Group Task On Skinheads by Eleanor, D'Nai, Sam, Courteney and I

Hello, viewers! Here is our research into the subculture called 'Skinheads'. I'm sure most of you have heard about this popular subculture. However, do you know the real truth about them? Within our research, you will be given an in depth insight into their way of live and more!

 How are youth subcultures defined?

Youth subcultures are groups within young people, who may be defined by their clothes, work, home, school, family or friends. According to Jordaan in Man in Context (1984), "a subculture group is a social-cultural formation that exists as a sort of island or enclave within the larger society.” Sociologists believe that society is the one who defines the groups, instead of the groups themselves.

When and why do they emerge?

Many historians and sociologists argue about the way in which different sub cultures emerge. The main theory is that when they are forced to enter different social groups for example school, work, and going into a new location. Notice the word ‘forced’ is used meaning these subcultures don’t always desire to be formed.

How are they perceived by society and mass media ?

In 2007 the deaths of three Melbourne teenagers caught the media’s attention. The media exaggerated this issue by involving the EMO sub culture and social networking for the suicide and murders.

Also the language often used in the newspapers (controlled by the media) allows people to paint young people in a different way. This leads to constant stereotypes made by people about these youth subcultures.

 How were they perceived by society and by mass media?

In the song ‘London Skinhead Crew’ by Booze and Glory, it mainly highlights how skinheads are perceived in this day in age. Within the chorus, it talks about the personality and characteristics Skinheads have:

Coz we got nothing else to do – this line demonstrates that they might be quite lazy or feel as they do not have a purpose.

London Skinhead Crew – this line shows that they refer to themselves as a crew. Google’s definition of ‘crew’ is ‘a group of people that work closely together’. This shows that the subculture is quite close and operates together also.

Scars, tattoos, crombie coats, full of trouble – this line highlights the physical characteristics of skinheads and how they behave.

We grew up on dead end streets – definition of ‘dead end streets’ – ‘blind alley: a street with only one way in or out’. This shows that they think that once you’re a skinhead, you won’t be able to stop being one because you grew up with only one way to do things.

Lack of teeth - full of dreams – the phrase “lack of teeth” could mean they maybe get into a lot of fights. This means they could be quite violent at times.

Drinking beer and forever blowing bubbles – “drinking beer” shows that they enjoy alcohol but “forever blowing bubbles” contrasts on how skinheads are presented within the chorus

Booze and Glory - London Skinhead Crew Music Video:

 What images do you associate with the word “skinhead”?

Does this subculture still exist?

Skinheads do still exist. For example, there are underground neo-nazi skinheads that live in Canada. They are treated very unfairly because of the stereotypes and reputation skinheads have. In this article, you will find much more information of treatment of skinheads in Canada.

http://www.featureshoot.com/2013/02/underground-neo-nazi-skinheads-in-canada-photographed-by-brett-gundlock/

When, where and in which social, political and economic contexts did it start?

 

If you were a skinhead, you were a member of a subculture that originated, among the working class youths of London in the 1960s.When most people think of skinheads, the first thing that comes to mind is often a racist Nazi white male with  tattoos all over their body and a generally threatening manner. They might even think of someone like this being involved with the KKK. However originally these was not their intention...

 Lots of the young people, in the 1960s spent their money on high end fashion trends that came from American and  R&B groups, British rock bands, and even movie stars. These young people became known as mods, who would be known for their consumerism, devotion to fashion, music, and scooters, which were a major staple in this subculture. ( A subculture is a social group within a national culture that has a distinctive patterns of behaviour and beliefs)

However not everyone in this time could afford to keep up with these trends. The 'Peacock mods' were the people that always had the latest fashion trends, money and was known to be the least voilent. While the 'hard mods' was more working class: with less money. 

As a matter of fact it started as a reaction against the hippie movement, not race or politics. The first representatives of the movement were greatly influenced by black music imported by immigrants from former Caribbean colonies, Jamaican rude boys and British mods. But by the early 1980s skin heads started to identify them selves with racist/ facist ideas - influenced by the British National Front ( BNF). These views then spread to other parts of the world especially America. Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP), were different type of skinheads and would often fight with racist skinheads. Apart from the different views on politics both groups of skinheads listen to the same music and followed the same fashion trends.

