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.

Scenic Images: the Clash between Light and Darkness

Recently, I acted in a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. In it, the director made the choice for the fairy world to be a clash of light and darkness, fairies versus shadows, to further enhance the conflict between the characters Oberon and Titania. The set was had two levels. At stage level, everything was normal, with three mossy arches across the stage. On the second level however, the set was split into two distinct regions. On stage right, the shade was a dark purple with a black brambly pattern and mirror shards pasted to it, giving it a sinister look of the shadow realm. This contrasted with the fairy side on which flowers hung and the shade was a gentle green. Further enhnacing this image was the blocking for the actors. No fairy could cross to stage right until Oberon and Titania had reconciled and vice versa (with the exception of Oberon, who breaks this boundary deliberatley when he tries to fix Puck's mistake. Finally, the costumes added to the effect as well. The shadows (Puck and Oberon), were dressed in dark trench coats and sunglasses that resembled something out of the Matrix. The Fairies on the other hand were dressed in more colorful and flowery outfits.

To Move or not to move: that is the crucial question.

Movement is very crucial to a character's portrayal. How many times have you seen a character say one thing but show an entirely different emotion by the way they move. If the mind and the body aren't working as one cohesive unit, the charachter may not be seen as genuine. Everything must be as real as possible. As Stanizlavski put it, what would I do if I was in the charachter's position?

Roar: My thoughts still Reverberating

Roar was an interesting play probably because of the central theme of what happens to those in the music industry and their ambitions. Hala was a deceptive bitch who wanted to relive the glory days. Ahmed wasn't satisfied with his position as the owner of a store and wanted to go to Jordan to pick up his music carreer again. Irene would do anything to accopmlish her dream from bending the truth to skipping school. Abe was in a similar position as Irene, having to bend the truth so that he could get the job he wanted. Even Karema used Ahmed's career to get out of Jordan. It just seems to show how weak all the character are because of their relation to the music industry.

Brechtian Theater's Implications

Brechtian theater seems to be the most sure fire way of getting the most out of theater for not only the actors but also the audiences. But I have to put the question out there, can any play be done in the Brechtian style? It seems to me at the moment that plays have top be written for the Brechtian Style so that they can be performed in that style. It would be intersting to know how this style could apply towards other works.

Thoughts on Professor Tanglao-Aguas play "When the Purple Settles"

The play was very graphic both in content and the amount of specific stage directions. However, it all seems to be pointing to a common theme. It is very realisitic to a degree. But its harder to understand some of the themes because we were never there. We never had to experience those things. This play reminded me of one of the plays our High School put on. It was called "The Serpent" and was a psychological study of the creation story based around the death of a schoolgirl during an attempted assaasination of the president. Though only about 45 minutes long, the play was probably one of the most thought provoking pieces of theater that I have seen to date. That I think can make all the difference to the plot line of a story: whether or not the story can provoke one to think outside the box, outside of themeselves.

Thoughts on how Theater reflects the real world.

Although many think that theater has very little merit in showing real world traits, I strongly agree that theater is a mirror of the real world. Overall, theater affects every part of the world and every major industry or institution. If one looks at commercials, they use dramatic elements to capture poeples attention. Some genres of movies are getting better due to better use of dramatic elements. Even political debate and campaigns use dramatic elements to keep the populace enthralled and gain support.
Some times, I think that theater has had too much of an impact. Everything that people do nowadays asks for attention. Take reality television. Though they try to make it as real as possible, It gets over dramatized, leading to a skewed world view. The same goes for the paparazzi following the lives of the Hollywood Stars. Some of these stars could be acting in order to gain attention and yet we eat it up as fact. This could be drama's major downfall. It may reflect the human condition as Professor Fusi said. Yet, it also seems to create a false image of reality in its effect on society.

Thoughts on how Theater reflects the real world.

Remarks on Professor Fusi's Lecture on Fences. 9-4-07

I found the lecture on the themes of Fences to be very interesting. Besides the points that Professor Fusi mentioned, I would like to bring up the theme of old thinking versus new thinking. Since the play takes place in the late 1950's the civil rights movement is in its earliest stages. Troy seems to represent the old way of thinking where the African American has to fill the lower jobs and driving the garbage truck is as high as it is going to get. His philosophy comes into direct conflict with that of his son Cory, who aspires to be a football player. Troy can't see that times are changing and that the time of discrimination is ending. Even in his favorit sport, baseball, Troy can't see that Jackie Robinson has broken the color barrier in the Major Leagues. I find this to be another theme that seems to run in August Wilson's play.