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gays." In Act II, British colonial oppression remains present, this time in the armed presence in
Northern Ireland. Michael Patterson writes that "the actors ... established a 'parallel between colonial and sexual oppression,' showing how the British occupation of Africa in the nineteenth century and its post-colonial presence in Northern Ireland relate to the patriarchal values of society" Churchill shows the audience different views of oppression, both colonial and sexual. She amplifies social constructs by linking the two periods, using an unnatural time gap. Amelia Howe Kritzer argues that "Churchill remained close to the Brechtian spirit of encouraging the audience to actively criticize institutions and ideologies they have previously taken for granted".
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I, but by a woman in Act II; Joshua is played by a white; and Edward is played by a woman in Act I and by a man in Act II. Churchill deliberately uses this cross-gender, -racial and -age casting to unsettle the audience's expectations. In the introduction to the play, Churchill explains why Betty is played by a man in the first act: "She wants to be what men want her to be ... Betty does not value herself as a woman." Michael
Patterson confirms this, writing that "Betty is played by a man in order to show how femininity is an artificial and imposed construct". James Harding suggests that by cross-casting Betty and Edward in Act I, Churchill is also playing it safe: It makes same-sex relationships visibly heterosexual and normative.
483:
lesbian relationship with Lin. When Gerry leaves Edward, Edward, who discovers he is in fact bisexual, moves in with his sister and Lin. The three of them have a drunken ceremony in which they call up the
Goddess, after which characters from Act I begin appearing. Act II has a looser structure, and Churchill played around with the ordering of the scenes. The final scene shows that Victoria has left Martin for a polyamorous relationship with Edward and Lin, and they are sharing custody of their son Tommy. Gerry and Edward are on good terms again, and Betty becomes friends with Gerry, who tells her about Edward's sexuality.
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Saunders, his wife Betty fancies Harry, who secretly has sex with Joshua, and later with Clive's son, Edward. The governess Ellen, who reveals herself to be a lesbian, is forced into marriage with Harry after his sexuality is discovered and condemned by Clive. Act 1 ends with the wedding celebrations; the final scene of the first act ends with Clive giving a speech while Joshua, watched by Edward (who does nothing), aims his rifle at him and fires as the scene ends with a blackout.
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values". Joshua does not identify with his "own" people; in act I, scene 3, Mrs. Saunders asks if he doesn't mind beating his own people and Joshua replies that they are not his people, and they are "bad". By the end of the act, of course, he realises the oppressive nature of colonialism after atrocities are committed by
British troops (which result in the death of his parents); hence his decision to fire his rifle at Clive.
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structure in the first act. Churchill writes that she "explored Genet's idea that colonial oppression and sexual oppression are similar." She essentially uses the play as a social arena to explore "the
Victorian origins of contemporary gender definitions and sexual attitudes, recent changes ... and some implications of these changes."
155:, and Act II is set in a London park in 1979. However, between the acts only twenty-five years pass for the characters. Each actor plays one role in Act I and a different role in Act II – the characters who appear in both acts are played by different actors in the first and second. Act I parodies the conventional
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invites the audience to engage with
Britain's colonial past, but does so by challenging "the preconceived notions held by the audience in terms of gender and sexuality". Churchill also subverts gender and racial stereotypes, using cross-gender and cross-racial casting: Betty is played by a man in Act
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Clive, a
British colonial administrator, lives with his family, a governess and servant during turbulent times in Africa. The natives are rioting, and Mrs Saunders, a widow, comes to them to seek safety. Her arrival is soon followed by Harry Bagley, an explorer. Clive makes passionate advances to Mrs
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The second act is set in London 1979, but for the characters only twenty-five years have passed. Churchill explains her reason for this in the introduction: "The first act, like the society it shows, is male-dominated and firmly structured. In the second act, more energy comes from the women and the
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Although Act II is set in 1979, some of the characters of Act I reappear – for them, only 25 years have passed. Betty has left Clive, her daughter
Victoria is now married to an overbearing Martin, and Edward has an openly gay relationship with Gerry. Victoria, upset and distant from Martin, starts a
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The black servant, Joshua, is played by a white man for similar reasons. He says, "My skin is black, but oh my soul is white. I hate my tribe. My master is my light"; Amelia Howe
Kritzer argues that "the reversal exposes the rupture in Joshua's identity caused by his internalization of colonial
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There is a great deal of difference between the two acts: Act II contains much more sexual freedom for women, whereas in Act I the men dictate the relationships. Act II "focuses on changes in the structure of power and authority, as they affect sex and relationships", from the male-dominated
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genre and satirizes
Victorian society and colonialism. Act II shows what could happen when the restrictions of both the comic genre and Victorian ideology are loosened.
170:, and helps to convey Churchill's political message about accepting people who are different and not dominating them or forcing them into particular social roles.
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How Feminist Theatre Became "Queer": A Look into Caryl Churchill's Cloud Nine
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on 18 May 1981 and finished on 4 September 1983, and was directed by
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is one of Churchill's most renowned works. The play was featured in
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Publications of the Modern Language Association of America
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The play uses controversial portrayals of sexuality and
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980:Drunk Enough to Say I Love You?
602:"The 50 best plays of all time"
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537:(London: Methuen London, 1985)
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136:written by British playwright
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16:1979 play by Caryl Churchill
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551:The Oxford Guide to Plays
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1310:Plays by Caryl Churchill
1081:Opera, dance and cabaret
1009:War and Peace Gaza Piece
672:, 113.2 (1998): 258–272.
1335:Fiction about polyamory
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1023:Tickets Are Now on Sale
780:Having a Wonderful Time
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212:Royal Court Production
115:Act II: London in 1979
1248:The After-Dinner Joke
800:Moving Clocks Go Slow
688:Amelia Howe Kritzer,
995:Ding Dong the Wicked
917:Love and Information
608:. Time Out Group Plc
398:, Edward's governess
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1095:A Mouthful of Birds
1058:Bluebeard's Friends
701:Michael Patterson,
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904:(1997)
896:(1994)
888:(1990)
880:(1989)
874:(1987)
866:(1984)
860:(1983)
854:(1983)
846:(1982)
838:(1979)
830:(1976)
822:(1976)
814:(1976)
808:(1975)
802:(1973)
796:(1972)
793:Owners
788:(1960)
782:(1960)
776:(1958)
509:Act II
478:Act II
439:Martin
427:Edward
378:Edward
372:Joshua
342:": -->
313:Martin
301:Edward
252:Edward
246:Joshua
216:": -->
182:NT2000
157:comedy
113:Africa
96:gender
74:Totnes
1267:Fugue
1149:Bliss
1108:Hotel
1042:Glass
812:Traps
492:Act I
469:Act I
457:Gerry
451:Cathy
421:Betty
415:Act 2
396:Ellen
366:Betty
360:Clive
354:Act 1
331:Gerry
325:Cathy
295:Betty
289:Act 2
270:Ellen
240:Betty
234:Clive
228:Act 1
1050:Kill
614:2021
576:2020
390:Maud
344:edit
264:Maud
218:edit
134:play
1066:Imp
851:Fen
445:Lin
319:Lin
180:'s
109:in
1301::
677:^
604:.
567:.
542:^
203:.
94:,
72:,
752:e
745:t
738:v
630:.
616:.
578:.
348:]
222:]
189:'
60:)
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