 Did they have a distinctive style?
Hard mods, with the little money they had wore: boots, button down shirts, straight legged jeans and suspenders. If they happened to have money they would wear tonic suits and other classy outfits that they could wear to dance halls where they would enjoy Ska music, rocksteady, and reggae genres. Skinheads often had closely shaven heads (mostly for workforce reasons), which is where the term skinhead came from. By the late 1960s, it was what they were commonly known as.

We found this documentary about skinheads. It demonstrates how the mass media effects youth subcultures and helps us understand the history of skinheads:

4) Skinheads define themselves as superior and respected in the way that they can hate what they want and discriminate what they want without consequences. They also seem themselves as the bullies and that they can bully and hate any race they want. They began their idea of being racist in Scotland and Northern England.

5) The role of young men and women are that they need to show their differences between themselves and who they classify the` disrespectful one`.  The role of young men that were skinheads was leaders and intimidating. Whilst the female skinheads look like the servants that would cut their hair and buy there drinks and cigarettes.

6) Youth culture changed over the years because different skinheads joined together and formed different rules and opinions. There are quite a lot different groups of skinheads that had mixed together to form different parades. Some non-racist groups became racist because they were mixed with racist groups.

Fishers Exercise

Within the fishers exercise, there was a protagonist that we had to follow using peripheral vision whilst in a tight configuration in a group. We had to be organised in the way we followed them. If we couldn't see them, we would use our peripheral vision to watching others to direct us. The protagonist could be either in the centre of the group, on the side or at the front depending on which direction we were facing.

For example, Mr Rennison was at the front of the group. The group was arranged so that the shorter people were at the front and taller people at the back. Whatever Mr Rennison did, we had to follow. After copying a few things that he did, if he rotated 90 degrees clockwise, one of the people that would then be at the front would take on the role of the protagonist and so on. Afterwards, the protagonist could be someone in the middle of he group also.

This exercise really helps to evaluate how to move in synchronised motion and all in unison. Learning how to do this will be a great advantage for us when performing Blackout as the play involves a lot of physical theatre and requires us to work as an ensemble.  

Level 3 of The Game

Within this game, you have to be able to see failure as someone that is not negative.  For example, if someone does something wrong within the game, we should move past from it and carry on with the game.

Although I was absent from doing level 3, I was about to come in for 5 minutes at the end of the game and observe what was going on. As someone who was watching the game, I found it quite interesting as so much was happening all at once. I noticed that people used different voices to express different personas, they were moving around and a ball was being thrown across the room. As a viewer, this showed me that you must have focus on everything that is happening in the room as everything and everyone plays a part. 

I think this game is helpful when rehearsing for blackout as it helps us to get to working as a group and supporting each other. Having these qualities will allow us to perform to the best of our ability collectively and truly portray the character in the best way possible. 

Milling Exercise

During the milling exercise, you have to walk around the room using your peripheral vision and collective responsibility to filling the space. Try your best not to walk in a circle as the could make the exercise seem less realistic and flow less. In order to make the most out of the space you are given, cut through the centre, move sideways and backwards with your body and create spatial relationships with your peers in the room to work together in unison with this exercise.

There are different energy levels in this exercise that you will explore whilst moving around the room:

Level 1 - moving very slowly, observe the space, not slow motion
Level 2 - low energy without emotion
Level 3 - normal pace
Level 4 - frantic/excited
Level 5 - explosion, chaotic

This exercise was created by Jacques Lecoq (December 15th 1921 - January 19th 1999) 

Homework Tasks on 'This Is England' Film

What is your view of how masculinity is defined in the film?
Google's definition of 'masculinity': possession of the qualities traditionally associated with men.


My view of how masculinity is defined in the film 'This Is England' is that not only do the males take on masculine qualities but also the females because of the appearance and attitude of both genders. For example, the skinheads in this film have their hair shaved till they're nearly bald as this is what a skinhead does with their hair. A character that goes by the name Lol (actress Vicky McClure) followed the tradition by shaving her head too, but left a forehead fringe. Traditionally, men are known for shaving their heads but Lol took on this stereotypical male quality by shaving most of their hair too. This infers that masculinity wasn't just among the male characters but also the females.

