Tally’s Blood

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Tallys Blood

• Ann Marie Di Mambro

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Heart-wrenching tale of lives and love (Steven
McCombe Review)

• The emotional production of Tally's Blood is
  touring Scotland this March to provide audiences
  with a heart-wrenching and enlightening journey
  through mid-20th century Scotland.
• This powerful story focuses on the lives of an
  Italian family living in Scotland from the late
  1930's to the early 1950's and takes us from a
  small back-street shop to a villa in the hills of
  Italy.

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• The family are close-knit but their strong ties
  to each other are severely tested as they face
  war, racism, ill-fated love, greed and
  tradition. This combines an interesting mix of
  humour, pathos and happiness to captivate and
  engross all who see it.

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A Scottish-Italian love story by Ann Marie Di
Mambro The hit of the Byre's spring season
returns for a summer outing!

• Set in Scotland and Italy before during and after
  the Second World War, 'Tally's Blood' follows the
  growing friendship between a young Italian girl,
  living with her Aunt and Uncle in their 'Tally
  Cafe' in the West of Scotland, and a young
  Scottish boy.

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• When World War Two breaks out, the tensions and
  prejudices between the two families heighten as
  the Italian immigrants in Scotland find their
  home country at war with their adopted country.

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• Playwright and television writer, Ann Marie Di
  Mambro, uses the experiences of Scotland's
  Italian community to tell this touching and funny
  story about love, prejudice and understanding.
• "A funny, touching and well-made piece that
  should not be missed" Joy Watters, The Courier
  "theatre-goers are assured of feeling uplifted at
  the end of the evening." Alison Anderson,
  Perthshire Advertiser

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Setting

• The play covers a 20-year period from 1936 to
  1955.
• Scotland (24 scenes) and Italy (7 scenes)
• Settings are specific and are both indoor and
  outdoor.

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Structure of the play

• 31 scenes
• Chronological.
• Twenty years.
• Large gaps in the time-line
• Act One has scenes set in 1936, 1939, 1943 and
  1944.
• Act Two is set eleven years later in 1955.
• A cinematic structure which pushes the storyline
  on quickly, even when there is a break in the
  time sequence. It builds up a sense of tension.

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Set

• 13 different scenes.
• Should you be presentational or representational?
  Naturalistic or Non-naturalistic. Click here for
  more info
• Certain pieces are essential the ginger crates,
  the bin, working areas and the upstairs window.

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Props

• Some props are essentially set dressing
• Others are essential parts of the plot
• the bottles of ginger, the letter and the kitbag,
  for example.

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Lighting

• Lighting creates mood and atmosphere
• The church, the ginger store and the elopement
  scene, for example.
• Italian setting
• Indoor and outdoor

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Sound

• Sound sets the scene the music, the off-stage
  party.

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Costume

• Reflects time
• Reflects place Italian dress would be different
• Reflects social conditions (wealth) or the
  characters

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Language

• Realistic working class Glaswegians.
• Italian phrases or speech patterns introduced
• Scenes set in Italy
• Device of having characters speak in the
  Glaswegian dialect although they are supposedly
  speaking Italian enables the audience to
  understand dialogue though Hughie cannot.
• Childrens vocabulary and sentence structure

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Comedy, wit and humour

• This is a predominantly comic play, though
  serious issues are dealt with.
• Much comedy arises from the use of dialect and
  the sharp Glasgow wit.
• The relationships between characters are another
  source of comedy.

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Acting style/techniques

• Realistic, naturalistic acting. Ordinary people
  in extraordinary situations
• naturalism but non-naturalistic settings
• Monologues (Massimo on Italy Massimo on
  internment) have naturalistic sound/feel
• Dialogue is brisk and witty, like a stage
  routine.(Popular Tradition)

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• Rioting mob is unseen, except in silhouette, and
  the whole drama of the situation must be created
  by their off-stage shouts and by the reactions of
  the victims on-stage.
• Occasionally two scenes run simultaneously (for
  example, the first part of Act Two, Scene Twelve).

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Actor/audience relationships

• The actors speak directly to the audience.
• The actors speak their thoughts aloud.
• The characters age 20 years in the course of the
  play. If the same actor plays Lucia throughout,
  she has the problem of persuading the audience to
  believe in her as a child.
• The actor playing Hughie has the same problem. It
  is easier for the actors who begin as adults to
  age 20 years credibly.

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Stage directions

• The actors speak directly to the audience.
• Decisions about staging left to the director and
  designer.
• Clear indications of how scenes should be paced
  A beat, Pause, Lucia hovers and Hughie
  hovers.

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• Few descriptions of the physical appearance of
  the characters.
• Some decisions are left to the director he
  starts to batter them (or whatever) maybe gets
  hanky out .
• Stage directions are often informal mildly
  miffed, could use mooch, nice wee hat on.
  This helps to indicate to the actor the mood of
  the moment.

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Relevance to Scottish society

• About Scotland and Scottish society but seen
  Italian eyes of Rosinella.
• The poverty of 1930s Scotland.
• A lack of employment.
• War.
• Ambition.
• The dependence of young people on their parents.
• Integration of foreign nationals.
• The difference between the clear moral standards
  of the Italian community and the perceived laxity
  of the Scots.
• Racism on both sides, as shown by the mob on
  the one hand and Rosinellas contempt for
  Scottish men on the other.

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Target audience

• Scots, especially, perhaps, those of foreign
  blood.
• Those concerned about how Scotland has developed
  since 1930s diversity of past influences,
  conflicting pressures of different ethnic
  backgrounds, changing relationships within
  society.
• Young people, identifying with generation gap
• Those with an interest in history, religion
  and/or racial integration

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Nationalism

• Two nationalities are involved Scottish and
  Italian.
• Differences in their national characteristics are
  important but there are similarities, too
  religion, family ties, hardships.

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Characters

• One important character, Luigi, has only a very
  brief appearance at the beginning of Act One, and
  is in fewer than half the scenes in Act Two.
• One influential character Massimos father
  does not appear at all but we hear a great deal
  about him and recognise his influence on his sons
  and daughter-in-law.

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• Rosinella
• Massimo
• Lucia
• Franco
• Hughie
• Brigit
• Luigi

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• Representational theatre has normally realistic
  settings on stage with actors assigned only one
  role throughout the production.
• In Presentational theatre the settings are not
  realistic and actors may be assigned a number of
  roles, often shifting from role to role with only
  the most minimal of physical changes.
• In presentational theatre, the actor knows the
  audience is present. Representational theatre
  tried to represent real life.

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