British humour and the First World War

You might find it interesting to look at this youtube clip from Blackadder, a UK TV series from some years ago. It shows very clearly the class differences within the British army, the politics behind some of the decisions made and the harsh realities of 'the push'.

Think about the way that humour is juxtaposed with horror. Silence with laughter. Darkness and light. What can you take from this that will help you in your work on Oh What a Lovely War?

Acting with accents

Are you struggling with accents in our rehearsals for Oh What a Lovely War? Remember that Joan Littlewood advised:

"No 'put on' accents. If you can't use somebody else's easily, use your own but take great care with the pronunciation..."

She also said: "play in the present tense. Avoid declaiming. Cut emotion. Find the action in a speech ... Don't slow down".

Have a look at this link to find some examples of different UK accents as well as actor's advice on working with accents
It's worth remembering that both the actor's on this website and Joan's actors in the original production all started with British accents of one kind or another. You are all starting with a wonderful range of accents from all around the world, with an audience many of whom speak English as a second or third anguage, so clarity on stage is more important than realism!