Also, we see that a character named Shaun (actor Thomas Turgoose) was beginning to try act like a man at the age of 12 as the film went on. Within the film, you see Shaun's transition from behaving like a little boy by fighting in his school playground to him flirting and getting intimate with older girls and threatening those that are older than him. This tells me that masculinity was defined in the film by showing how Shaun grew up and developed so quickly within the film. As the film's duration increased, Shaun began to change the way he spoke, acted, appeared and even walked! The film showed Shaun's transition from a little boy to a young man.

Another observation I made is that there seems to be some sort of hierarchy between the skinheads. Characters Combo at the top, Woody second, Shaun third then the rest of the skinheads trail onwards. However, this hierarchy system soon changes as Shaun gains more of a status within the film than Woody. This shows to me that masculinity was defined in the film by having connotations of a hierarchy system. It showed that it was the men that were usually on top and in charge of things, not women,

Overall, I believe that the film used Shaun's change from being a little, cowardly boy with no friends to what seemed to be a young man going out with men that are twice or maybe three times his age to help define masculinity. Also, that masculinity doesn't always have to be defined with boys but with girls too. The film also included connotations of a hierarchy system between the characters.

Discuss the theme of loss-of-innocence/coming-of-age in the film
Google's definition of 'coming of age': the age or occasion when one formally becomes an adult.

 The theme of the loss-of-innocence/coming-of-age within this film is particularly shown with Shaun because of how he changes in the film. At the beginning of the film, you see him waking up half naked to go to school and staring at a picture of his father that died with compassion and love. When he arrives at school, he has a squabble with another pupil in the school's playground as young boys tend to do. However, you see him morph into a young man by changing his appearance (cutting his hair nearly bald and a change in his dress sense). As soon as he met the group of skinheads, Shaun began to feel more confident in himself and acted as if he was a lot older than he already was. From the beginning of the film, you could tell that Shaun was quite a boisterous character as he used a lot of foul language and had a cheeky sense of humour. As the film goes on, he starts to use more foul language and his cheeky sense of humour gets bigger by the second. 

Shaun grows into young man who is quite cocky but at least develops self confidence. He does transform into an older person in the way he acts but the actions he does is negative: a rapid increase in his swearing, violence and racism. Combo (the main skinhead in the film) brainwashed Shaun into making him believe any other race in England shouldn't belong there and that they should fight against them. In result to this, Shaun morphed into an angry, racist young boy who wanted to seize revenge. One thing that Combo told him was that he should fight for his father; that his father would be proud of him. This clearly gave Shaun the motivation to think what he's doing is correct; he was oblivious to the fault in it.

Overall, the theme of loss-of-innocence/coming-of-age in the film is negative as Shaun grows up to have a negative mindset and attitude based on the influences he has around him. 

In my opinion, I believe that 'This Is England' is a very interesting film that has mature and adult themes that causes you to think in depth about society and the country you live in. The use of racist themes, skinhead cultures and the theme of coming of age collectively works together to create such a tense yet outstanding plot to catch the viewer's attentions. I would recommend this film to anyone who wants to know information about different types of skinheads as I believe it covers everything you need to know about them. However, I would only recommend it to someone who is mature enough to watch it prior to the mature themes it contains. 

To conclude, I think the film is absolutely outstanding and I would definitely watch it again. 

Exercise: Kaos

At the beginning of our theatre lesson, we did an exercise called 'Kaos'. This game consists of 3 layers but we only did two layers to start off with for today.

LAYER 1 (VOICE):

We had to get in a circle and say someone's name around the room one by one. For example, Mr Rennison would say Edgar's name then Edgar would say Sam's name for example. Then, Sam would say someone else's name within then it would continue until there are no more names left to say and it would go back to Mr Rennison. 

Personally, I found the task quite easy. However, I had trouble remembering the person who said my name. Therefore, it made it quite hard for me to know when to come in and say a person's name in the circle. I had a fear of not wanting to mess up but one of the main objectives of the game is to NOT be negative and to embrace your mistakes. 

