Exploring the Context of "Tally's Blood" - Drama Study Session
In this drama study session, we delve into the features of drama texts, the meta-language of drama, and the context of the play "Tally's Blood" by Ann Marie Di Mambro. We learn to define dramatic terminology, create and follow stage directions, and write a summary of the play's context. The images provided illustrate elements like settings, stage directions, and the Italian immigration backdrop of the play.
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Drama Today we will be learning about: The features of a drama text The meta-language of drama The context of the play Tally s Blood And we will be able to: Define dramatic terminology Create and follow a stage direction Write a brief summary of the context of Tally s Blood https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTKMFmA0XMvZstGh1r4pTxvyxrFo65y9ue39d_TVXnG8bGEN3GF
Group Task In your pairs list everything you know about drama! Why do people read plays? What makes drama different from prose? DRAMA
setting DRAMA openings Costume
Stage Directions Stage Directions tell an actor what to do or even how to say a line. They are written inside brackets ( ).
Be a Director! Stage directions play a crucial role in analysing the characters and plot of a play. ANNA: ( ) Come over here and have a seat ANGRILY LOVINGLY HAPPILY ENTHUSIASTICALLY SLOWLY
http://holycrossdrama.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/tb.jpg?w=200h=300http://holycrossdrama.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/tb.jpg?w=200h=300 Tally s Blood Look at the different covers for the play Tally s Blood . Discuss what you think the play will be about with your partner and write your predictions onto a post it note.
Tallys Blood, Ann Marie Di Mambro The Context https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSgBJU3aAaJiTuAkZ9mJREuL2FOvs7vqU7_GpciMdRDf72-e8wK https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTknyZup_9fwA0q_e6ssnhE8YZdVWe9P8kHZu6rOvNwDOb6PIcl ITALIAN IMMIGRATION https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQn80hoSCKelpvRp7F5vN3IB9k_a2eS20DW8UrMw3WEQ1UGsVm1
Tallys Blood, Ann Marie Di Mambro The Context Home to Italian immigrants since 1890s People fled famine and poverty Made a living from the Scottish sweet tooth with ice cream carts and cafes They later introduced fish and chips and ran restaurants and pizzerias During WWII the Italian community faced internment and deportation following Mussolini s decision to join forces with Hitler https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfondNLKI9M
Tallys Blood The Title Tally s Blood" The unpleasant nickname Scots gave the raspberry sauce that Italian ice-cream- makers put on their produce. Why choose this title? Reference to the suffering of the Scots-Italian community during the second world war.
Tallys Blood, Ann Marie Di Mambro The Characters Massimo Pedreschi Luigi Ianelli Rosinella Pedreschi Franco Pedreschi Lucia Ianelli Hughie Devlin Bridget Devlin Siblings
Lucia Pedreschi Paid-rays-key Loo-chee-a Luigi Ianelli Yan-ell-ee Loo-eej-ay
Note Taking For Each Scene What action takes place and how does the storyline develop? Plot Characters & Relationships How are the characters developed and what do we learn about the relationships between them? Themes & Issues What is the overarching theme of the scene and what is the writer trying to convey? Anything Else! We want to be as familiar as possible with this text!
Themes https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT07goTUK97oNQkuRuxl6Ewn1cp0oYn4NrLx0N76RZ2dhwggSLX2w Prejudice italian-family Family Soliders storming beach War
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene One Where is the scene set? What happens in this scene? Do you notice anything unusual about this scene?
Note Taking Act One Scene One Italy, 1936 Lucia being handed to Rosinella Plot Characters & Relationships Luigi is grieving Massimo is protective of Rosinella Themes & Issues Family Anything Else! Costume Black arm band Sound Mourning Bell
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Two Where is the scene set? What happens in this scene? How would you describe Lucia? Why? How does Rosinella react to the news that Lucia may return to Italy? Why? What does Rosinella think of Scottish people? Why?
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Two Plot: Lucia is spoiled Rosinella will make personal sacrifices for her Franco is itching to get away from his father and wants Massimo to help deceive him Characters and Relationships: Massimo & Rosinella deep affection Great love for Lucia Lucia stubborn, petulant, manipulative Massimo s father is demanding, Rosinella obliges Franco jealous of Massimo s new shop
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Two Themes & Issues: Racial prejudice Rosinella s disapproval of Franco & Bridget Rosinella s belief that Scottish women make poor mothers, are only interested in a man s money and have looser morals than Italian women Family Bridget s father exercises control and Bridget doesn't want Franco to leave his father s shop for her War Growing awareness of the possibility of war Franco doesn t share Massimo s dread
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Three Plot Bridget and Franco are in the early stages of a relationship Characters & Relationships Franco & Bridget together Hughie uninterested in love Themes & Issues: Prejudice We see the beginnings of a Scottish/Italian relationship the antithesis to the Rosinella s prejudice Family Bridget keen to get a break from her family War Foreshadowing of war There s going to be a war p.22
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Four What do we learn about the communication style of the family? Following the foreshadowing of war in the previous scene, how is this developed?
