1 THE CYBERSCENE PROJECT COOKIES RESOURCE PACK Commissioned by the Theatre Royal Haymarket Masterclass Trust In Collaboration with Kidscape Sections 1, 2 & 3 have been written and curated by Lucy Curtis A further two extension sections have been written and curated by Education Consultant Susie Ferguson 2 Viewing Sheet: Cookies by Emily Jenkins This resource is intended for use with the film of Cookies, recorded at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. It aims to highlight key aspects for discussion between students and teachers as they analyse the performance. 00.00.49 Stage empty apart from set. Telegraph pole, 4 string of lights which will change in lighting state throughout the play. Proscenium arch, dark floor. 00.00.52 A male member of the ensemble walks stage, on using his palm as a phone, and ‘swipes’, then smiles. Different characters enter and exit, one by one, all looking at palms and swiping. This becomes a consistent gesture between the ensemble, and is maintained throughout the play. Discussion point: Why has the director decided not to use real phones? Why might this gesture be more effective? 00.01.22 The use of music creates a sense of the digital or electronic nature of the setting. The movement of the ensemble speeds up, even in the dim lighting – it’s quite anonymous and could represent the thousands of voices and interactions that occur online everyday, between people who have not necessarily met, and might not be who they claim to be. 00.01.54 In the first full ensemble movement of the piece, the ensemble all gather on stage, facing front. Looking for the line, “Shut up. Go kill yourself” – ensemble are all facing front. Discussion point: How does this use of ensemble emphasise the level of intimidation that can occur online? 00.02.00 Recorded dialogue, “Sexting happens a lot. A lot, a lot, a lot”. The ensemble creates tableaux and move with the rhythm of the line “A lot, a lot, a lot”. The choral movement continues as the recorded voiceover continues, “social media added another level to bullying in secondary school. The ensemble are crouched, and bobbing up and down, whilst one boy is grabbed by the arm and cannot continue walking. Discussion point: How does this choreography enhance/extend what the audience are hearing? 00.02.27 “She’ll never take a photo without a filter”. One girl is centre stage with arms in the air in an attention seeking pose. Two people are either side, initially standing and then they gradually crouch, arms outstretched as music increases and decreases in pitch (like a sliding scale), giving the impression of a scanner or filter. Her contrasting confident and self conscious poses emphasise the way in which she is filtering her image and why she is doing it. 00.04.13 Creation of the 333 bus. Note how the transition includes sound, the video projection and the movement of some performers to create the bus. Sosa’s monologue to audience, with a tableau of the passengers on the bus as she speaks. Listen carefully to the use of sound effects to enhance the suggestion of location. 3 00.05.30 “Go back to where you came from”. Look at the way in which the movement of the ensemble amplify what the racist man is saying by their use of hand gesture. During this section, draw attention to the way in which the spit is created through both movement and sound. 00.07.07 Salena and her friend go shopping. “I am riding high. Two girls in headscarves”. Sound effects of Westfield shopping centre. Draw attention to the recorded sound effects which help create a sense of location on a non-naturalistic set. 00.08.15 This is the introduction of Rayah, who walks downstage as she speaks to Salena. Distance is maintained between them to emphasise that they are interacting online (compared to the physical proximity of Salena with her friend at Westfield.) 00.10.08 Simon and JC are discussing Eva: look at how the relationship between the friends is created. The ensemble are lying on the floor – as if in a war zone – the boys are playing Call of Duty. The photos of Eva are ‘scrolled’ using the same motif of using a palm as if it’s a phone, but a much bigger gesture than before. Draw attention to how the cyclorama is used here: both boys look upwards as if the photos are in the air in front of them. It suggests the enormity of what’s in front of them and what they’re seeing. Pay attention to the electronic sound here. 00.14.19 Simon sends the photos to J.C. 00.14.44 This is a key moment to demonstrate the strength of effective transition. The music and movement of the boys playing Call of Duty, and Eva’s dance tutorial creates a very effective segue into Eva’s scene. Dance With Eva: “lock and load…whoa!” – the transition between the game of Call of Duty and the web dance tutorial. In the background (on the cyclorama) the viewing numbers keeping increasing. Pay close attention here to the content of the monologue and what is being shown on the cyclorama. 00.16.50 At this point, Eva sees the nude pictures on Facebook. The cyclorama images suggest the content of the pictures. Pay close attention to the use of vocal skills and gesture/mannerism to create a sympathetic response from the audience. 00.17.53 Salena and Rayah. “So, how was your birthday?” Discussion point: these two girls have not met in person. What different ways does the director and designer use to create the impression that they are communicating online? (perhaps draw attention to the fact that it does not involve any kind of miming of typing or texting) 00.20.20 Eva: “Simon? WTF?” She is upstage centre, standing, whilst he’s sitting downstage centre. Note the variety of movement towards him at different points of her messages and the different tones and pitches of voice that she uses. Other characters crawl towards him. Imploring hand gestures. 00.28.00 Salena’s monologue: “Beneath my single duvet sheet” (Image of Zayn Malik on the cyclorama). Draw attention to the way in which the ensemble interact to create Salena’s bed and how they then transition to create a wedding scene as Rayah says, “my wedding was just like that.” 4 Discussion point: what elements of the interaction between Salena and Rayah might start to emphasise the growing closeness and trust between the two girls? 00.33.58 “Sister, there’s been an attack”. The ensemble start to move and the soundtrack is used to help build tension. Draw attention her to the way in which the space is now being used to contrast the growing tension in the various different strands of narrative (the boys, Sosa, Salena and Rayah) 00.34.48 MakDown has been stabbed 00.35.08 Salena narrates the attack: listen closely to the soundtracking here. We hear that Islamic State has taken responsibility. Discussion point: how are you, as the audience, responding at this point? What particular things have the performers done to create that response? 