Revolution Arts: Images of the Dust Bowl used for the projection in...

Revolution Arts: Images of the Dust Bowl used for the projection in...

Music used in the production

"Down to the river to pray" was the main song that used in our 'Grapes Of Wrath' performance. This song is very effective for this play as it shows how calm things were before they dust bowl came. It was before all of the of the job losses and people dying due to no food. It is used right at the start of the performance when they are rounding up the crops. The other song which was used in this was "Travelling On" which was sung by Ma. This was really effective as well as it showed the character of Ma's emotion and how hard it is to leave something so special to you behind because you have been forced out.

Relationship document of Tom Joad 2

Al Joad heads back to uncle John and when he says "did you bust out of jail?" and Tom replies "no i got let out" Al doesn't care about him any more. The relationship between these two isn't the best even tho he is his brother there connection isn't like the connection between Pa and Tom and Ma and Tom and even the relationship between Uncle John and Tom. Al believes that Tom shouldn't be able just to come back into the family and regain all the power because he has been in jail for four years. Al believes that he should have the power because he believes that he should have the power because he isn't a young boy anymore. This is shown in Al's monologue -

Revolution Arts: Al's Monologue (writing in role)

Writing in role 2

It was a sad morning, I saw gram-pa die this morning, it made me think how short life is. Grampa was so miserable but he made people laugh so much, i miss him already as i feel empty knowing that someone so powerful in our family has left us but he didnt leave us as his decision he was taken away from us. I remember this one time he laughed so hard he threw a hip out of joint laughing. 

I dont think that i will ever forget this day again, i had to lift his dead body up with Al, Uncle John and Pa it felt like it was my final moments with him even tho he was dead, them last few moment of carrying away grampa was like seeing his whole life before my own eyes. I need to calm my anger and keep out of trouble, i dont wanna be buried like grampa im too young.

Character Profile

Name: Tom Joad 

Age: 25

Height: 5:10

Place of birth: Sallisaw, Oklahoma 

Siblings: Al Joad, Rose of Sharron Joad, Noah Joad, Winfield Joad.

Parents: Tom Joad Sr, Ma Joad 

Offence committed:Murder -
Suspect used object which was a shovel to beat the other suspect who had a knife in his hand, the man with the knife was killed. 

Offenders account of what happened: I was at a barn dance a fella came onto me and started to act up i wasn't taking any of it, he had a knife on me so i picked up a shovel which was laying on the floor smashed his head plum to a squash, fella was dead, deserved everything he got. God damn fool, who does he think he is to do that to me.

Relationship document of Tom Joad 1

Tom Joad has a strong relationship with Reverent Jim Casey and Ma as well. Tom meets Jim Casey on the road when hes heading back from being in jail, this is when they start to bond and the relationship between them grows strong. The two characters reflect as reverent Jim Casey is a calm and peaceful man who tries to see the best out of everyone, as much as Tom can also be calm when wound up hes very short tempered which resulted in him killing someone with a shovel which he mentions to Jim Casey. Also Jim Casey shows a lot of regret from the things that he has does in the past such as "taking girls out on the grass and laying with them" and makes a point of saying that he felt "guilty" and he would "pray and pray" to try and make things better. But when Tom talks about what happened with him killing a man he shows he has no regret in what he did, he made a point of saying "id do what i did again" showing the he also has no mercy. Toms relationship with Ma is very strong as Tom looks up to Ma as she is very wise, she gives Tom advise about the way that he should live his life and the changes he should make. He need to control his anger which he promised Ma that he would do. Ma says to him "you promised me Tom" he then replies "I'm trying ma."
Ma then goes on to tell him that she thinks that he should leave once he tried to kill the two men, this shows that Ma only wants the best from Tom as its best for him to go away and live peacefully on his own.

Evaluation of the dress rehearsal

Rehearsal started of with people taking as much time as they could possible when saying lines and stopping when not knowing lines instead of improvising. Once we started to keep going over it people started to think that the show starts later tonight and really started to focusing on the lines they had to say and if they skip a line improvise it which really helps. The costumes also really are use full to rehearse in as people start to feel more like there character and it start to also build there confidence up as well. By the night the rehearsals had really helped in costume as people really started to figure that it had got serious and they need to perform up to there full potential.

Writing in role 1

I feel like things are different since i came out, at times i was back in mac yano. I feel that i cant look at the outside the same since ive come out as its so different to what it used to be. Im starving and i havent had much to eat, fella eats in jail ya see and i just feel at times things would be better if i was there. Dont get me wrong i would miss Ma and Pa a hell of alot and the rest of the fambly to, i couldnt do that to them again Ma would be heartbroken i couldnt put her throu that again, it aint fair. 

I need a smoke, i feel week, i havent had a smoke in a hell of a time and it feels so wrong not to be in a cell. I had time to think about the things that have happened in my life and i have no regret on the actions that i have chosen in the pas'. The fambly mean everything to me, and im gon try my hardest to get them through this and i hope they look back and see i was a good man at heart.

Different scene interactions 4

I personally feel that the best scene of the play is the third time that Tom and Ma talk about Tom attempting to kill somebody after Jim Casey was murdered by the two men. Ma says "did you kill them" and Tom replies "i dunno but i tired to" Ma feels that its best to go and worries that she isn't going to be able to see Tom ever again. She says "how am i going to know about you" and Tom replies "its going to be the same everywhere we go ma, theirs people starving every its not going to change" i feel that this point really completes the play as they start to figure out that where ever they go its always going to be people that are dying and that are starving and that's there is no money anymore. I feel this piece is really moving as Tom has to say goodbye to his ma and he goes to walk off and he runs back and says goodbye as well. The movement is really effective and i feel that it makes very moving as well.

Different scene interactions 3

A really effective scene is the one where all of the family are sitting all around the table and Jim Casey prays before they eat, i feel that this scene shows all of the family coming together before the audience are able to get into it and it engages them into it the story. This is also the part where Pa tells me about Rose of Sharron being pregnant with Connie Rivers. You get to see Al for the first time here as well when he walks across stage as he has been out travelling across the country as Pa says to Tom "Hes been smart alec-ing around the country". I believe that this is the most important part of the play as it really shows the relationships of the characters and them coming together.

Different scene interactions 2

Another scene which i think works really well is the first scene between Tom and Ma as its quite moving as its where Ma is worried about things not being nice in California and not working out when the get there which is what happens in the end. Ma say to Tom "What if things aint right in California" then Tom says "what makes you think that ma?" this leads into a conversation on ma needing to get some faith before they went to California so it doesn't put every bodies hopes down. She also then mentions that she hope that if everyone get work then they could get a nice big white house as well. The way this was staged was brilliant as Tom and Ma move to the front of the stage to engage with the audience. 

Different scene interactions 1

One of the best scenes of the play i think was when my character Tom and Jim Casey are trying to hide from the two men that are after Casey for leading a protest. There isn't the much speech in this scene but i think that it is very powerful as Casey tries to warn them about what they are doing and that there making a big mistake but they kill him. My character of Tom goes crazy when the men say "Jesus George i think you killed him" and the other replies "Served the son of a bitch right". The reason Character of Tom get so annoyed is because Casey took all of the blame for the policeman incident and got put in jail whilst protecting Tom as he was on parole, this shows the strong relationship between Tom and Jim Casey. There wasn't any problem with positioning in this scene at all everyone seemed to work really well with and it went really well if not better than rehearsal in the performance. My favorite bit of this scene is when my character goes metal and beats up both of the men, he also shows in the next scene that he wanted to hurt them bad as ma asks him "did you kill them" and he replies "i dunno but i tried to"