In this essay, I will compare ‘Hard to Swallow’ by Mark Wheeler to our improvised TIE project. Our performance was based on the theme of ‘teenage problems’ and specifically focused on teenage pregnancy. While ‘Hard to Swallow’ depicted the struggles of a girl with anorexia, our piece portrayed the stories of four teenage girls who experienced pregnancy in various circumstances.
Both ‘Hard to Swallow’ and our play addressed common teenage issues, particularly affecting girls. However, they portrayed different perspectives on these problems and how outsiders perceive them. Eating disorders and teenage pregnancy are the primary challenges faced by teenage girls, and both plays effectively highlighted the pros and cons of these situations. In summary, both plays offered a glimpse into the struggles faced by teenage girls and the complexities they encounter. Both ‘Hard to Swallow’ and our play employed similar techniques, such as the use of ‘two-touch theatre’.
‘Mark Wheeler utilized it as a means of illustrating the passage of time, as well as highlighting how swiftly the problem can arise and how monotonous the issue can become. In the scene depicting ‘The Billy Goats’, the use of two-touch and the repetition effectively conveyed to the audience that the concern was insurmountable. This closely resembled our own play and how the problem would consistently be a part of the individual’s life. Both plays aimed to rapidly convey a wealth of information to the audience, with the impactful and emotive nature of just two words being instrumental in swiftly creating the desired atmosphere.’
Both plays featured a character who had a strong attitude towards another character dealing with a problem. This caused the person with the problem to feel vulnerable and weak. In the play “Hard to Swallow,” the father blamed his anorexic daughter and believed that she made the choice to starve herself. He refused to acknowledge his own role in her condition, and she used her eating disorder as a defense against him. Similarly, in the other play, there was a father who controlled his pregnant daughter. As a result of his behavior, she rebelled and became pregnant. When the father found out, he forced her to give up the baby and live her life according to his intentions.
Both Mark Wheeler and I employed a similar approach to intensify the emotions and helplessness of our respective teenage characters. By using direct address monologues, we engaged the audience and created an interactive experience between the character and viewers. In both instances, a character was utilized to communicate their feelings to the audience while posing thought-provoking questions. Additionally, rhetorical questions were used by both characters to evoke intense emotions from the audience.
The monologue in question directly addresses the audience without being self-indulgent or seeking intentional sympathy. However, its purpose is to convey the character’s emotions and ultimately prompt empathy from the audience. Both ‘Hard to Swallow’ and the discussed play begin and end with identical scenes, effectively emphasizing the challenges and complexities of anorexia while showing that overcoming it cannot be forced upon anyone. In contrast, our play uses motif work to start and finish the performance.
The repeated use of this technique creates a powerful climax in both plays. Mark Wheeler and our group aimed to make the audience recall and reflect on the emotional journey of the characters, evoking a sense of relief and regret. Ultimately, despite addressing different themes, the plays share striking similarities in terms of the techniques employed and the characters’ perspectives.
Both plays conveyed the challenging nature of a teenager’s life and emphasized the importance of support from those around them in overcoming their problems.
