1. Textual Analysis Questionnaire The textual analysis questionnaire is designed to help you make a detailed analysis of a play text from a director's point of view. It is the level of analysis which a director needs to apply prior to rehearsals so that they can offer an interpretation of the play and ideas about the mise en scene to the actors and designers. The previous pages give a detailed breakdown of each of the sections in the questionnaire and offer illustrations from a wide range of plays as examples for you to follow, or as the basis for comparisons between different kinds of plays. The Given Circumstances Environmental Facts and Background. The Given Circumstances The Geographical Location Where is the play set? What is significant about the locations used and why? The Given Circumstances Date and Time Are there any specific references to time of day, season, year? How will the time or season effect the characters? The Given Circumstances TimescaleHow much time passes during the play? How will the ‘passage of time’ be played/ represented? The Given Circumstances Economic Environment What is the economic environment of the characters? How are they affected by their economic environment? The Given Circumstances Social Environment Is the social and economic environment the same? What differences are there in the social environment of the characters? How will this affect how the characters interact?

2. The Given Circumstances Political Environment Are there any references to political events? What was the political environment of the writer? How will the political context be played/ represented? The Given Circumstances Religious environment Are any of the characters influenced by their own religious beliefs, or by the beliefs of others? What effect does religion have on the way the characters behave? The Given Circumstances Previous Action The Given Circumstances Past histories of characters What clues are there t the biographies of the main characters? How will the characters’ future actions be affected by the biographies? The Given Circumstances Events Prior to the Play Are there references to key events prior to the play? Do any of the characters carry scars or memories from these events? How will the characters be affected by these events?

3. The Given Circumstances Protagonist/ Antagonist The Given Circumstances Protagonist’s attitude and how it changed. Which character is the protagonist – who initiates the play’s central action? What is their attitude? How does it develop or change during the play? The Given Circumstances Antagonists attitude and how it changes Which character is the antagonist – who opposes the protagonist’s objectives? What is their attitude? How does it develop or change during the play? LanguageVocabularyHow formal/ informal is each character’s language? Are there any clues to levels of education or background in the words used by characters? Do any of the characters use language to bully, or to impress, or to promote themselves to others? Do words come easily or are they struggled over? What does the vocabulary used tell us about the personalities of the characters? How do you imagine them based on the words they use?

4. LanguageStructureHow are speeches structured? Are they elaborate and long or short phrases, for instance? What does the structure of each character’s speech tell us about the character and their relationship to others? Does the structure change according to who the character is talking to? Are there any clues to the pace and rhythm of the scenes in the structure of the speeches? LanguageImageryAre there any patterns in the imagery used? Are these patterns scattered across the play or restricted to certain characters? Does the imagery relate to setting? Ideas? Mood? Atmosphere? Character traits? How can the imagery be pointed out so that an audience is aware of its pattern? How will the design of the play reflect the imagery? Dramatic Action Peculiarities of speech Do any of the characters have accents, dialects, speech problems? If so what does this add to the character? Dramatic Actions Scene UnitsHow many identifiable ‘units’ are there in each scene? What is the logic of your choice of unit breaks? How should each unit be played?

5. Dramatic Actions Labelling the units What word or phrase best describes the action, or objectives, in each unit? Do the unit titles accurately summarise the scenes? Dramatic Action Playing the sub-text What is the sub-text of action in each scene? What is really going on? Which verbs accurately describe for the actors how the speeches should be played so that the sub-text becomes visible to an audience? CharactersWantsWhat are the super-objectives of the main characters? What do the main characters want to happen in the scenes they appear in? Are there conflicts or tensions between what different characters want? Do the main characters wants significantly change or create contradictions during the play? CharactersWillIs there a difference between what the characters say they will do and what they actually do? What is the intensity or strength of the main characters’ resolve or determination? Do they really want their super-objectives to be realised? CharactersMoral StanceHow do culture, morality and upbringing shape the main characters behaviours? How does the main characters moral stance encourage, justify or constrain the fulfilment of their wants? CharactersPhysical Appearance Are there direct references to the physical appearance of characters?

6. CharactersPhysical Appearance (continued) Are there direct references to the physical appearance of characters? Are there any other clues or inferences about physical appearance? Are there any implications for casting? What significant connections are there between how a character looks and how they behave? CharacterSummary adjectives Which set of adjectives best describe the characters? How will these adjectives be played? What are the design and costume implications? CharacterVariations in Character - isation Are there any significant changes or variations in the way that characters behave in different scenes? Are there any inconsistencies in how characters react to situations or other characters? How will the ‘inconsistencies’ be either smoothed out or exaggerated in the playing of the characters? The Playwright’s Intention TitleWhat is the significance of the title? Is the title metaphoric or literal? What sub – title or alternative title might be given to clarify the writer’s own title? The Playwright’s Intention Philosophical statements Are there any key lines or speeches which seem to encapsulate the writer’s view or which summarises and capture the ideas or mood of the play? Where are these lines positioned in the play and who speaks them? Is there anything significant in this?

7. The Playwright’s Intention SynopsisWhat is the main plot of the play and how does it develop? What sub-plots are there and how do they relate to the main plot? How are the writer’s ideas developed over the play? How can the shape of the play best be described and represented? As a story? As episodes? As a journey? As a diagram or map? The Playwright’s Intention Significance of individual scenes What is the function and purpose of each scene within the overall structure of the play? Which scenes are the most important and which the least? What is the logic of the relationship between scenes? Is it cause and effect? Brechtian knots? Contrasts in mood, atmosphere, location?