Joe Penhall

Joe Penhall "Some Voices"

London crisis drama, and schizophrenia is a potent symbol of urban alienation, loneliness, and powerty

Special Topics in British and American Literature V

Content

1. Joe Penhall

8. Play review

2. Plays

9. John Whiting Award

3. Awards

10. "Some Voices" film

4. British Theatre of 1990s

11. "Some Voices" analysis

5. "Sunnyboys"

12. Schizophrenia

6. "Some Voices" summary

13. Synesthesia

7. "Some Voices" film trailer

14. Reference

Joe Scott Penhall

Born: 1967 in London, United Kingdom, raised in Melbourn, Australia. is best known for his award-winning stage play Blue/Orange, the award-winning West End musical Sunny Afternoon, and creating the Netflix original series Mindhunter. Movies and TV shows: Mindhunter, Birthday, Some Voices, Enduring Love, Blue/Orange, more

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Penhall

Blue/Orange

The play is a sardonically comic piece which touches on race, mental illness and 21st-century British life. Date premiered: April 2000 Genre: comedy Setting: London psychiatric hospital Place premiered: Cottesloe Theatre London Original language: English

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Penhall

Sunny Afternoon

Sunny Afternoon is a jukebox musical with music and lyrics by Ray Davies and a book by Joe Penhall. Based on the formation and career of the English rock band The Kinks, the musical was commissioned and produced by Sonia Friedman and made its world premiere in 2014 at the Hampstead Theatre, London, before transferring to the West End's Harold Pinter Theatre.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Penhall

Mindhunter

Mindhunter is an American psychological crime thriller television series created by Joe Penhall, based on the 1995 true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit written by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker.The executive producers include Penhall, Charlize Theron, and David Fincher, the latter of whom has served as the series' most frequent director and de facto showrunner, overseeing many of the scriptwriting and production processes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Penhall

Plays

• Wild Turkey (1993) premiered at the Old Red Lion Theatre, Islington
• Some Voices (1994) premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, directed by Ian Rickson
• Pale Horse (1995) premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, directed by Ian Rickson
• Love and Understanding (1997) premiered at the Bush Theatre, directed by Mike Bradwell
• The Bullet (1998) premiered at the Donmar Warehouse, directed by Dominic Cooke
• Blue/Orange (2000) premiered at the National Theatre, directed by Roger Michell
• Dumb Show (2004) premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, directed Terry Johnson
• Landscape With Weapon (2007) premiered at the National Theatre, directed Roger Michell
• Haunted Child (2011) premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, directed by Jeremy Herrin
• Birthday (2012) premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, directed by Roger Michell
• Sunny Afternoon (2014) premiered at the Hampstead Theatre, directed by Edward Hall
• Mood Music (2018) premiered at The Old Vic, directed by Roger Michell

Awards

1994 John Whiting Award for Some Voices 1995 Pearson Thames Television Award for Pale Horse 2000 Laurence Olivier Award Best New Play for Blue/Orange 2000 Evening Standard Theatre Award Best New Play for Blue/Orange 2000 Critics' Circle Theatre Awards Best New Play for Blue/Orange 2005 BAFTA nominee Best Drama Serial for The Long Firm 2009 Roma Film Festival Best Screenplay for Moses Jones 2015 Laurence Olivier Award Best New Musical for Sunny Afternoon

British Theatre of 1990s page: 78

Penhall: "All of my plays are about the impulse toward freedom, people wanting to get out of their immediate environments, to escape from their job, or relationships, or the mental condition that they are in. But they are also about the danger of escape and liberation."

British Theatre of 1990s page: 79

Penhall: "All of my plays are about the individual versus the institution. Love and Understanding is about the institution of marriage. The Bullet is about the individual versus the corporation he works for, Blue/Orange challenges the medical institution. Dumb Show is about the individual versus the press, the media and fashion."

British Theatre of 1990s page: 79

Penhall: "...being agnostic or atheist you were depriving yourself of a degree of comfort and reassurance that religious people have. I suppose it was the beginning of my realization that people who are part of institutions - whether religious, government or fashion - are always happier and more self-assured than people on the outside.."

British Theatre of 1990s page: 79 /Pale Horse/

Penhall: "...an investigation of the nature of death, as it was of our society, one in which religion, science and the law are becoming increasingly meaningless.....it is just about a lawless, godless, loveless, self-regarding, solipsistic community....." Solipsistic = the belief that only your own experiences and existence can be known or are important

Some Voices

Penhall was hired by the Hammersmith Guardian, where he reported on all facets of the Shepherd's Bush area for 2 years.Some Voices stemmed not only from his journalistic observations but also his encounter with an acquaintance who was diagnosed with schizophrenia.

