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On 22nd March 2016, I saw ‘Woman In Black’ directed by Robin Hereford, at the Fortune Theatre. The script was adapted by Stephen Mallatratt, and based on the book by Susan Hill. At first, the plot follows the quest of the character Arthur Kipps, to portray his story and experiences onstage to the audience, with the help of an actor. However, eventually the audience become fully immersed in Kipps’ story, and the Actor character portraying him (Malcolm James), whilst the initial Kipps character takes on the role of Actor (Matt Connor), portraying various people of Crythin Gifford. One of the most striking elements of the play, for me, was the effective use of Poor Theatre. I was surprised how such tense atmospheres, and moods like intense fear and shock were created for the audience by just two actors and a small amount of multi-functional props, by willing the audience to suspend their disbelief and use their imaginations to create locations and images.  

At the beginning of the play especially, the performers have to create two distinct atmospheres for the audience – the atmosphere of the story, and the atmosphere of the theatre. The distinction between the characters within the story, and the two performers’ actual characters of Arthur Kipps the old man, and the arrogant actor, needs to be made clear, for the multi-roleplaying aspect of the play to be effective, and for the audience to suspend their disbelief. Connor effectively changes the atmosphere for the audience by changing from the character Tomes, to his original character of Arthur Kipps. To portray the character of Tomes, Connor adopts a very low posture, with a hunched back and a slight limp. When he leads the character of Kipps to Mr Bentley’s office, he moves slowly, in an over-exaggerated way. This contrasts Connor’s physicalisation of the Kipps character, who moves in a quick, small, reserved way, and leads with his forehead when he moves, making him appear reserved. The character of Kipps also appears more nervous – on the line ‘Do I do alright? Will it pass?’, Connor furrows his brow and inclines his head towards James, in a worried manner. He also fiddles with his own hands to express this nervousness. The two characters’ voices are also distinctly different – Connor adopts a gruff voice with a Northern accent when portraying Tomes, but speaks with an accent more akin to Received Pronunciation when portraying Arthur Kipps. The actor uses his performance skills to effectively portray two different character, which alters the atmosphere of the piece, quickly and effectively. 

Another moment, in which I thought the actors used their performance skills to alter the mood of the play, was when Kipps asks Jerome for an assistant for his work in Eel Marsh House, and a mood of panic is created. The tension of the scene is built gradually by Connor, the actor adopting the role of Jerome. When the idea is first suggested, and Kipps says, ‘I shall have to have some help’, the shift in Connor’s physicality is noticeable, but subtle at the same time. He portrays his shock at Kipps’ suggestion by increasing the proxemics between him and the actor playing Kipps, by suddenly shifting his chair back and leaning away from him. He makes the character’s panic elicit in his facial expression, by forming his mouth into a small ‘o’ shape, widening his eyes slightly and staring at Kipps, and furrowing his brow so they pull up towards the middle. After staring at Kipps for a few seconds, the actor uses his performance skills to show Jerome trying to regain his composure. He stands up, and walks behind the chair so he’s facing away from Kipps, and without retaining eye contact with him, says ‘I’m afraid I can’t offer you any help Mr Kipps’. The actor’s agitation becomes clearer and clearer throughout the scene, as he becomes less able to control it. On the line ‘this is a small place - young people leave – there are no openings’, the actor makes his voice shake, and pauses before the word ‘leave’, to swallow, as if he can’t keep his throat steady. He employs mannerisms like holding his two fingers to his forehead and closing his eyes, in an attempt to portray a slow outer tempo, but his quick inner tempo is betrayed by shaking of his hands. Failed attempts to slow this inner tempo are made clear by the actor’s use of sharp, shallow breaths between his words, to show the audience his distress. This distress is also made clear by the actors movement, pacing directly and quickly backwards and forwards. The tension that had gradually been created culminates in a burst of anger on the Actor’s part – one the line ‘you will find no one suitable’, the Actor swings round to directly face Kipps, clenches his fist into a tight ball at either side of him, uses his facial expressions to widen his eyes even more than before, and furrow his brow deeper. He uses his vocal skills to shout the line at Kipps. This build-up of tension, then its eventual release through the shout, alters the mood of the piece, and portrays an atmosphere of panic.  

One of the play’s best examples of an atmosphere of building tension, in my opinion, is Kipps’ nightmare. Kipps starts the scene very still, on the floor curled up in the foetal position, with his knees tucked up near his chin. This position makes him seem vulnerable and childlike, and makes the audience see him a susceptible to his imminent delirium. The voice-overs are described as a ‘whirling nightmare’, and the sound effects are used to make the voices louder throughout the nightmare. The rhythm of the ‘clip-clop’ of the pony and trap increases, matching Kipps’ inner tempo. Kipps increasing distress whilst asleep is made clear to the audience at first by subtle tremors of his limbs, which develop into full convulsions of the body as the nightmare develops. Kipps’ begins to thrash about the floor, moving head his from side to side in an indirect, sudden manner, clutching the blanket in fear and desperation. The pace of his breathing matches the increasing pace of the pony and trap rhythm – the audience can see his chest heave up and down in an increasingly exaggerated manner. At the climax, Kipps snaps his eyes wide open, suddenly sits bolt upright, with his hands cupped round his ears, and screams ‘Stella’, the pitch and dynamic of his voice making his fear elicit to the audience.  

Building an atmosphere of tension, or an increasing mood of panic or fear is intrinsic o the effectiveness of ‘Woman in Black’ as a piece – the audience’s response relies on the performer’s creations of these atmospheres, and how they alter them. In my opinion, both Matt Connor and Malcolm James were very successful in their altering of atmospheres and moods – the whole audience responded very clearly to them – and I, for one, was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the performance.