A Conversation with 1927

This afternoon I had the pleasure of listening and participating in a conversation with the talented members of the acting troop 1927, creators of Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Conducted by CBS correspondent Martha Teichner, the conversation explored the troops origins, inspirations, and aspirations. Below are some of the ideas I gleaned that could be helpful in shaping and creating innovative ideas for the classroom.


Item #1: Facial Expressions, A Visual Reference for Artists by Mark Simon Paul Barritt (head of film and animation) said that they had used this book as a source for creating some of the dramatic faces that were seen in the play. Teaching Idea: This book will be a great resource when I am teaching students about indirect characterization in literature. I also plan to use it as a journal entry in creative writing. Students will select a series of facial expressions and write a vignette based on their selection of facial expressions. Click here to view a more detailed description of the book on Amazon.

Item #2: I asked members of the troop how the medium of digitally projected images impacted their creative process. Suzanne Andrade stated that it is restrictive but that they like the discipline it requires them to implement as actors. She did report that the medium of the projected image also created moments of inspiration. An example of this occured when Esme Appleton decided to pretend she was sawing a moon. The members of the troop liked this idea and incorporated it into the performance by having Paul Barritt change the projected image so it looked like Esme's character was sawing the moon.


Item #3: Paul Barritt was asked about how he ages his films so they look like vintage films from the silent film era. He reported looks at old films and collects samples of the crackles in the film. "I can just watch crackle" all day long.


Item #4: Origin of the "sinster characters".
Suzanne Andrade was asked about where she found the inspiration for the two sinster characters in the play. She informed the audience that they were inspired by the creepy sisters in Kubrick's film, The Shining.

creepy sisters from The Shining

the sinsters from Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Item #5: Satirist Chris Morris One of the inspirations sited by the troop members was Chris Morris, a British satirist. They referred to one of his fake documentaries that dealt with the fictitious drug, Cake. The spoof inspired one government official to take up the dangers of this "drug" before the House of Commons. This might be a satirist I could refer to or use in my satire unit next year.