Shepherd's bush map

Sunnyboys

Sunnyboys are an Australian power pop band formed in Sydney in 1979. Fronted by singer-songwriter, guitarist Jeremy Oxley, the band "breathed some freshness and vitality into the divergent Sydney scene".[1] Their first two albums, Sunnyboys and Individuals both appeared in the Top 30 of the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart.

Sunnyboys - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 44

Penhall: "Jeremy Oxley could write the most incredible songs, then he'd go to a bar and he'd get beaten up."Pete Oxley: "Snooty Sydney people thought he was a loser, it just broke my heart."

Sunnyboys - Jeremy Oxley

Jeremy Saxon Oxley (born 15 November, 1961) is an Australian songwriter, singer and guitarist. He is best known for his work with the 1980s pop-rock band Sunnyboys.

Royal Court Theatre

Some Voices - The Royal Court Theatre Upstairs, London 1994

Directed by Ian RicsonDesigned by Rae Smith Lighting by Jim Simmons Sound by Paul Arditti Music by Stephen Warbeck

Some Voices - characters

Ray - in his early twentiesPete - Ray's brother, in his early thirties Laura - Irish, in her early twenties Ives - around fifty Dave - Irish, in his early thirties The action takes place over a period of about six weeks in west London.

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 46

With Ray now present in Pete's life and reliant upon his brother's help, Pete struggles to maintain the divisions between the various compartments of his world. It now inescapably blurs together as he worries about Ray infringing on his ability to effectively manage and run the restaurant. A particularly telling scene early in the play demonstrates Pete's difficulty as he tries to manage his staff in the dining area of the restaurant (while he is busy in the kitchen), cook meals, control the outflow of food and counsel Pete all at the same time.

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 46

He ends being unable to think straight with all the various responsibilities he must navigate. He will be the first of many Penhall males who is stretched too thin and unable to find a moment of peace for himself. At one point he tells Ray that he would love to just give up all his responsibilities (the restaurant, the family honor, caring for Ray), but he does not. He says: "Ray, I am obliged to do this thing for you. It is what I have to do... The measure of a man... in this life is whether he can do... what he thinks he has to do."

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 47

His understanding of the concept of doing what one thinks one should do ultimately allows Pete to sift through all the aspects of his life and determine what is of greatest priority for him: his family. Nevertheless, Pete has done well with his restaurant as he lives in a neighborhood where according to Ray, the neighbors drive around in "fancy cars" and drink champagne. Ray finds his brother's rich neighbors repulsive and his brother's place in it a betrayal of their working-class background.

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 48

While Pete fosters a great deal of resentment and hostility toward Ray. Ray misses out on all the aspects of a family life, including being the best man at Pete's wedding, attending the funeral of their mother who died of cancer and failing to support Pete during his divorce. In terms of fraternal relations Ray views Pete's picking up from the hospital as a moment of exhilaration as well as a chance for reconnection, giving him a good feeling about the re-establishment of their relationship.

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 49

...Pete has the difficulty of learning an entire new language of technical terms and doctors, but he also faces the unpredictability of what his brother will do next... Pete realizes that the situation he faces with his brother will be a challenge, especially with a restaurant demanding his constant attention. As Sierz notes, "Ray and Pete embody the conflict between freedom and responsibility, permissiveness and home-making" ....but now Pete has become both parent and brother for his sibling...

Some Voices

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 44

Ian Rickson, the play director described working on the play as "a very invigorating journey.You don't quite know what you will end up with, but you know you are connecting with something very deep in the play" "The pay has a compelling and a mythic power, ever reaching outside itself for escape, resolution and feelings."

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 44

Ian Rickson, "The last scene (Pete teching Ray how to make an omlete), is sublime"

Sunday Times review

"The most thrilling playwriting debut in years ... The writing is razor-sharp, sensitive, quietly eloquent, full of the touchingly drab poetry of lost lives."

https://www.concordtheatricals.co.uk/p/11768/some-voices

New York Time review

“…beautifully written…It’s dark material, but Penhall handles it with a light touch. He doesn’t romanticize Ray, neither does he vilify his brother, and their relationship is riveting.” —Independent (London). “…a sensitive and entirely unsentimental work in which every character suffers more than he or she deserves…purposeful, but it isn’t polemical. The characters are too carefully and credibly drawn for that.”

https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=3185

The Guardian - play review

Michael Billington: "Penhall offers a graphic picture of a west London world full of the walking wounded, and writes with grim humor."

The Times - opening night review

Kate Bassett: "Life's details are thrown into disturbing relief. just the way Ray's T-shirt, translucent with paraffin, clings to a body on the verge of burning itself up, becomes sharply upsetting"

The Times - play note

Kate Bassett: "as sparkling as it is bruising."