LAYER 2 (OBJECTS):

Still remaining in a circle, we had to throw a ball to another person that was different to the previous person who's name that was said before in layer 1. However, when you throw the ball, you have to say the name of the person you said in layer 1. For example, if Mr Rennison said Edgar's name in layer 1, in layer 2, he would throw the ball to someone who isn't Edgar e.g. Sam but would say Edgar's name when throwing it to him.

I think that this game helps us to stimulate our minds and get them working and thinking. The exercise was quite challenging for me as I had to think about multiples of different things whilst trying to successfully do something at the same time. Nonetheless, it was not the end of the world if we failed to succeed the exercise. If we did, we would have to acknowledge it then move on from it. We need to be able to learn from the mistakes we make and not down ourselves about it! Making mistakes helps to realise what went wrong then learn from it in order not to make the same mistake again.

I have come to the conclusion that Kaos is a perfect exercise to do in order to warm up before rehearsing Blackout. Blackout is quite a diverse play that is mainly set in a character's mind and thoughts. Within Kaos, you need to be able to access your mind and thoughts to successfully do the exercise well. Both the exercise and the play link as they both require the use of minds and thoughts to successfully do it well. 

What Locations Are Infered Inside The Text?

PAGE 5:

• Jail cell - suggests a claustrophobic feel
• He's talking from his mind

PAGE 6:

• Home - James' sanctuary
• Mentions his dad who was grim
• Remembering and reflecting on his past

PAGE 7:

• Kitchen - represents his homely feel
• Stairs - turn point, transition to darkness
• Granddad's house

PAGE 8:

• Granddad's house
• James' house

PAGE 9:

• School
• Atmosphere - dark, threatening

PAGE 10:

• Hospital
• Bedroom
• Jail Cell - Secure Unit
• Atmosphere - lonely, bare

PAGE 11:

• Night, bedroom
• External scenery - on the street

PAGE 12:

• House
• Atmosphere - intense
• Bedroom
• School - was isolated from it

PAGE 13:

• School - he's walking around
• Atmosphere - intense

PAGE 14:

• School - loves the pain
• Bedroom - where he lets out his anger the most
• ^it's his training room, chapel, church
• Atmosphere - tense

PAGE 15:

• Bedroom
• His home is his safe zone but then puts on a slasher film to remove the safeness
• ^film gets more grim as you read on

PAGE 16:

•  Bedroom
• Has pride

PAGE 17:

• Bedroom
• Reflecting and remembering his past
• Bedroom - alone now
• ^he shares his thoughts, he's talking from his inner head

PAGE 18:

• White walls
• Atmosphere - remorseful/sad
• Reflecting and remembering his past
• Park maybe
• James feels isolated and pressured after his revolution

PAGE 19:

• Alleyway
• Atmosphere - tense, scary

PAGE 20:

• Dialogue
• Away from home
• Home now
• Crime scene - frantic, scary
• Front room maybe

PAGE 21:

• Mind/jail
• Courtroom - judge
• ^exposed, the naked truth

PAGE 22:

• Courtroom
• Nervous
• Has no control
• Vulnerable

PAGE 23:

• Outside
• Home
• Bed
• Location details: Nazi posters, knives, mirror
• Lights on then off
• Talking from his mind/thoughts

Interpreting The Script: The Significance of The Time and Place In Which The Play Is Set

'Blackout' was written by Davey Anderson and was first performed on 4th June 2008. I have tried to search for the specific date which the play was actually written, not released. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find it so I will assume it was written near the end of 2007 or near the beginning of 2008. Also, the play is set in Glasgow where racism does happen.

From doing research, I found an article about two Mongolian men who were attacked by " RACIST teenaged thugs" with clubs and bricks in 2008 because of their race. This shows to me that racism does occur in Glasgow which connects to the group of skinheads in the play.

On page 9 in 'Blackout', you see skinheads (the bullies) mocking and tormenting James because of his hair and how he dresses. James had long hair but eventually cut it all off to give the bullies what they wanted.

