Micro View:

Weston-Super-Mare:


is a seaside resort town and civil parish in North Somerset, part of the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is located on the Bristol Channel coast, 18 miles (29 km) south west of Bristol, spanning the coast between the bounding high ground of Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Oldmixon, West Wick and Worle.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weston-super-Mare

Statement: I feel this would be a good insight for a set designer on ideas for a set







Grand Theatre:

Work began on building the pier on 7 November 1903, with P. Munroe acting as engineer, and it opened on 11 June 1904. At the pier's end was a 2,000 seat theatre which was used as a music hall and for opera, stage plays and ballet. On 16 May 1907 an extension of the pier measuring 500 yards (1,500 ft) was opened, with the intention that the pier would be used as a docking point for boats to Cardiff. The dangerous currents in the bay made this too difficult, however, and the extension was demolished.

The theatre at the pier's end was destroyed by fire on 13 January 1930. As the building was underinsured the pier was put up for sale and bought by Leonard Guy, who opened a £60,000 new pavilion three years later. This second pavilion housed a large undercover funfair rather than a theatre.

Mr. Guy sold the pier in 1946 to Mr. A Brenner, who went on to improve the pier's facilities, adding new shops and an amusement arcade to the pavilion in the early 1970s. As a result of the extra investment, the pier became a Grade II listed building in 1974. It won the National Piers Society Pier of the Year award in 2001.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Pier,_Weston-super-Mare

Statement: This gives a great idea of just what the Theatre would look like setting wise and also be an added help in set design.







Goole:

town, unitary authority of East Riding of Yorkshire, historic county of Yorkshire, England. Situated at the confluence of the Rivers Don and Ouse, it is the most westerly port of the Humber estuary and the eastern terminus of the Aire and Calder navigation system. Although Goole is in the present unitary authority of East Riding of Yorkshire, it is part of the West Riding division of the historic county. The port, located about 47 miles (75 km) from the open sea, can accommodate only small vessels, but its trade is varied because it serves a rich agricultural hinterland and the industrial areas of South and West Yorkshire. The port, shipping, and transport are major sources of employment. Other industries include food processing and the manufacture of fertilizers


http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/238864/Goole

Statement: I believe this will help the set designer also in knowing the setting of the area taking place and where the location of the town is to try to show differences from town before.





Stockton-on-Tees:

Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in North East England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority area and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including Billingham, Yarm and Thornaby. The combined size of the borough equates to approx 180,000 people and makes it larger than Middlesbrough in terms of population and square miles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stockton-on-Tees

Statement: This would help in the set designer on location and also give an understanding of the distance that and strain that the actors have came in order to do the show.






Fashion Style in the 1980's:

Punk took off as a mainstream fashion trend in the mid-70s. It was given this high profile by English designer, Vivienne Westwood and the ambassadors of punk - The Sex Pistols. Their unique look was largely created by Westwood - it utilised zips, rips, chains, bondage, porn and slogans. The fashion tapped into anti-establishment feelings of the time with The Sex Pistols' music (God Save the Queen/The Fascist Regime/She aint no human being) and general punk motifs featuring Queen Elizabeth II.

One important point to remember - most aspects of punk had been around much earlier than The Sex Pistols. Punk's musical influences can be traced back decades through bands such as The Who, The Rolling Stones and even Elvis. However, as a mainstream fashion trend - the one most people equate with punk - it started in the UK in 1976 and lasted for around two years. The full-blown fashion didn't find such strong acceptance elsewhere in the world, but it was common to see small pockets of UK-style punks in larger cities.


http://www.eightyeightynine.com/culture/80s-punk-hair.html

Statement: This would help the costume designer as well as make-up in ideas of styles of dress in the 1980's.







Music in and around the area of 1982:


January 20 – Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off a live bat thrown at him during a performance.
April 7 - Bucks Fizz achieve their 3rd No.1 single in less than 12 months.
April 26 – Rod Stewart is mugged in Los Angeles, California. Stewart loses his $50,000 Porsche to the mugger, but was not hurt.
May 5 - "A Little Peace" becomes the 500th UK No.1 single.
May 26 – The Rolling Stones open their European tour in Aberdeen, Scotland.
August 28 - Eric Burdon gets arrested after a show at the Rockpalast in Cologne
September 22 – The Who begin their only formally-announced "farewell" tour in Washington, D.C.
November 5 – First broadcast of The Tube was shown on Channel 4 in the UK.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_in_British_music

Statement: This would be a great help to gain ideas of just the type of music or style of music that people listened to in 1982.







Cost of living in 1982:


Cost of Living 1982How Much things cost in 1982Yearly Inflation Rate USA6.16 % Year End Close Dow Jones Industrial Average 1046 Interest Rates Year End Federal Reserve 11.50% Average Cost of new house $82,200.00 Average Income per year $21,050.00 Average Monthly Rent $320.00 Cost of a gallon of Gas 91 cents New Car Average price $7,983.00 US Postage Stamp 20 cents Vic 20 $299.95 Satellite Receiver $245.95 Below are some Prices for UK guides in Pounds Stirling Average House Price 23,644 Gallon of Petrol 1.59 Yearly Inflation Rate UK 8.6% Interest Rates Year End Bank of England 10.00%.

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1982.html

Statement: This is a good way and example to show and give an idea of just how much money was available to someone in 1982. I believe this would help in greatly on a characters perspective.






Technology in 1982:

1982 New technology continues to change our buying habits with smaller and cheaper electronic gadgets appearing including the first CD player and a new industry is just beginning with the use of Genetic Engineering human insulin produced by bacteria is sold for the first time. On the world stage Argentina invades the Falkland Islands and Argentina and the UK go to war over a small island thousands of miles away. After many reports of Whales becoming and endangered species the International Whaling Commission decides to end commercial whaling, and a major recession hits the United States.

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1982.html

Statement: This gives a better understanding of the technological advances that were made in 1982 which I think would be helpful to any designer.






Popular TV and Movies:


Popular Films :

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Rocky III,
On Golden Pond
Porky's
An Officer and a Gentleman
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Poltergeist
Annie
Chariots of Fire
Gandhi

Popular TV Programs:

Magnum, P.I.
The Other Arf (UK)
Dynasty
Falcon Crest
Hill Street Blues
Only Fools and Horses (UK)
Knight Rider

http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1982.html

Statement: This gives a greater outlook for the actors to understand the characters and perhaps some of the dialogue that is mentioned in the play.






Popular Culture in 1982:

Smileys 1982 was the year a computer scientist ( Scott Fahlman ) from Carnegie Mellon University first suggested the use of Smiley or emoticon as a way of expressing emotion in an email :-)Freeware first used by Andrew Flueleman and Jim Knopf to distribute their application which allowed programs to be copied, in 1984 the distribution of this type of software changed from freeware to Shareware ( name thought up by Bob Wallace )
Michael Jackson releases his second adult solo album, Thriller.
Graceland the home of Elvis Presley opens to the public
The screen legend Grace Kelly / Princess Grace of Monaco dies in car crash

Statement: This again gives a better outlook at the times that and more of an age reference to what was going on in 1982. This also would be beneficial towards character building.