16/2/15 - Overall research

This is an overall evaluation of the research that I did for this project.

'East End Tales' is set in the East End of London (east of the Roman and medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames.

East End present day

East End 1882 

The play doesn't exactly specify where in the East End it is set so you can imagine the story happening anywhere there. To be honest, the tales and stories that occur in this play don't just take place in the East End, they can happen anywhere.

'East End Tales' doesn't have a specific day, month or year in which it is set in. It is set in the present, it is set right now, this very second because the drama in the play are things that happen every single day, these things can happen to anyone at any random time.

The East End has always been, stereotypically, a rough area to live in, an example of this is it's portrayal in the media ('Eastenders'). The writer, Fin Kennedy, wrote his play using photos and news articles from local newspapers as inspiration. Some of the tales are quite gritty and dark, but some are also quite happy and very easy to connect with, showing that the East End cant be as bad as anywhere else. (Although I am saying this but I haven't been many times myself so I don't know first-hand).

Also, the specific tales Kennedy chose to write about are very relatable, not like if you've experienced any of it primarily, but it does appear in the news a lot or if you've witnessed it yourself from friends, family or neighbours.

Here are some links to news articles and photos that could influence a play like 'East End Tales':

Bow cab driver pleads guilty to sexual assaults
Pupils pack East End Jewish cemetery to remember Auschwitz
Stroke survivors hold public fair in East End to explain how to avoid risk

As I've never really been to the depths of the East End, this research had helped me an awful lot. I also got a lot of research out of some of my classmates because Jake and Matteo both live in the East End, so we got told stories about certain interesting characters in their area, the scenery and the overall atmosphere. They said that the atmosphere is pretty good as everyone knows each other and it's a good community. Of course there are drugs and crimes but the towns aren't all run down and dodgy.

Research helped me with my characterization. I'm not playing one character, I'm playing multiple characters, like a narrator, along with everybody else in my ensemble. Learning about the different types of faces and people in the East End of London helped me to differentiate my speech and objective to every character.

- Matilda ^_^