JB Priestley's An Inspector Calls was intended to be performed rather than read. There are many factors that need to be considered when casting, performing and staging a production of the play.
Reading a novel is something that you would usually do on your own - watching a play in the theatre is very much a shared experience. An audience is made up of different sorts of people, all of whom will have different reactions to what they are seeing and hearing. We all react differently to what is in a novel too but not usually all at the same time.
Another key difference is that a novel is like a finished building whereas the script for a play is just the foundations. The words will be built on and developed by a director and the actors and this will be further enhanced by costumes, lighting, scenery and a whole host of technical and artistic choices. These will have an influence on how the audience reacts to the play. The three key areas we are going to look at are:
casting choices
performance choices
staging choices
As the idea of dramatisation is all about getting the play off the page and onto the stage, there are a number of clips to watch and think about to help your understanding of the process.