‘Bouncers 1990s Remix’ by John Godber and ‘Shakers-Restirred’ by John Godber and Jane Thornton :: Drama

For my Coursework I studied ‘Bouncers – 1990s Remix’ by John Godber, and ‘Shakers-Restirred’ by John Godber and Jane Thornton. For my Coursework I studied ‘Bouncers – 1990s Remix’ by John Godber, and ‘Shakers-Restirred’ by John Godber and Jane Thornton. Originally set in the 1980s but later adapted for the nineties, the plays are often performed together. They tell stories about urban nightlife from the points of view of nightclub bouncers and cocktail waitresses. Each play only involves four actors, and they play all the parts. I enjoyed studying the plays as they use comedy, melodrama and music to portray some very different characters. I also noticed that sometimes, beneath the comic aspects of the play, there were more serious messages about life. Area of Study 1 – Character and Context Our play was similar to ‘Bouncers’ and ‘Shakers’ as we worked in groups of four too. Our characters were police officers, as we felt that the police see just as much of the things that go on in nightclubs and bars as Bouncers do. As well as being police officers, we also played all the parts of the smaller characters in the bars and clubs. We took this idea of playing multiple characters from the plays we read. My main character was a female police officer called Karen Smith. She comes across as a very strong, blunt and confident character, from a rough background, but she hides a secret. When Karen was younger her dad was really violent to her, her mum and her sisters, and it was years before he was finally caught and arrested. It was as a ten year old, seeing her dad taken away, and feeling so relieved, that she decided to be a Police officer when she grew up, so she could help other people. (See Role on the wall) I wanted to show the hard and soft side of Karen’s character, and so I tried really hard to show the reason for her harshness. At one point she speaks directly to the audience about her past; this is when her true character is revealed. The others in my group played the following roles: Matt – Tom Rivers – a police officer who has only recently joined the force. He is gay, and is worried that people will find out. He tries to seem extra tough. Sam – Ron Brown - he has been a police officer many years and thinks he knows everything. His wife died a year ago and now all he has is his work. Anna – Marie Graves – a young policewoman who is very pretty and