Strictly_Ballroom

How do the following elements, costume, lighting, sound and dialogue help the audience understand the images created in ‘AWAY’' In the play Away the following elements help us understand the images created by Gow. One of the significant elements is the costume, the costume that the characters wear tell us a lot about their personalities and bond (this is shown by having characters wear simular costumes e.g. the big straw hat). One of the perhaps most noticeable change in costume would have to be Coral. Coral goes from being a headmaster’s conservative wife where we imagine her wearing a tailored suit; to being a “free spirit” being seen on the beach wearing a “flowing kaftan, dark glasses and a huge straw hat that is over a scarf” this indicates change in corals image and her image, pretending to be like ‘Kim Novak’ the 60’s movie star. Both Coral and Vic wear big straw hats in the play, this is noticed when Vic comments on how Harry, Tom and she were lucky to have missed the storm with Harry’s reply being “we could have sheltered under your hat”. By now the hat has become a symbol of the protective spirit of women who wear it. Colour in the costumes also gives us information about the characters for example the grey and white school uniforms worn by the children in the last scene suggests to us the conformity, implying to the universality and to somewhat all students everywhere have to wear similar clothing. It also reinforces Corals connection with the sea as her kaftan might be green or blue.