for Theater students

1. DIRECTING AND DESIGN
PROPOSAL FOR TRIFLES

2. INTRODUCTION
This play can be deemed as one act play written by Susan Glaspell
in 1916.
Susan Glaspell was a renowned writer and famous for her short
stories and literacy circles.
She was born in 1976 in Lowa, USA, and won various awards due
to her two important works such as “A Jury of her peers” and
“Trifles”.
Both of these works of her are based on her experience in a court
room as a reporter of murder trial in 1900s.
This report highlights some of important aspects of this play in the
eye of director.

3. SPINE OF THE PLAY
• SPINE OF THE PLAY IS DEEMED AS MAJOR ACTION DETERMINED BY THE GOAL OR PRIMARY
OBJECTIVES FOR ALL PLAYERS IN A PLAY, BOTH COLLECTIVELYAS WELL AS INDIVIDUALLY.
• SPINE OF THIS PLAY FOCUSES ON FEMINISM AND SHOWED PARTICULAR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
WOMEN AND MEN.
• THIS PLAY SHOWS THAT PATRIARCHY SOCIETY IN WHICH MALES ARE DOMINATED KNOW
LITTLE ABOUT STRUGGLES HARD WORK AND TRAILS.
• REAL STRUGGLE IS DONE BY WOMEN WHO WORK HARD FOR THE FAMILYAT HOME AS WELLAS
OUTSIDE THE HOUSE TO MEET THEIR BASIC NEEDS (ANGEL, 1997).
• MEN ALWAYS CONSIDER THEMSELVES AS HARD WORKER AND GIVE LITTLE CREDIT TO WOMEN
WHO PLACE EQUAL ROLE IN BUILDING A SOCIETY.

4. KIND OF DIRECTOR
• THERE ARE THREE MAIN TYPES OF DIRECTORS WHO HAVE DIFFERENT LENSES SUCH AS TECHNICAL DIRECTORS, PERFORMANCE DIRECTORS AND
THE NEW DIRECTORS.
• TECHNICAL DIRECTORS USED TO SPEND MOST OF THEIR TIME WITH TECHNICAL TEAM DURING SHOTS AND SCENES TO OBSERVE TECHNICAL
ASPECTS IN A PROJECT.
• SUCH DIRECTORS ALSO USED TO SPEND LESS TIME WITH ACTORS AND IN GIVING DIRECTIONS. IN OTHER WORDS, THEY HAVE COMMUNICATION
GAP WITH ACTORS WHICH CAN LEAD TO POOR PERFORMANCE OF PLAY (MUSTAZZA, 1989).
• TECHNICAL DIRECTORS ADOPT LAISSEZ FAIRE LEADERSHIP STYLE AND PERMIT ACTORS TO ACT ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN WISH.
• ON THE OTHER HAND, PERFORMANCE DIRECTORS HAVE GREAT CONCERN TOWARDS ACTING BY ACTORS AND UNDERSTANDS THE MENTALITY OF
THEM. PERFORMANCE DIRECTORS ARE COOPERATIVE, WANT TO WORK IN A COLLABORATIVE WAY AND ALIGN EVERYTHING IN A PROJECT.
• THEY ALSO SPEND TIME WITH TECHNICAL TEAM AND DIRECT THEM ACCORDING TO PLAY NEED. NEW DIRECTORS ARE DEEMED AS NEW IN THE
FIELD OF DIRECTION AND HAVE LITTLE INFORMATION. IN A PLAY PROJECT, NEW DIRECTORS CAN BE FOUND IN DIFFERENT PERSONALITIES SUCH
AS WRITERS, EDITORS, ACTOR, DOP AND PRODUCER.

5. CONTINUED
• FOR THIS PLAY, I WILLACT AS MIXTURE OF BOTH PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR AS WELLAS
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR AND WILL SHOW MY COMPLETE CONCERNS FOR CREW OF TECHNICAL
ASPECTS AS WELLAS THINKING AND MIND SET OF ACTORS.
• I WILL GIVE MY BEST DURING MAKING OF PLAYAND WILL TRY MY BEST TO DO EVERYTHING
WITH THE LENSES OF A GOOD DIRECTOR.
• IN TRIFLES, IT CAN BE SEEN THAT ALL ACTORS WHO WERE TRYING TO ENTER IN A FARMHOUSE
WERE HINDERS BECAUSE OF MURDER OF TWO IMPORTANT PEOPLE SUCH AS JOHN WRIGHT
WHO WAS THE OWNER OF FARMHOUSE.
• WIFE OF WRIGHT IS IN PRISONER AND ALLEGED OF MURDER.
• THIS SCENE MAKES SENSE AND CREATE SENSE FOR EMOTIONS AND GLOOMY PICTURE OF PLAY.