The Independent - play note

David Benedict: "Penhall is unfashionably unafraid to tackle serious things seriously,.."

The Guardian - play review

Sarah Hemming: "Some Voices, a beautifully written piece, which approaches a dark topic with a light touch and liberal doses of comedy. The love scenes are tender, the fights are scary, and the play frequently veers towards tragedy, only to pull back, pinning you to your seat. Best, however, is the fact that it is not black and white."

The Independent - list of the year

....one of the playwriths to keep an eye on, along with fellow Royal Court new writers Nick Grosso and Judy Upton...

The Independent - play note

Irving Wardle: "Penhall's play puts him alongside the late David Mercer as an authentic schizophrenia."In addition he recognized the strength of Penhall's writting by signaling out Ives' "pounding authoritarian speeches, with their comic implosions of the apocalyptic and humdrum and their schizophrenic poetry."

Sunday Times - review

John Peter: "This is the most thrilling playwriting debut in years... Penhall is writing about the insecurity and maladjustment of urban society; its fear of other people's solitude, its lack of imagination, its need to control people being disguised as care."

John Whiting Award

At the end-of-the-year, Penhall and his play were both recognized. Some Voices won the John Whiting Award, given annually to the new play that best addresses issues related to contemporary society. Penhall also made The Independent's end of the year list as one of the playwrights to keep an eye on, along with fellow Royal Court new writers Nick Grosso and Judy Upton.

Write atitle here

Some Voices (film)

In 2000, the play was made into a feature film, using Penhall's screenplay, and starred a pre-James Bond Daniel Craig as the schizophrenic Ray. In the movie we can see men struggling to solidify their status with the dynamics of class.

RAY

PETE

IIVES

LAURA

Info

https://www.playwithfireproductions.com/some-voices.html

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 46

This concept is expressed by Ives, an escaped mental patient who dies on a London street abandoned and unrecognized: "I don't like to hear people say money is no obstacle because money is the obstacle. I don't need to be told as long as you have your health because you buy your health and so it is a question of as long as you can afford it. I'm not stupid. I can think. I can see the people that pass by me."

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 46

Penhall's interest continues to focus on those males who have been passed by, who are not part of the larger economic boom, so accurately expressed by the New Man of the 1980s, and not part of the New Lads of the 1990s who have the money to spend on magazines, football gear and tickets and multiple pints at the local pub.

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 46

As Penhall revealed: "If you are ill or bereaved or disadvantaged or unemployed, then you are invisible... There is no one that can offer you any kind of help... If you are not perceived to be normal, with a nice job, and a nice wife, family and place in society, then you can fall through the cracks and life becomes impossible"

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 46

Ray has been released into the custody of his brother Pete, who has been consumed with running his restaurant, which is succesful. But now has second thoughts about his investment in being a savior to the restaurant that their father previously run. As Pete tells his brother, "Maybe my wife left me because I was this selfish cunt who wore a pinny and tossed salads all day for other people. Maybe I should never have tried to save dad or his greasy old caff or hos doomed fucking' life cos that would have just been responsible"

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 46

Amelia Howe Kritzer argues that Pete's investment in making the restaurant a success can be seen as "exemplifying the Thatcher ideal of self-reliance". While Kritzer is correct, Pete's situation has at the same time become troublesome and questionable because, as Nigel Edley and Margaret Wetherell noted; "Capitalist production is organised around a series of divisions between home and work, between work and leisure, private life and public life. Experience is thus compartmentalised as people move between these different spheres."

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 47

The arrival of Ray back into his life moves him out of the rut of the restaurant, but he finds it difficult and perplexing to deal with his brother, who return to society and cannot help himself from getting involved in the problems of others.

Some Voices - The Argumentative Theatre of Joe Penhall. page 47

Ray says: "What's the matter, Pete, you grown out of the Bush? You in a different bracket now so you don't notice things any more?" Pete's response is of one who has lost a sense of class designation between individuals. He tells Ray that his neighbors are just people. Driving Ray's anger are the two divergent paths the brothers have taken.

The contrast between brothers...

Ray

Pete

1. has long been a loner, disappering from numerous stretches of times.2. constantly moves amidst the city and it inhabitants, and his scenes take place on the street, at the beach, in a pub and in Laura's flat.

1. though, has stayed close to home, worked hard and achieved a modicum of success.2. always appears in spaces that are enclosed, as he is trapped in his kitchen, producing pesto pies and curly sausage.

VS

Issue of class...

In addition to promoting Penhall's critical position against the reinsertion of the mentally ill into society as represented through the fate of Pete and Ives, the play also criticizes the personal investment Care in the Community demands of family caregivers, and, in this case in particular, the demands placed upon the relationship between brothers.

