On this occasion, I was put in mind of Agatha Christie’s classic novel And Then Were None, in which a group of sinners—all of whom have contributed to the deaths of others—are eliminated one by one in an isolated house. J B Priestley may not resort to homicide, but the truths he places within Inspector Goole’s mouth have devastating consequences nonetheless. PW Productions are delighted to announce the full cast for the 30 th Anniversary UK and Ireland Tour of Stephen Daldry’s seminal production of JB Priestley’s classic thriller AN INSPECTOR CALLS which comes to York Opera House on the 7 th until 11 th February 2023. John Plunkett (14 September 2015). "BBC's An Inspector Calls arrests nearly 6 million viewers | Media". The Guardian . Retrieved 23 September 2015.

Facebook 0 Tweet 0 LinkedIn 0 Goole by name, ghoul by nature: Liam Brennan’s stern Inspector Goole in An Inspector Calls. Picture: Tristram Kenton, 2019 My mum advised me to go and see a youth company at the weekends, so I did that, and I didn’t realise how natural it was to act as it is to live in the real world. I was a lot freer.

Cast

Evlyne: “If I had to be someone out of all the characters, it would definitely be the inspector, because I’m obsessed with crime documentaries and serial killers, everything to do with murder, unsolved murder, unsolved mysteries, death row, all of that! I’ve pretty much seen everything and I re-watch it to go to sleep.” The film is set in 1912 and follows the events of a single evening on which the wealthy Birling family is holding a dinner party to celebrate the engagement of their daughter. The festivities are interrupted by a visit from what is taken to be a policeman, Inspector Goole, who is investigating the recent suicide of a local young woman. Goole’s interrogations of each member of the dinner party make it clear that all of them have contributed to the tragedy through individually unjust, selfish or exploitative behaviour. The "Inspector" leaves the subdued group with a warning that human beings have shared responsibility for each other and that this lesson will soon be taught "in fire and blood and anguish" — an apparent reference to the outbreak of World War I two years later. When on tour, are there any essentials to have in your dressing room or top tips for making yourself feel at home in each city? I like storytelling and I like the creative and artistic aspect of it. With this production, it has enabled that part of acting, and it’s been a really good creative process.” Evlyne Oyedokun’s Sheila Birling and Simon Cotton’s Gerald Croft in the rehearsal room for An Inspector Calls. Picture: Mark Douet David Thewlis to lead cast of BBC One adaptation of An Inspector Calls". DIY Magazine. 3 February 2015 . Retrieved 9 March 2015.

Aisling Walsh to direct Priestley classic for BBC". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 30 January 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 . Retrieved 9 March 2015.While the morality of the play is not particularly nuanced—Arthur Birling, for example, is the archetype of the money-grasping industrialist, while his cold wife (Christine Kavanagh) embodies snobbery and moral disapproval—there is something undeniably satisfying about watching these appalling people being confronted with their misdeeds. Some people put up fairy lights and flowers, but for me I’m very simple. With autism, as long as I’ve got really comfy clothes, a phone charger and headphones to cancel out sound, I’m all good.” Priestley also presents Sybil Birling as someone who does not care how people from the lower classes live. Priestley sees this as part of the problem with the rich in Edwardian times and since there is no government assistance charities need to help. Although Sybil Birling belongs to the Brumley Women’s Charity Organization, she only helps those who she thinks have earned it. So when Eva Smith, who is pregnant, asks for help and calls herself Mrs Birling, Sybil Birling is extremely angry and tells her committee not to assist. This is an example of irony, because Sybil Birling doesn’t know that Eric is the unborn baby’s father. To make things worse, she then tells the Inspector when he is questioning her that the father of the child should be made to pay and be, ‘dealt with very severely’.

Examiners marking your An Inspector Calls GCSE questions are looking for answers which show an understanding of the social message of the play and the contrast between the affluent lifestyle of the Birling family compared with the lives of the workers of Brumley. You should revise not just the play itself but the life of the author J. B. Priestley – GCSE students who can successfully reference Priestley’s experience growing up in Bradford at the turn of the century and how this relates to the events and characters of the play are more likely to receive top grades.

