Glass Eels Research

Nell Leyshon
Glass Eels was written by Nell Leyshon who is a British dramatist and novelist who was born Glastonbury, England and lives in Dorset. She writes regularly for Radio 4 and 3. This means that her plays are descriptive so that the audience can hear the text and build the images in their head. Some of her plays include; The Farm, Glass Eels, The house in the Tree, Solider Boy, War Bride, Sons and The Iron Curtain.

Glass Eels written in 2003, is the second in a planned quartet of plays that are based around the seasons. Glass Eels being based around the summer. It is set on the Somerset levels in August, most likely on the River Parrett. It is the story of one young girl's sexual awakening and her acceptance of past loss, and contains the running theme of eel fishing and a dying rural way of life.

Somerset Levels-
Coastal plain and wetland area of central Somerset, in South West England. The landscape is dominated by grassland which is mostly used for pastures for dairy farming. From January until May, the River Parrett provides a source of European Eels (Anguilla anguilla) which are caught by hand netting as this is the only legal means of catching them. A series of eel passes have been built on the Parrett at the King's Sedgemoor Drain to help this endangered species which migrate upstream in their 10,000s in a single night.

Bridgwater is a market town in the center of the Sedgemoor district and is a major industrial center. With a population of 33,698, it has major communication routes through South West England. It is situated on the edge of the Somerset Level, along both banks of the River Parrett and 10 miles from it mouth.

I couldn't find anything about death rates on the somerset levels and how many are due to drowning as it is a highly water populated area with rivers that are known for flooding.

Glass Eels-

Glass Eels are a development stage in an eels life where is it is at the transition between ocean and freshwater. The skin of the eels is still transparent and the red gills and the heart are visible. Glass Eels typically refers to an intermediate stage in the eel's complex life history.

I think that the Glass Eels are a representation of Lily as a character, this is because a glass eel is in the development stage of its life, or teenage stage between being a child and an adult. i think it is important to note that this is when the eels cross between the ocean and freshwater suggesting that this the time that Lily will 'fly the nest' or is wanting to leave with the glass eels but cant as she is trapped. the glass eels are transparent suggesting that Lily is easy to see through and easy to read or that as you can see the eels heart suggesting that she is very open and is starting to struggle with factors like love, heartbreak and loss in her life. 

Glass Eels - The Play

First performed at The Brewhouse Theater, Somerset in June 2007. The Brewhouse Theater is next to the River Tome which joins the River Parrett not far up the River. i think she choose to have it first performed here as the play is set in that area so people will be able to relate and she wanted to bring it back to its roots and what inspired her to write this play. 

Characters -

 Lily

• 16
• Lost her mother at a young age (7/8)
• Jealous of her dads new girlfriend 
• Longing 
• Want comfort 
• Likes to hold onto things (physically and meteorically)
• Yearning
• 'Gawky,jug-eared charm and expressed sexual frustration' http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2007/jul/10/theatre

Mervyn

• Lily' Dad
• Has a new girlfriend
• Undertaker
• Stern
• Blank expression

Harold

• Lily's Granddad
• Retired Undertaker
• Bossy
• Mean
• Food Obsessed
• Moody

Kenneth

• Family Friend
• The only person Lily can make a connection with
• Quiet
• Empathy with Lily

Julie 

• Mervyn's Girlfriend 

ive have read through review about Glass Eels and tried to pick out things about Lily's character and how she acts and other crucial thing i need to know.

http://www.britishtheatreguide.info/reviews/glasseels-rev
http://www.whatsonstage.com/west-end-theatre/reviews/07-2007/glass-eels_20807.html
http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2007/jul/10/theatre
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/drama/3666439/Glass-Eels-a-whirlpool-of-emotion.html