00.38.24 Salena shouts “Rayah!”, Rayah walks purposefully from upstage to downstage centre and sits cross-legged on the floor. The tone of her voice has changed – it is colder and more formal when she says, “Salam”. Draw attention to how the gradual changes are being made to Rayah’s character as her voice and physicality changes, as well as her costume becoming increasingly conservative. The light is now yellow. Salena is behind Rayah, as they started to disagree they are now unable to make eye contact as they did previously. This shows the way in which their relationship is now fracturing. Ask students to identify other ways their relationship is shown to be fracturing. 00.40.01 The stabbing: “I pressed my hands against my belly”. Draw attention to the transition from centre stage conversation with Salena and Rayah, to the down stage left action. “I can’t plug the leak” The ensemble are mostly sat in the stage left and stage right space towards the wings but start to move into position in a formation that suggests a crowd. They crowd downstage left and all hold their palms as if filming with a mobile phone. There are quick flashes of white light as if they are taking photographs of Macdown as she lies bleeding. The ensemble is totally frozen. “They’re just standing here, not helping”. The completely still poses held by the ensemble emphasise their inaction, whilst her speech and actions become more frantic and fragmented. She makes more animated hand gestures. The ensemble pulls away slightly as she challenges them, and then carries on filming. Discussion: how have director Anna Ledwich and Movement Director Natasha Khanijani used the ensemble to highlight the intensity of this scene? How have they maintained Sosa’s isolation despite having so many people around her? 00.40.50 Note the quick transition of audience’s attention to the other side of the stage – Eva is now wearing a hoodie, so that her body is more covered than it was previously. The hoodie is light grey, contrasting sharply with the pink crop top and the dance top with black and grey sparkly sleeves, which also revealed a lot of her midriff, earlier in the play. The hoodie is also baggy, suggesting a need to cover up. 00.41.55 Voiceover, “hey, Eva fans”. She repeats her dance moves whilst the crowd around her use the palm-as-phone motif. and take photos etc. 00.42.56 Voice, using distortion, “you must be so embarrassed, I would be.” Suddenly the ensemble has gone and Eva is left alone stage right, and three of the ensemble do thrusting and pumping actions whilst standing slightly left of centre stage. The voice 5 says, “ha ha ha” in quite a robotic, and sinister, way, and the dim lighting on the three performers makes the anonymous nature of the abuse even more intimidating. Discussion point: how does the lighting and sound here contribute to the mood and atmosphere of the scene? How does it also help with the transition to Salena’s scene which comes next? 00.43.45 Selina centre stage, Sosa downstage left, Eva is stage left. Draw attention to how these different stories start to intersect. This is a good opportunity to examine the structure of the piece and how the different stories maintain pace and tension throughout, particularly in such a text-heavy piece. 00.43.52 Sosa’s monologue rapidly gains intensity. Listen closely to how the tension builds through the use of sound and ensemble speech. It’s also worth noting how Sosa uses this downstage area of the stage where the ‘stabbing’ occurred earlier. Look closely at her mannerisms and gestures here. 00.44.44 “Salam Salena” Rayah’s costume has changed. She is now in a grey jilbab and same hijab as before. The suggestion is that she continues to be increasingly radicalised. Analyse the way in which the jilbab might represent the way in which Rayah herself is being radicalised, and the lack of freedoms that she now has. How has her speech and physicality changed from the beginning of the play to this point? 00.45.55 “I have some friendly advice. Go kill yourself”. Three boys mime actions to create the visual ideas from the electronically altered voice. Eva is still alone, isolated on stage. 00.48.39 “It’s the silence that’s the worst” (said by Eva). Pay attention here to the way in which she uses vocal skills and how she is seated on stage. Previously she has been mostly standing, dancing or moving so a discussion about how her character has changed throughout the play may be appropriate here. 00.53.19 Sosa: a video replay of her holding MakDown’s body, created by the ensemble who are all back in place whilst Sosa stands stage right (?). Discussion point: how could you describe this scene to someone who has not seen the play? The staging is fairly complicated to explain. This might be an appropriate scene with which to practice those written skills. 00.58.51 Eva gets more messages telling her to kill herself. She makes quick jagged movements. She runs backwards and falls to the floor, to symbolise her suicide attempt. Ask students to watch the use of lighting here to symbolise the fracturing or malfunction of the mode of communication. How does it enhance what the performers are doing at this point? Take note of the ensemble starting to return to the stage. 01.01.06 From this point, the different points of story start to converge again. Look closely at how the use of lighting delineates various different points of the stage. 01.09.07 Listen to the way in which the style of music has changed during these different monologues. The use of string music helps to create a sense of positivity, and the sense that changes can be made. It may be worth replaying the opening moments of the piece to contrast the significant differences in mood and atmosphere. 01.11.30 Blackout Discussion point: what are students’ thoughts and feelings at the end of this play? What, in particular, are they most struck by? 6 Take a look at the following description from the script by Emily Jenkins and use it as a basis for evaluation. What are the different ways that the creative team have brought this idea to life? We are in a war zone. It is not literal or realistic. It should be stylized and always feel urban and contemporary. Rap music and pop music join the voices and battlefield sounds. 7
