Contradictions In Jane Austen’s On The Verge Essay

Researching sound design for On the Verge began with researching the play itself. I found that On the Verge is based loosely off of real women in the Victorian age that explored extremely remote locations. (Joyners) This was in part to show that they could, in fact, go off on their own and experience dangerous things as women during a time when women did not have as many rights as men did. Although the time traveling that happens in the play is fantasy, the act of three ladies going out and exploring is based off actual women doing just that. Women in this era were expected to marry and take care of their children, while the husband went of to work. The trio of Fanny, Marry, and Alex rather contradict this, with only Fanny being married. (Wainscott) This ratio flips the norm within the group, and that, combined with the fact the women are exploring, brings to light a new perspective on how unique our characters are, and the situation they came from. In terms of sound, I would like to attempt to capture that spirit of these adventurous women. In researching On the…

(Wainscott) Ronald and Kathy continue to write about how the cast reminded them of a time where a sense of wonder was a regular and permissible emotion, and when gadgets were still novels. (Wainscott) I would like to convey the same sense of connection and reminiscence upon the audience as the Central Stage production conveyed to the reviewers. This could be accomplished with sound in the form of delightful sounds when the girls find trinkets along their travel. A sense of wonder could also be incorporated into the play with sound, with whimsical and mysterious cues for when the characters encounter a type of time…