6. • IN ADDITION TO IT, WHEN ATTORNEY ENTERED
IN THE KITCHEN, HE CAN SEE DIRTY AND
MESSY KITCHEN WHICH WAS NOT CLEANED BY
MANY WEEKS.
• HE SAW ROLLER TOWEL AS WITH NO CLEAN
SPOTS WHICH REVEALED OWNER HAD LOST
INTEREST IN KEEPING WORK AT HOME OR IN
THE KITCHEN.
• WRITER OF THIS PLAY HAS BROAD VISION FOR
THIS PLAY AND DIRECTED EVERYTHING IN A
PERFECT WAY AS SCENES WERE ALIGNED WITH
HER DIRECTION.
• I WILL MAKE CERTAIN CHANGES DURING
DIRECTION SUCH AS I WILL LET ACTORS
UNDERSTAND THE PLAY AND PROVIDE THEIR
SUGGESTIONS. PERFECT SCENES WILL BE
CREATED ACCORDING TO DIRECTION ASPECTS.
CONTINUED

7. REAL
THEATER
PLACE
It is important to consider environment because it leads to
investigation of different forms and styles of theatre building.
There are five basic stage arrangements which have their own
pros and cons such as (1) the proscenium, or picture-frame,
stage; (2) the arena, or circle, stage; (3) the thrust stage with
three-quarters seating; 3 (4) created and found stage spaces;
and (5) all-purpose or “black box” theatre spaces, out of
which a version of any one of the other four can be created
(Marker, Marker, & Lise-Lone, 1989).

8. CONTINUED
• FOR THIS PLAY, I SELECTED THE THEATRE AT ACE HOTEL DUE TO VARIOUS FACTORS INCLUDING
LOCATION AND SPACE PROVIDED BY HOTEL TEAM. THIS THEATRE WAS BUILT IN 1927 AND SITUATED
IN LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES.
• THIS THEATER HELPS IN ARRANGING FIVE KINDS OF SPACES AND DEEMED AS USEFUL. WHAT I THINK
IS BLACK BOX SPACE CAN BE CREATED FOR THIS PLAYAS IT WILL SUIT IT.
• IN THIS PLAY, I ONLY NEED ON LOCATION WITH IMPORTANT THINGS IT CAN BE A ROOM IN WHICH
KITCHEN CAN BE SET AND REST OF THE AREA CAN BE USED FOR DISCUSSION. AFTER READING THIS
PLAY, I ALSO WATCHED DIFFERENT VIDEOS WHICH SHOWED BODY LANGUAGE WHICH ALSO HELPED
ME TO UNDERSTAND THE BODY LANGUAGE AND SETTING FOR THE PLAY SCENE.
• IT IS A ONE ACT PLAY WHICH CAN BE PERFORMED IN ANY THEATRE, BUT MY PREFERENCE IS THE
THEATRE AT ACE HOTEL BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN THERE FOR TWO TIMES AND EVERY TIME MY
EXPERIENCE WAS GOOD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER.

9. UNIQUE DIRECTORIAL CONCEPT
• DIRECTORIAL CONCEPT IS DEEMED AS CONTROLLING IDEA OR PERSPECTIVE THAT THE DIRECTOR
FEELS IS PERFECT FOR THE PLAYAND IT CREATES UNIQUE EXPERIENCE FOR AUDIENCE (WILSON &
GOLDFARB, 1991).
• FOR ME, SPACE, LOCATION AND ACTORS ARE IMPORTANT CONCEPTS IN VIEW OF DIRECTION. TAKING
ABOUT CONCEPT AND PERIOD, DIFFERENT DIRECTORS CAN GIVE DIFFERENT TEMPEST SUCH AS ONE
MAY TAKE A TRADITIONAL APPROACH, ONE CAN TAKE MODERN APPROACH AND ONE CAN TAKE STAR
WAR APPROACH.
• I WILL TAKE MODERN APPROACH RATHER THAN TRADITIONAL APPROACH AND WILL DIRECT THIS
PLAY IN VIEW OF MODERN AUDIENCE. CENTRAL IMAGE OF THIS PLAY WILL BE FEMINISM, WOMEN
ABUSE AND RIGHTS FOR THE WOMEN WHO STRUGGLE EQUAL TO MEN (BEN-ZVI, 2007).

10. REFERENCE
ANGEL, M. (1997). SUSAN GLASPELL'S TRIFLES AND A JURY OF HER PEERS: WOMAN
ABUSE IN A LITERARY AND LEGAL CONTEXT. BUFF. L. REV., 45, 779.
BEN-ZVI, L. (2007). SUSAN GLASPELL: HER LIFE AND TIMES: OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS.
MARKER, F. J., MARKER, L.-L., & LISE-LONE, M. (1989). IBSEN'S LIVELY ART: A
PERFORMANCE STUDY OF THE MAJOR PLAYS: CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS.
MUSTAZZA, L. (1989). GENERIC TRANSLATION AND THEMATIC SHIFT IN SUSAN
GLASPELL'S" TRIFLES" AND" A JURY OF HER PEERS". STUDIES IN SHORT FICTION, 26(4),
489.
WILSON, E., & GOLDFARB, A. (1991). THEATER: THE LIVELY ART: MCGRAW-HILL.