Welcome to this short introduction to A Live Performance: A View from the Bridge. This will help to prepare you for when you start your course with us at Gower College Swansea, as well as giving you an opportunity to brush up on some of your skills!
Gower College Swansea’s Performing Arts department are really excited to be welcoming you!
During the course you will have weekly sessions that are both practical and theoretical. Sessions will focus on the practical and theoretical exploration of the set text ‘A View from the Bridge’. In addition to this session will also require you to explore a range of scripted material, work creatively with your peers to reinterpret it and invest fully in a rehearsal process in order to realise the work for your performance exam. 'A' Level Drama offers a wonderful opportunity to not only develop skills in acting, theatre analysis and essay writing, but it also provides knowledge on the ‘behind the scenes’ of theatre. In order to support your learning, we offer a variety of trips and workshops that are both exciting and essential to your personal development.
Video
Video: A View from the Bridge
Seeing live performances is crucial in your development and success within the performing arts industry. As that’s a bit tricky at the moment, try and watch some of the amazing Live Stream performance by the National Theatre. Opposite is a performance of Arthur Miller’s A View from a Bridge.Watch the performance, if you have a copy of the play you can also read along.
Research some of the following areas:
Understanding the context in which a play was written and understanding the author will give you a better understanding of the piece overall.
Find out about the author Arthur Miller. What was his background? What other plays did he write?
Find out about the time the play was written: what was 1950’s America like? The politics, family life, immigration, social status and culture
What did America Look like in the 1950s? You could look at Images of Brooklyn America during 1950's and the types of clothing worn by people who represent the characters in the play. i.e. first and second Italian / American immigrants.
Summary
Good luck and we hope you’ve enjoyed looking at this play! We are looking forward to meeting you soon and joining the Performing Arts department!
Extended Reading
For some extended work you could try and summarise the play.
This will help to cement your understanding of it. Think about:
What happens during the play?
Who are the characters and how are they connected with one another?
What are the themes of the play? E.g. honour and forbidden love.
There are also some great resources here: Home Learning with the Royal Shakespeare Company - There are live performances, analysis of plays and you can even ask an actor a question! If you're searching for answers, why not see if they can help?