Description of skinheads:

• Short hair (have it cut with a #2 or #3 grade clip guard). It'd be cut very short but not bald.
• They would wear shoes like Dr Martens and levi jeans
• Wear long or short-sleeved button-up shirts or polo shirts

FEMALE SKINHEADS



MALE SKINHEAD IN 1977



For more information on the attack, you can read the article here: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/exclusive-immigrant-tells-of-horrific-racist-981308

DEFINITION OF A SKINHEAD

'A young man of a subculture characterized by close-cropped hair and heavy boots, often perceived as aggressive, violent, and racist'.

Warm Up Notes

Above are 4 warm up videos to show you how to do some of the warm ups we do in theatre. Enjoy!

Why Today's Lesson In Theatre Was Successful

Today in theatre, we performed our own scenes that we devised by taking out 8 lines from the play 'Blackout. The lines that we used were:

• Everything went black 
• Blackout
• Imagine
• It was like being in a dream
• You dirty beast
• You shake your head
• Death to the gimp!
• You open your eyes 

Our scene was about a character having a nightmare and there were voices trying to intimidate them. To perform this scene, we used end on stage as the theatrical configuration.

I believe as a whole, not only did our (Holly, Chloe, Clay & I) scene go well but everyone else's did as we were able to have complete control on what to do. It allowed us to be creative, think deeply into how to perform our scenes and try to co-operate versatility within our performances. 

Tackling a play with such freedom to interpret it any way possible through your body allows you to be abstract, flexible and open to things with your body. For example, having a scene about a nightmare can allow you move in peculiar ways to represent the scariness of a nightmare and etc.

During rehearsals for this scene, I believe that we all worked well with each other as we tried to include everyone's ideas and contributions. We did this by sitting in a circle and taking turns to see what ideas we had. Afterwards, we would come to a conclusion of what we were going to do making sure everyone was happy. My strengths in this exercise was being able to give ideas to the rest of the group, thinking of choreography for the scene and making sure everyone agrees with an idea. However, my weakness was that I wasn't confident in the character I was playing: the character having the nightmare. As my role had more movement rather than words, I had to show emotion through my body predominantly. 

In order to improve for future exercises, I have to allow myself to be open to any role I'm given regardless if I'm not used to the role. Doing this will boost my skills as an actress, improve my versatility and will make me feel more comfortable and more open-minded to a variety of roles. 

Research Blog Topics - Types of Theatrical Configurations & Ideas For Staging

Types of Theatrical Configurations:

• In a round - to perform in a circle
• Promenade - when your scenes are staged in different places throughout the play when performing it
• Traverse - when the audience is placed on either side of the stage (like a catwalk).
• Immersive - when you're acting within the audience 
• End on - when there is flat staging (e.g. the Obie Theatre)
• Thrust - when you have an apron of staging, this allows you to be end on but also in the audience

Ideas For Staging:

Chloe and I had the idea of using thrust as the theatrical configuration for the play. At the beginning of the performance, one actor/actress could lay on a bed placed right in centre stage in the character of James pretending to think. Then, the rest of the actors/actresses will come out of the audience one by one saying a line each from the first scene of the play. To create versatility and think outside of the box, the performers would be positioned in different locations within the audience. Once everyone has reached the stage, they could circle around James and walk around him still saying their lines one by one but at the same time. The noise they'll create together whilst repetitively saying their individual lines will eventually crescendo then will come to a halt when the actor/actress on the bed suddenly snaps out of their thoughts and zones in noticing their surroundings. Whilst the character is on the bed, there should be a red spotlight on them. I think the colour red would be good to use as red has connotations of danger.

Overall, thrust would be a great theatrical configuration to use as it allows you to not only be end on but also gives you the opportunity to move within the audience. 

The Playwright's Intentions and How They Impact On The Play

I think the playwright's intentions was to show how depressing a troubled teenaged boy's life can be. They were trying to tell the audience his story through his eyes and what has happened in his life to effect him now. Also, I think another of the playwright's intentions was to get us thinking throughout the play as it starts us of with the first word being "Imagine" in the play. This impacts the play by making it flow as if it's a monologue and James is the only character as the play is telling his life story. However, once we read more indepth into the play, we begin to see that more and more characters are involved. Although this play may seem quite upsetting, it's good that the playwright is making us aware that the things presented in the play do occur in real life situations! In order to be a great actor/actress, you need to be aware of the current world around you so that you are able to portray different roles. With 'Blackout' being a gothic play in some sense, it educates us on how things can be in the world for teenage boys or even anyone.

