DEVISING LOG NO.1 [79/80]
DEVISING LOG SECTION 1: RESPONSE TO A STIMULUS
The initial response to the stimuli:
We were immediately drawn to the French folktale “Bluebeard,” published in the 1600s. The concept
of gender inequality in the relationship dynamic between Bluebeard and his wife intrigued us.
Therefore we picked this stimuli as it had the potential to be developed into a captivating and dramatic
piece, using storytelling and anti-illusionary theatre styles.
Research findings
During my research, I discovered that the folktale was sourced from the 15th century convicted Breton
serial killer, Gilles de Rais, a nobleman who fought with Joan of Arc, before being hanged and
murdered for his crimes. Both Rais and Bluebeard were rich, powerful men who killed women. When
researching their motives I found a French council held in 586, on whether a woman is a human.
Alongside Bluebeard and Josephine’s characters (his wife), we added Dolores’s character (his first
wife) as a vengeful spirit and key to the mystery. Dolores’s presence would highlight the deceiving
nature of appearances, as her unique narrative voice, as an outsider, engages the audience and
foreshadows the ominous future. We also decided to make the friendship of the two wives convey the
consequences of relationships built on lies and deceit, through a didactic and anti-illusionary style.
Initial ideas for chosen stimuli
We initially wanted to explore the question of whether women are human, through juxtaposition to
switch between the court debate setting and the interaction between the characters. However we
realised that too many transitions would create a jarring effect as our fairytale style would conflict with
the realism of the court setting. After discussing, we rethought our ideas by sticking to a fairytale
setting, whilst rethinking the aim of our piece to focus on the theme of gender inequality through the
interaction of the characters. Next we decided on a linear structure from the engagement of Bluebeard
and Josephine, to Bluebeard killing Jospehine.To convey the story’s cyclical nature, we decided to set
it all in Bluebeard's castle thus relying on an anti-illusionary style as the audience can focus on the
lives of the characters whilst the fairytale backdrop reminds them that this is a piece of fiction.The
piece is aimed at older audiences as we tackle how twisted lies can become to preserve
appearances, thus engaging the audience and allowing them to reflect on the spiralling chaos.
My dramatic aims and intentions
When playing Dolores, I will act in a serious but apprehensive manner to highlight her extreme distrust
towards others due to being killed by her lover. However, I will also walk slowly and carefully to show
her calculated nature, causing the audience to become terrified of her ruthless desire for revenge. To
portray her vengeful character I will speak in low, soothing tones to mask my true intentions and earn
Josephine’s trust. My stiff posture makes the audience view Dolores suspiciously as her guarded
stance alludes to a hidden secret, making them view her as an unreliable narrator. This is reiterated
through her character mannerism of touching her neck whenever she is nervous or uncertain,
embodying the cause of her death and strengthening her conviction in ensuring that Josephine meets
the same destiny.
The group’s dramatic aims and intentions
As a group, we plan to create an anti-illusionary piece of drama conforming to the conventions of
storytelling by using techniques such as ‘demonstrating’ rather than ‘becoming’ the role. This
highlights the actors' storytelling role as we freely interpret the characters we are playing, allowing the
audience to engage with the story of Bluebeard on a deeper level. We aim to illustrate the impacts of
misogyny in history and the present day, while creating a captivating and thrilling piece where the
audience is immersed in the stories of the characters while being able to piece for themselves the
truth in this web of conflict and deceit.
, DEVISING LOG SECTION 2: DEVELOPMENT AND COLLABORATION
Refinement of ideas:
During the stages of refining in rehearsals, many ideas were changed or developed. Initially, the piece
took on a linear storytelling form. This contrasted our chosen style - anti-illusionary - where the
audience is aware of the fictional nature of the piece. I conducted research by watching “Into the
Woods”, where I took the idea of having a multi-purpose set to ensure smooth scene transitions and
to showcase the duality of evil and good in this fictional universe. I incorporated the use of the narrator
who orchestrated the show and illustrated lessons to the audience, while also interacting with the
characters, thus fulfilling our aims of portraying misogyny through a story-telling format. We
incorporated this dual role through Dolores’ delivery of the classical fairy tale line, “And they lived
happily ever after,'' to embody dramatic irony. However, feedback showed we needed a motif to
seamlessly embed this scene into the piece. We incorporated a red trail, symbolising romance and
bloodshed, which shape this piece. Initially, we incorporated a red cloth on the floor, however we
found in rehearsal the impracticality of the moving cloth, opting instead for a rose trail, which is formed
by Dolores picking petals off the wedding bouquet. However, to make this gesture even more
captivating my group suggested that I pick the petals slowly in the opening scene to give an illusion of
ease but progressively rip the petals off revealing Dolores’ jealousy and foreshadowing death, thus
conforming to our group’s aims of depicting the twisted nature of appearances on a fairytale backdrop
to create a captivating and thrilling anti-illusionary piece.
Refinement of the piece:
Originally, the piece had a linear story following the couple and ending with a triumphant victory of
Josephine and Dolores over Bluebeard. However, feedback showed this plotline was inconsistent with
our aims of portraying misogyny, so we adjusted the end to show Josephine’s death. Additionally,
rehearsal of our initial piece presented the play’s conflict as one that lacks complexity, this revealing
plot holes and lack of character depth. So we shifted our story’s perspective to focus on the dead wife
who voices the characters’ deepest secrets and desires, thus adding layers to the audience's
perception of reality. This can be seen when Dolores offers Josephine advice on the duties of a wife,
which led me to research historical attitudes towards expectations of wives, including Biblical and
political texts, which are referenced throughout the play. Dolores uses her knowledge to give
Josephine misleading advice, thus deteriorating their relationship. An example of such manipulation is
when Bluebeard demands from Josephine,”You must listen to me and obey me”, to which Dolores
mimics the line causing Josephine to laugh, thus infuriating Bluebeard who becomes physically
abusive. The rapid shift in tone from comedy to serious shows the audience the instability of the
characters and the unpredictability of Dolores, thus heightening tension and engaging the audience.
Refinement of my own skills:
After devising the piece, I discovered that my character lacked development, so I hot-seated for a
lesson, which equipped me with necessary information to complete my character profile. I discovered
my character wanted Bluebeard to regret his actions and realize that she was his true love, through
the death of the wives. Her slow gait and long strides highlight her clear aim and calculating manner.
Her confidence is demonstrated through my scheming smile, thus making her rather childish, causing
the audience to question the limitations of her power. Her secretive closed body language and
soothing tones, embody her isolated pursuit of absolute control, thus depicting her as an unsettling
character for the audience. To convey her nature as a spirit I could include idiosyncrasies of her
constant rubbing of her hands revealing her reality as a walking corpse, to foreshadow the similar fate
of Josephine in her ominous future. My peers highlighted my lack of action in scenes where my role
and lines were limited, so I mirrored Josephine’s actions, portraying her as a puppet controlled by
Dolores, thus horrifying the audience at the visible change in the wives’ friendship. As a narrator I will
look around cautiously before leaning into the audience thus breaking the 4th wall before illustrating
lessons to the audience, which conform to the anti-illusionary style as they reflect on insidious themes
in the piece.