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Four Plot Lucia refuses to speak English, the family try to make her and the result is a volatile argument Characters & Relationships Lucia more petulant than we initially thought; (screams) fuck off! Rosinella & Massimo argue over what is best for Lucia frequently Themes & Issues: Prejudice It s no even our country (p.29) Family Volatile (slapping one another!) You re getting to love her too much (p.29) War Foreshadowing of war and the heartache this could bring if we go to war, she might be better off over there (p. 29)
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Five Plot Massimo offers Hughie a job in the store to encourage Lucia to speak English Franco asks Massimo to cover for him with their dad so that he can see Bridget Lucia and Hughie catch Franco and Bridget together Characters & Relationships B&F very much in love and trying to hide it from their families L&H begin a friendship based on humour and fun Themes & Issues: Family Franco and Massimo lie to their Father War Beginning to seem more and more likely that war will happen What are you thinking about all this talk? (p. 32) Suggestion that people want a war, maybe even Franco; We cannie let that wee German bastard throw his weight around.
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Six Plot Adam Devlin dies, Lucia supports Hughie through this Characters & Relationships L&H friendship solidifies with Hughie s fathers death and they cry together Themes & Issues: Family Death of a father Hughie stepping into father role; I ve got to be the big brave man (p.41) Anything Else Use of silence
TASK In your group create a poster which outlines your first impressions (with supporting quotes and page references) for your assigned character(s). Leave room on the poster for us to add to the character profile as the play unfolds.
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Seven Where is the scene set? What happens in this scene? How does Di Mambro develop the theme of prejudice in this scene?
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Seven CRISIS Rosinella Pedreschi Massimo Pedreschi ? ? Juxtaposition Two things being seen or placed close together with contrasting effect
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Seven Plot War is declared (on radio) Characters returning from Adam Devlin s funeral Massimo concerned with war, Rosinella concerned with Bridget and Franco Characters & Relationships Rosinella Dismayed by the love of Franco & Bridget Seems unconcerned with the war, but is aware it will pose problems We see her devotion for Lucia Themes Prejudice Rosinella It s not our country , p45 War We re at war ,
TASK Select a new character poster to work on with your group. Add as much information as you can and remember to include evidence and a page reference.
Select a member of your group to represent your character in the hot set. Prepare 4 questions for the other characters. Tally s Blood Tally s Blood
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Eight Plot Franco signs up to fight in the war for Britain Massimo begs him to undo this as he is Italian Franco explains he did it to get out of his father s shop and storms out in a rage at Massimo s protests Characters & Relationships Franco Determined to leave, very much considers himself to be British Massimo Angry at Franco and very much considers himself Italian Themes Family & War Franco signs up to escape the clutches of his father; To get out of that shop , P.47 War is causing conflict within the family; No to get my fucking brains blown out in a fucking war that s got nothing to do with me P.48
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Nine Plot Franco and Bridget are secure in their relationship and discuss Franco going to war, he reassures her that; Nothing s going to happen to me, Bridget. I promise. , p.49 Characters & Relationships Franco& Bridget Very much in love Themes Family We get an insight into how Mrs/ Devlin is coping with the death of her husband; my mammy still makes up may da spiece. Every single morning. p/50 War We begin to see the distress war can cause to families/relationships
TASK In your groups choose either scene nine or ten to block and perform. You should consider stage positioning, directions and delivery and be prepared to share with the class.
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Ten Plot Franco leaves to fight in the war in an emotional good bye scene Characters & Relationships We see the strong brotherly affection between Franco and Massimo which has survived their dispute over Franco s choice to enlist they hold each other in a strong embrace , p.52 Themes Family Despite speaking negatively about his father, his father has provided for him; Aye, my faither sseen me alright. , p.51 War Reality of war and it s direct impact on family is seen Children exposed to violence ( You should watch what you say in front of the wean. P. 53 Prejudice Massimo begins to consider the implications of Italy coming into the war., Rosinella cannot see this Anything Else Cross fade to show contrast between adult /child response to war
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Eleven Textual Analysis 1. In your own words, explain how di Mambro shows Bridget s anxiety and worry. You should make at least 4 points. 4 2. Looking at the stage directions, explain how di Mambro shows Rosinella s contempt for Bridget. You need to explain how the stage directions work. 2 3. In your own words, summarise Rosinella s argument to Bridget as to why she should forget Franco. 4 4. (a) (b) With close reference to the text explain Rosinella s feelings about: Family Her nationality 4 5. Rosinella s ideas about nationality are an important theme in the play. With reference to the rest of the play, explain how nationalism is explored. 6
Tallys Blood Textual Analysis Marking Scheme 1. Any four from the following: Repetition of please / Her defence of Franco / Her being almost in tears / Her repetition of the fact they loved each other / The fact she says it s important / She says she needs him 2. Any two from the following: Her initial reaction being not very pleased to see her Rosinella dislikes Bridget because she reminds her of Franco and what he has done. She scoffs indicates a lack of concern about Bridget s worries. She looks at Bridget directly she is accusing Bridget of being the cause of Franco acting out of character . Sheeyes her up and down suggests contempt. The final stage direction saying she freezes Bridget out sums up her total disregard for Bridget and whatever concerns she has. 3. Any four from the following: He is Italian so he will only marry an Italian girl / He was only having a bit of fun / He would never get what he wanted from an Italian girl / Girls like Bridget get what they deserve / He would only love the girl he married / He never asked Bridget to marry him.