The Play's Themes and Issues

• Bullying - on page 9, you see James being called horrible names by his peers and getting beaten up by them because they think he's a "goth". 
• Depression - on page 14 and 15, it is written that James refuses to see his grandfather that at this point in the play we know he loves dearly. James would rather stay in and watch a gory film with blood and killing. Therefore, this must show he is at a depressing point in his life if he'd rather watch something so gory and horrid that he didn't think was gory enough than see his granddad that he so called loves!
• Death - on page 17, we are told that James grandfather dies of cancer which will definitely scar James. The last time he could see his granddad, he refused because he'd rather watch something  depressing and unpleasant
• Crime (murder) - on page 20, James has been accused of attempted murder. When he was drunk and smoked quite a lot, he was not himself and nearly strangled someone to death. 
• Peer pressure - on page 19, his peers have given him drugs and alcohol to drink. James didn't want to feel like the "wee nerdy" and took what he was given so they didn't think he was a coward.
• Abuse - on page 6, we are told that James' father abused his mother which would obviously traumatise any child who would have to witness their mum getting beaten up by their dad every single day at a young tender and fragile age. Also, on page 9 we see James being abused by his peers hitting him with a belt, kicking him in his ribs and throwing him down the stairs. 
• Love - on page 7, James describes his love for his granddad and the father-and-son relationship they have. 
• Hate - on page 13, James retaliates to the bullies and loses his temper and lashes out by throwing a chair at them and giving them what they want: a reaction.
• Confusion - on page 5, at the very start of the play, James starts of as being confused and unaware of what has happened to lead up to the point of his life that he's in. He asks himself questions such as "where am I?", "what did I do?" and etc.

Overall, I feel as if the overall themes and issues of the play is about depression, abuse and anger when tying to sum up all of the themes presented above. 

DEFINITION OF A FASCIST

Collins School Dictionary Definition

Fascism: "Extreme right-wing political ideology or system of government with a powerful dictator and state control of most activities. Nationalism is encouraged and political opposition is not allowed. "
Therefore, a fascist would be someone who believes in nationalism (when the government controls everything and belief  that you are superior to others).

I believe that social fascism was displayed when the bullies in the play we're being horrible to James and believing they were better than him. If you refer to page 9, you can see James being called names such as "the gimp", "dirty beast" and etc. The bullies belittling James shows that they feel there are more superior than him in order for them to feel like they were able to call him such terrible things.

Research Blog Topics - First Impression Of The Play

First Impressions of The Play

My first impressions of the play is that it is about a young teenage boy named James who has been through a lot in his life which has negatively affected him in the future. For example, in the play, it mentions how his father used to beat his mother "to a pulp". This could mentally traumatize a young person as they should not be witnessing such things at a young age. This could be one of the reasons why James seems like such a depressed and lonely character.

Throughout this play, you are taken through James' story of how he became so depressed and disheartened from an early age. His mother wasn't the wealthiest person in the world, he was bullied by his peers and nearly killed someone and almost was put into jail for it! Despite his mum's financial problems, she still provided for him which shows that he still received love from at least someone. Also, he was very close with his granddad as shown in the play. Sadly, James' granddad died of cancer later on in the play. On page 17, James says "You'd remember the night your granddad died. That's when you died inside". I think at this was a point in the play, James hits rock bottom. He mentions in the play on page 7 "But you'd remember your granddad. He was the closest thing you had to a proper father. He put you under his wing. He did everything a dad would do...". This demonstrates the close relationship James had with someone in his life and the relationship that made him happy. Although, as you read on, you see James getting more and more depressed in result to his granddad passing.

Also, the play is quite choppy. It talks of past experiences and every word has a meaning and cliffhanger. For example, the first word of the play is "imagine". This shows that already the play could be about someone's thoughts and that they have to use the imagination from their minds to prove this. 

Overall, I think the play is depressing because of the life story James has. However, his can be the true reality of some people's lives and we should be aware of this. Not only does doing theatre help you improve as an actor/actress but it can help to educate you on real life dramas.