The Class as a Whole

I think that this revamped version of Theatre 200 is a great format. Not only do the students learn a little about all aspects of theatre, but they also can try their hand at utilizing what they learned. Also, the addition of design labs was a crucial element that helped with the development process for our scenes. I beleive that this format is great.

Midterm Performances

I thought that the Starving Artists' performance was stellar. The action was smooth and the emotion of the charachters was not sacrificed for theme. The other groups also performed well. The group that performed the scene from Antigone did a good job in showing the apathy of the guards as well as the defiance of Antigone. Finally, the first group that did the sequence from Fences, seemed to almost use the old Greek style. All of the violence occured offstage rather than onstage for the audience to see.

Playwriting

Yes objective is good. Concentrating on one character is good. Even Having another charachter hold the keys to the protagonists objective is good. But what it was lacking was the idea that two characters could compete over the same objective. It is very odd that Professor Tanglao-Aguas did not mention this in his lecture. Some of the best stories occur when the two rival charachters are competeing for the same goal, whether it be for the favor of a lady, winning a war, or even getting a house. Competition is the major driving force behind many of the popular films and stories in the conciousness of American society. Yet, the professor never even gave som time to that.

Costumes of me

I really need to write these blogs a little more often. In regard to the last question I was sent regarding what type of costume should be desgined for somebody portraying me, I would say that the best idea is that the shades should be dark. I usually wear black alot. Also the clothing should not necessarily be fashion oriented but more toallow full range of motion and multi purpose use. Everything that I wear follows the maxim "form follows function." Therefore it is important that the costuming follows this format.

Genre of Fences

In all serious aspects, it is a little odd to consider the format or focus of a piece of work its genre. In all actuality, it entirely up to the director to decide how the characters interact and the like. The genre to me is the story archetype, where the play falls into one or more categories. I beleive Fences to be more of a drama, so I would direct it as such so that the focus was not portraying any one character in a bad light and focus more on the interactions of the characters. I would not use the structure of the lines as a method in deciding which genre the play is under.

Design for Antigone

Sorry that this is a little late, I was at fencing practice. As for the actual construction of the sets, I can see that the two sides are not symmetrical, kind of as a way to show the two competing views. The body could also be put onto the stage and actors slowly revolve in their movements towards this personification of death. During Creon and Antigone's arguement, when each was making their points known, the listener would follow as the other tried to distance himself from the other.

Some thoughts on Antigone

Anouillh's version of Antigone was a bit easier for the audience to get the feel for. The play was moved more into modern standards, yet it still retained its classical roots fairly well. The idea of playing games seems to be a very vivd image in the play from the guards playing cards to Creon trying to play his political games.