Evlyne: “Oh gosh! With me, I actually didn’t ever want to be an actor, it happened by accident. From a young age I was struggling with people and I never really spoke – I was pretty much mute to people I didn’t really know. The Inspector turns his attention to Mrs Birling, a patron of a charity that helps women in difficult situations, which Daisy (who was by then pregnant and destitute) had turned to for help. Daisy introduced herself as Mrs Birling, which offended the real Mrs Birling. Daisy then revealed that she had a new name, Alice Grey. Alice explained that the father of her child was an immature alcoholic who could not act as a father yet and could not support her. Mrs Birling, however, persuaded the committee to deny her a grant, believing that Daisy had been irresponsible and suggested that she find the father, despite Daisy repeating that he wouldn’t be of any use. Despite vigorous cross-examination from the inspector, she denies any wrongdoing. Goole then plays his final card, forcing Mrs Birling to lay the blame on the 'drunken young man' who got Smith pregnant. It slowly dawns on the family, except Mrs Birling, that Eric is the young man involved. Premiered at York Theatre Royal in 1989, this time it will play the Grand Opera House for the first time from February 7 to 11 2023 on its 30 th Anniversary UK and Ireland Tour: so called because the London premiere was staged in 1992 at the National Theatre. It’s been over four years since I last watched Stephen Daldry’s iconic staging of An Inspector Calls, and I continue to find it an enthralling piece of theatre. The fact that this recent performance withstood the ambient noise of several hundred schoolchildren within the creaky confines of York’s Grand Opera House only serves to underline how compelling this production is.

By contrast Sheila Birling objects to her father’s attitude. She does not see employees like Eva Smith as ‘cheap labour’, but emphasises their humanity by referring to them as ‘people’. However, Priestley also makes Sheila a complicated character. Ironically, her unjust complaint at Milwards store leads to Eva Smith losing her job; the last regular job she has. When Sheila recognises her own link in the chain, she is horrified. The Inspector’s words impact on her as she realises that there are wider ideas of justice, since there are ‘millions … of Eva Smiths’ in society and that our lives are all ‘intertwined’. In his possession, Goole has a photograph of the young woman and her diary - implying that she has named her tormentors within. Over the course of the evening, each member of the Birling family comes to realize they have all played a part in her downfall, in turn exploiting her, abandoning her, leading her to social and financial ruin before she finally took her own life. Faced with the maddening guilt and unable to accept the responsibility, we see one devastating night in the life of this entitled family, as they all seek to escape blame, believing their wealth and status will protect them from the consequences. Although the play takes place over a single evening, so real time, Inspector Goole seems to exist outside real time. He appears uninvited at the wealthy Birlings’ house When the family talk over what has happened, they begin to question whether their visitor was a real police inspector. Mr Birling makes a phone call to the chief constable, who confirms that there is no Inspector Goole on the force. With a further call to the infirmary confirming that no recent cases of suicide have been reported, the family surmise that the inspector was a fraud and that they have been the victims of a hoax. Gerald and the elder Birlings celebrate in relief, but Eric and Sheila continue to feel guilt. The phone then rings and the police tell them that a young woman has just died in the infirmary in a suspected suicide, and that they are on their way to question the family. The inspector's identity is left unexplained (though a clue is in the name), but it is clear that the family's confessions over the course of the evening have all been true, and that public disgrace will soon befall them. David Thewlis. "David Thewlis to lead cast of BBC One's adaptation of JB Priestley's An Inspector Calls - Media Centre". BBC . Retrieved 23 September 2015.Evlyne: “Well, the fact that is has three timelines helps. It’s set across three timelines – you’ve got 1912, which is where the play is set; then you’ve got the future, which is the Blitz, 1945, and then you’ve also got the current now, 2022. The Inspector has given the characters a second chance to change the way they will treat people like Eva Smith. JB Priestley’s brilliantly constructed masterpiece powerfully dramatises the dangers of casual capitalism’s hypocrisy. Stephen Daldry’s epic production highlights the play’s enduring relevance. Priestley explores ideas about justice by showing how the fate of the poorly paid Eva Smith is in the hands of the wealthy Birlings and the aristocratic Gerald Croft. They make a series of choices, creating a ‘chain of events’ that leads to her downfall. Inspector Goole is Priestley’s mouthpiece and Priestley gives him a commanding voice as the Inspector interrogates each of the characters in turn.