected image also created moments of inspiration. An example of this occured when Esme Appleton decided to pretend she was sawing a moon. The members of the troop liked this idea and incorporated it into the performance by having Paul Barritt change the projected image so it looked like Esme's character was sawing the moon.


Item #3: Paul Barritt was asked about how he ages his films so they look like vintage films from the silent film era. He reported looks at old films and collects samples of the crackles in the film. "I can just watch crackle" all day long.


Item #4: Origin of the "sinster characters".
Suzanne Andrade was asked about where she found the inspiration for the two sinster characters in the play. She informed the audience that they were inspired by the creepy sisters in Kubrick's film, The Shining.

creepy sisters from The Shining

the sinsters from Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Item #5: Satirist Chris Morris One of the inspirations sited by the troop members was Chris Morris, a British satirist. They referred to one of his fake documentaries that dealt with the fictitious drug, Cake. The spoof inspired one government official to take up the dangers of this "drug" before the House of Commons. This might be a satirist I could refer to or use in my satire unit next year.

"Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea" PREP KIT

Item #1: Visit 1927's website
http://www.19-27.co.uk/
This is a fantastic website. Packed full of innovative graphics, video clips, and silly historical facts this site is a great primer for helping one understand the quirky surrealistic mindset of this theater troop.



Highlights of 1927's Website


"Listen and Hear" section: Features audio recordings of Suzanne Andrade's quirky poems. My favorite was "The Lodger". It features the creepy synchronized monotone voices of the sinster sisters describing the strange smells emanating from their lodger's room as they peep through the keyhole of his door.

"1927 Live section: Watch an extended promotional video featuring some of the best effects from the show.

"Meat The Devil" section: Features three animated shorts focusing on the devil. Watch "The Devil's Children Have the Devil's Luck". I never thought that paper cut outs of children could creep me out as much as the ones in this clip did.

Visit 1927's website: http://www.19-27.co.uk/

Item #2: British 80's culture mini crash course
I often wonder how much funner Monty Python would be if I had grown up in Britain and been familiar with British culture. In this play there are also many allusions to British culture that are unfamiliar to American audiences. One example of this is a skit in the scene "Between" where the sinster twins play an adaptation of "Mallet's Mallet" a game popularized on the 80's children's TV show "Wacaday". Below is a clip from the show featuring the "Mallet's Mallet" game.

Classroom connection lesson:
The juxtaposition of past and present in Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea inspired a multi media lesson for the language arts classroom. This lesson is also an adaptation of an online graphic design contest. The premise is simple. Challenge students to create an advertisement for a modern product that uses the tone, diction, and imagery from a period in history. Here is an example of an image created for the online contest:


see more images from this contest at: http://www.worth1000.com/contest.asp?contest_id=18731&display=photoshop