Penhall's first full-length work; at its heart is a family play that examines the struggling relationship between two brothers as they confront the pressures of their past, Ray's mental illness and Pete's newly appointed familial responsibility

Two brothers...

Ray's previous behavior of disappearing for stretches of time and then turning up incarcerated and needing his family to rescue him from his altercations with the police.Pete, who is now required by the government to care for his peripatetic brother, fosters a great deal of resentment and hostility toward Ray because of the responsibilities that have fallen upon him since his brother last disappeared, including taking on the burden of the restaurant that his father ran so that the familial connection to the business is maintained, all to the detriment of his marriage as he spent more time in the restaurant than with his wife.

Laura & Dave

Laura: ....I want this baby... I'm worried about it and I know I probably can't look after it properly but I want it... ...because it would be mine... and it wouldn't hurt me... it wouldn't upset me and it would love me.... (p:65) Penhall suggests through the behavior of Dave that there is a thing line between the mental condition of Ray and the violently aggressive actions of Dave. (p:49)

Conclusion. page: 47

Even though the issue of class introduced in WIld Turkey are continued in Some Voices, Penhall's first full-length work is, at its heart, a family play that examines the struggling relationship between 2 brothers as they confront the pressures of their past, Ray's mental illness and Pete's newly appointed familiar responsibility.In addition to promoting Penhall's critical position against the reinsertion of the mentally ill into society as represented through the fate of Pete and Ives, the play also criticizes the personal investment Care in the Community demands of family caregivers, and, in this case in particular, the demands placed upon the relationship between brothers.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is a novel written by Ken Kesey and published in 1962. Set in an Oregon psychiatric hospital, the narrative serves as a study of institutional processes and the human mind; including a critique of psychiatry,[3] and a tribute to individualistic principles.[4] It was adapted into the Broadway (and later off-Broadway) play: "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Dale Wasserman in 1963. Bo Goldman adapted the novel into a 1975 film (of the same name) directed by Miloš Forman, which won 5 Academy Awards. It is considered by many to be one of the greatest novels ever written.

Info

What is schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a severe mental disorder which is characterized by a wide range of unusual behaviors: hearing voices (hallucinations) and distorted or false perception, often bizarre beliefs. They are unable to distinguish between reality and imaginative events. These unusual experiences seem real to the person whereas others assume that the person is lost in their own world.

What is schizophrenia?

Persons with schizophrenia are not aware of the changes in their behavior. They may not accept that they are behaving differently. This is because for them, the lines between external and internal reality are blurred and they are unable to differentiate between the two. This lack of insight makes them withdraw from family and friends, and refuse medical support.

How does schizophrenia occur?

The onset of schizophrenia usually occurs between puberty and early adulthood. It is a condition that develops gradually, often over a period of weeks to months. Symptoms in the early stages of schizophrenia may be similar to other mental health issues: adjustment problems, depression or anxiety.

How does schizophrenia occur?

In the initial stages of the illness, the person may show ‘negative symptoms’ such as remaining aloof and withdrawn, preferring to stay away from friends and family. They may lose interest in daily activities and hobbies they enjoyed earlier, and ignore personal grooming or hygiene, even if they were very particular about it before. Their behavior changes too – they may smile or laugh to themselves for no apparent reason.

How does schizophrenia occur?

Across the world, schizophrenia affects approximately one per cent of the population, and is observed in both men and women. The common age of onset is 15 to 25 years, though there are cases in which the disorder can develop in people beyond this age group as well.

Caring for someone with schizophrenia

Caring for a loved one who has schizophrenia can be very challenging. It can be shocking and disheartening to see your loved one’s odd and unpredictable behavior. Caregivers – particularly parents – are very likely to have feelings of grief and guilt when they learn of the diagnosis. Common reactions include: “Why me?” “Where did I go wrong?” “Am I a bad parent?”

A Beautiful Mind (film)

A Beautiful Mind is a 2001 American biographical drama film based on the life of the American mathematician John Nash, a Nobel Laureate in Economics and Abel Prize winner.

What Is Synesthesia? Synesthesia is when you hear music, but you see shapes. Or you hear a word or a name and instantly see a color

References

www.https://ecampus.chungbuk.ac.kr/ultra/institution-page Special Topics in British & American Literature Vhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Penhallhttps://www.concordtheatricals.co.uk/p/11768/some-voices https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=3185 https://www.playwithfireproductions.com/some-voices.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Flew_Over_the_Cuckoo%27s_Nest_(novel) https://www.whiteswanfoundation.org/disorders/psychotic-disorders/schizophrenia https://www.webmd.com/brain/what-is-synesthesia www.google.com

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