Performance Workshop Lesson 4 - The Visit

Theatre Course
Political Performance

Sherene Jordan

22nd November 2016

The Visit

• It’s about a woman Claire Zachanassian who had an ex lover who got her pregnant. He left her and she gave birth. She didn’t have any money or a man to support her and the child so she had no choice but to go into prostitution to get money in order to support the child. Unfortunately, that job also meant neglection of the baby during some parts of her job so the child ended up getting really ill and dying from lack of hospitality. With all of this happening she still didn’t give up on her job of prostitution. Years later her original country, Guellen,  are stuck in poverty and she arrives with a new husband (because of prostitution) and a solution. She offers one million to the country but in return asks for her ex lover and father to her dead child, Mr Alfred Ill,  to die in respect for her dead child. She believed if it wasn’t for him not taking responsibility for the child as well the child wouldn’t have died. That was her plea of justice. Mr Ill denies all allegations and avoids dying. The Mayor turns down Claire’s offer and the country continues being in poverty. Eventually, Mr Ill accepts responsibility and claims the child was his in front of the public and is later killed. This opportunity is taken open by the country and they accept the money from Claire and she takes the dead corpse back home with her. She receives her justice and the country has escaped from poverty.
• Prostitution in the 1910s:  Poor women went into prostitution to make sure they could have a roof over their heads also to make some money to by themselves attractive clothes and make up and nutrition to make themselves healthier and better. Also prostitution was a huge but secret organisation that would happen in clubs and at homes of wealthy men. It was seen as illegal at those times and wasn’t financially protected  so if a woman or man were caught they would be arrested and charged. Prostitution in those days was not simply being payed for sex (although that did happen), but it was for a man to pay a woman to marry him and to love him.
• Women Rights: Women were seen as a minority, at those times women didn’t have the right to vote, to work or run big companies. In those days it was seen as a man’s world. Women were only good for looking after the children, cooking, cleaning, caring for the husband and of course for showing affection and love in an intimate way. Without rights, women didn’t really have many options and didn’t have  the right to speak their minds.
• Money: Due to this play being set in the mid 1950s and most of the issues happened throughout the 1910s onwards to the 1950s this meant that the money issues such as poverty could of been influenced by events like WW1 and WW2 and the Wall Street Crash. These events affected european countries by investing millions into weapons, crops and trades. It does state in the play that Guellen which I suppose is the country they live in is in Europe.