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Eleven Textual Analysis 4a) Family Italians are close as a family and only marry Italians. She has worried about Franco because he is family. Franco belongs at home with his family. 4b) Nationality Franco, as an Italian, should never have gone to fight in a war that had nothing to do with him. Italian men only play around with girls outside their own culture as they will get what they want from them. Italians marry Italians. Italian girls are more strictly brought up than Scottish girls. 5. Answers should cover the idea of : War Rosinella s growing nationalism and bitterness.
TASK List as many possible endings to the following sentence as you can. Act one, scene twelve is crucial to the play because...
Act one, scene twelve is crucial to the play because... It shows how quickly the Pedreschi s neighbours have turned on them It shows that Rosinella s assertions that the war would not affect them were greatly mistaken It develops the themes of prejudice by showing it in reverse (Prejudice towards Italians) Bridget trusts Massimo Shop gets wrecked which jeopardises Pedreschi s future Mood becomes darker and more violent Massimo shows that he is protective of Rosinella and Lucia Rise in suspicion of Bridget being pregnant because she asks for money/ if only my mum knew Hughie and Lucia work together and this may lead to a stronger bond
Task Create a monologue for any character in Tally s Blood. Stanislavsky s Questions Who am I? What time is it? Where am I? What surrounds me? What are my circumstances? What are my relationships? What are my objectives? What is the obstacle? What is my actions? YOUR MONOLOGUE SHOULD SOUND AS AUTHENTIC AS POSSIBLE
Homework 1. Read Massimo s monologue (Act 1 Scene 13, pp.76-78) 2. Begin to plan your own monologue by answering Stanislavsky s 7 questions.
TASK Get into groups. Your teacher will assign a scene to your group. As a group, write a set of fully comprehensive notes for the scene you have been given. Each group will present their notes to the rest of the class
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Thirteen Plot Lucia and Hughie are playing a game pretending to be teacher and she is making fun of Hughie because he can t do multiplication We find out a Navy ship has been torpedoed and Massimo may have been on it Characters & Relationships Lucia and Hughie grow closer together Rosinella, Hughie and Lucia fear for Massimo Themes & Issues: War British ships were torpedoed Prejudice Lucia describes prejudice against Italians Anything Else We learn that Rosinella cannot read
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Fourteen Plot Characters & Relationships Massimo cares about his father and I kept looking for my faither asking everyone if they d had word about my faither pg. 78 Themes & Issues: Prejudice They turned an old mill into a camp and were filling it with Italians from all over the place Family Due to the war, families have been separated. They all worry about each other because of this War Makes it difficult to know whether people are alive or not which can be upsetting and hard to deal with Massimo is taken away to a camp in Edinburgh Massimo is worried about his father because he hadn t joined the camp of Italians Massimo s dad was selected and was taken away somewhere A couple of days later, the rest of the camp were taken to Liverpool Massimo had no idea where he was going or what happened to his father
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Fifteen Plot Hughie and Lucia want to become Blood Brothers They are supposed to prick their thumbs and mix blood but Lucia backs out They mix their spit in the ginger instead Discuss how Massimo may not return home Characters & Relationships Hughie and Lucia are so close they want to become family Themes & Issues: Family Hughie and Lucia want to become Blood Brothers War Franco hasn t returned from the war yet and Bridget and Rosinella won t stop crying
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Sixteen Plot Characters & Relationships Themes & Issues: Anything Else
Tallys Blood Act One, Scene Seventeen Plot Characters & Relationships Themes & Issues: Anything Else
Act One Key Events 1. Identify 6 key events in Act 1 2. Write each event onto a post it 3. On the back of each one write 3 questions about that event
End of Act One Act One Key Events
Act 1 Summary Write a detailed summary of Act 1 which explains: The key events Character development Theme development Your summary could also refer to: Devices used by Di Mambro (e.g. Situational Irony)
Starter Task Get Started! Discuss Act 2, Scenes 1 and 2 with your group Note down what develops in these scenes in terms of : Plot, characters, relationships and themes Prepare to explain your analysis to the class
