Necessary Targets: stage directions

Overview of Stage Directions in Necessary Targets

In Necessary Targets, playwright Eve Ensler uses stage directions sparingly, but effectively, to set the tone, highlight characterisation, and guide actors’ performances.
While they may seem brief and less frequent compared to other plays, each stage direction is crucial and provides valuable insight into the characters and the overall plot.

Setting and Environment

The stage directions emphasize the grimness and stark reality of the war-torn Bosnia setting, enhancing the sense of isolation and desolation.
The acts “in a refugee camp” and “in a burnt-out, ripped-up theatre” highlight the drastic contrast between Melissa and J.S.’s familiar, comfortable world and the terrifying reality of war.

Character Actions and Behaviours

Reflecting the psychological trauma of the characters, stage directions often indicate actions that symbolise coping mechanisms, such as Seada “holding tightly onto her doll” or Jelena “drinking heavily”.
The stage directions, when combined with the lines, reveal the internal struggle of characters, like Azra’s “trembling”.

Transitions and Lighting

Ensler uses stage directions to transition between scenes, marking passages of time and shifts in location.
Lighting changes are often specified to highlight shifts in mood, tension, or emphasis on a particular character or event.

Remember that each stage direction, no matter how brief, offers insight into a character, the setting, or the mood of the scene. When studying Necessary Targets, it is crucial to pay close attention to the stage directions as they can enhance your understanding of the play’s themes and the playwright’s intentions.