Austerity

Our show is based around the theme of austerity. The gameshow in which the play revolves around is called ‘Austerity the gameshow.’ I researched this in order to develop my understanding of the key themes. The official dentition of austerity is ‘A state of reduced spending and increased frugality in the financial sector. Austerity measures generally refer to the measures taken by governments to reduce expenditures in an attempt to shrink their growing budget deficits.’ Austerity is clearly linked with wealth and the government. This reflects upon current issues in society and the issues faced within the play.

Many cuts have been put in place due to Austerity. This includes the cut of Disability Benefits. This relates to our devised scene and demonstrated why it is currently an important political issue and puts our piece into context. There was recently an article about disability benefits which I read, I found that this was very useful when trying to understand the scene and why it has such a huge effect in the lives of the characters. Here is the link: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/features/austerity-cuts-are-causing-mental-distress-and-are-linked-to-rise-in-suicides-health-professionals-a6712651.html

I also found a game called 'Austerity: The Game'. This is based on the board game ‘Monopoly.’ However, the cards show the differences in status between the ‘Bosses’ and the ‘Plebs.’ They show how money and power can affect lives and the constant between the two lifestyles. The Bosses are allowed to buy any property at any time, however the Plebs are only given this opportunity after one full rotation of the board. This shows the differences in how they are both treated. Here is the link to the board game:

http://usvsth3m.com/post/austerity-the-board-game