c/w

Act two Scene 1

As a performer, explain and justify how you would perform the role of Liz Morden from the
beginning of the scene until the end of the scene to reveal your interpretation.

When performing the role of Liz in Act two Scene 1, where some of the convicts have been placed in
jail due to stealing, I would want to represent the awareness that Liz has, of the hanging that awaits
her. Contextually in the 18th century, criminals were being exiled to the Australian penal colonies,
some for smaller, relatively more insignificant crimes, and those who committed more major crimes
would be executed, as opposed to having to embark on the long voyage. Within the scene, the
audience can see a shift in Liz’s persona with her being more vulnerable with the other convicts,
when sharing her the story of her past. When stating the line, ‘He don’t want me’, I would use my
vocal skills clearly to present her hurt and feelings of rejection that she felt from her brother to the
audience. I would use a softer, weaker tone of voice with a lower volume and pitch. My diction would
be slightly mumbled, almost as if she is talking to herself when stating this line. By using my physical
skills when stating this line, I would close off my stance and body language and hunch over forward
slightly with my posture, bowing my head over towards the floor. This would therefore represent
further her anguish and torment that she feels from her childhood and past as it is seen to still affect
her.

Within this scene, she appears to reflect on her past experiences with her father. When stating the
line ‘That night, I take my dad’s cudgel and try to kill him,’ I would use my performing skills to impact
the audience and make the audience understand the torment that continuously faces. With the part,
‘try to kill him’, I would use my facial expressions in an angry demeanour and manner by frowning my
eyebrows and piercing my eyes towards the audience almost squinting, focusing my eyes at one spot
towards me in a gaze. I would use my vocal skills by using a harsh tone of voice which is loud in
volume, with clear diction and resonance whilst stating this line through the grit of my teeth to
convey clearly to the audience, how much the challenges in her past are haunting her. When stating
the line, ‘if they say you’re a thief, you’re a thief’, directing towards Wisehammer, I would use my
performing skills to highlight her anger towards the system and treatment of the convicts within the
ship. To present this clearly to the audience, I would pace my speech slowly to highlight the
importance of every word that she is saying with a pause after the first line ‘If they say you’re a thief’.
As well, I would throw my hands up and face them towards the ceiling to present the lack of control
that she has over her future and what is accused of her.

Moreover, within this scene, through my acting skills, I would want to represent the context of the
18th century clearly to the audience, about living conditions for convicts in the penal colonies,
highlighting the unsanitary and harsh conditions that the prisoners would have to live in. To highlight
this clearly to the audience, when stating the line, ‘Jesus Christ, the hunger on the ship, sailors won’t
touch me.’ I would implement my physical skills by using my hand gestures by clutching at my
stomach in a weak manner, with a hunched over posture and head bent over facing towards the
floor, representing the pain that she feels due to the conditions on board the ship, creating a sense of
sympathy for Liz from the audience. When Liz and the other convicts get visited by Sideway and Mary
Brenham, to rehears the play, Liz states the line ‘Get out!’ in response to this. When stating this line, I
would want to illustrate to the audience through my performing skills, the heightened emotions that
Liz would be feeling in response to knowing that she is going to be hung and is seen to reject the idea
of rehearsing a play when she is in these circumstances. I would use my vocal skills by using a loud
volume and harsh, assertive tone of voice.