Live Theatre - Yerma.
Overview.
Yerma is Simon Stone's modernised adaptation of Lorca's play (1934). It follows the story of an unnamed protagonist and her partner John. The main character, referred hence as she/her, is desperate to have a baby - she convinces John (who is reluctant at first) to try for children. As the months fly by, illuminated by interludes of traditional Spanish singing with projections, it soon becomes obvious that it will not work. She becomes more and more desperate as a range of characters dip in and out of the relationship:
Her mother (Helen) - Representing social pressures on women to have babies, her mother is very quick to redouble her efforts to conceive - constantly comparing her to her more successful sister and providing cynical, spiteful comments toward both her and John. This feeling is heightened by the clinical, professional relationship the two have as clearly highlighted in a scene in which she begs Helen to hug her.
Her co-worker (Des) - Representing the younger, less judging generation who are more receiving of a woman without child, Des is her closest friend and often the voice of reason in the chaos of the play. Des is also her only link to normality and encourages her to post more on the blog - something both Mary and John despise when this blog delves into her personal life.
Her sister (Mary) - An embodiment of jealousy and spite who brings out the worst in her. Mary, sister of her, is nothing short of a baby-making-machine. In the first half of the play, Mary continually brings new babies to meet their aunt - much to her agony. This jealousy and resentment builds until towards the end of the play, Mary has a miscarriage. She writes on her blog that she is secretly happy about the miscarriage and is relieved her sister could not conceive, a truth that destroys their relationship.
Her ex-boyfriend (Victor) - An embodiment of desire, nostalgia, loss and longing for what could have been. Victor is an old boyfriend of hers who ends up working as a journalist in the same firm. After a (very) awkward reunion, we learn that Victor and her actually had an abortion around a decade before the events of the play. She is convinced this was a good move at the start but the wistful longing of what could have been drives her to beg Victor to have sex in a high-energy crazy scene set at a music festival.
Total Dramatic Intention.
AQA helpfully defines TDI as:
"The overall aim or purpose of a dramatic piece, encompassing the message, themes, and overall effect the creators (or the chosen practitioner, in the case of devised work) want to convey to the audience. It's the "why" behind the performance, guiding the choices made in every aspect of the production, from the script to the design and performance."
To therefore break this down in the context of Yerma:
Aim - Simon Stone wanted to make Lorca's text (which is frankly stuffy and misogynistic), more accessible and relevant to the modern day audience.
Purpose - The purpose of Yerma as a play is to encourage and promote discussions about motherhood. Stone wants his audience to truly think about their views on parents. this is reflected in the unconciois bias i felt towards her and john.
Message - I think the central message of Yerma is to question the culture of viewing women as being required to have babies. This damages both the mothers and wider socrity.
Themes - Jealousy, motherhood, longing, obsession, soceital pressure, chikdbirth, family.
Overall Effect - The overall effect on me was extremelt moving and powerful. The descrnt into madness after a long period of obsession was perfectly timed. I would write about her, played by billie piper, in a live theatre question.