callagggggge

Using the theme you and your group chose to highlight in your collage, write a paragraph or two describing how you would transfer the images incorporated with that theme into a set design. You can describe the overall set design or focus on an important item that would be on stage. How do these set elements reflect your theme?

Theme: Antigone v. Creon
My group depicted the struggle between Antigone and the law, or Creon.

In the play Antigone sought to do what was right for her brother's dead body. She would try to bury it, even though she knew she would be unsuccessful in completely burying the body. The King had ruled that if anyone tried to bury her brother, they would be killed. Knowing this Antigone still went out of her way to do what she thought was right. To depict this struggle we used pictures of tug of war, the king in chess, and the word L.A.W., for Creon's side, while Antigone had pictures of a God and Goddess, tug of war, a tragedy mask, and of a spiral. Creon's side was squared off and each picture was deliberately placed neatly; while Antigone's side had angled pictures, and pictures overlapping one another. Antigone's side was still organized, but unlike Creon's side, Antigone could break the rules and still be successful in her goals. She knew what she wanted, while Creon had conflicting interests.

The key element that I would want to depict on stage would be Antigone's strength, and Creon's struggle with decisions. I want Antigone to look strong through her presentation: by the way she is dressed (perhaps in red or purple), and by her poise. If possible during the scenes in which she and Creon interact, Antigone would stand in the middle of the stage, in front of Creon (downstaged?). Creon would look disorganized and worried further upstage, behind her. The epitamy of this struggle would be seen at the end of the play when Antigone is brought to Creon by his guards. Since this is the case then the background of the scene would need to reflect the tension between Antigone and Creon. The background would be set up with subtle but distinct differences. Antigone's side would look more flowy and flexible, and organized; while Creon's side of the room would look (what's the word for it...squares and perpendicular designs) cubic. This design would reflect the poster that my group made in class. Whether it is good for an actual play..I do not know.

As far as directing goes..

Mood = important
With every performance, the director has the job of creating the right mood. To do so, a latent message should be reflected in all of the elements in the piece...from the lighting to the arrangement of the props on the stage. This then creates the spine of the play. For instance: the spine in Fences was of racial heritage in contemporary America.

Professor Fusi did a good job of showing how our own interpretation (the director's interpretation) can change the scene by asking students to read aloud from Fences. [by the way you guys did a great job] From each scene it was the director's job to decide who she thought was the main character. In one scene where Gabe, Troy, and Rose all play a prominent roll, I thought that Rose had the dominant role whereas another girl thought that the focus should have been on Gabe. This is all up to the director's interpretation.

One thing that I'm not sure I am comfortable with is when a director takes a show into his own hands. Meaning, that a playwright has taken the time to write something that they poured their heart and soul into, and then allowing a director to interpret this play in their own style. Granted in all works elements will be interpreted differently by different people, but the idea of totally changing the story is uncomfortable to me. Some say this allows for more creativity, and that sometimes these are the best plays, but I still am not comfortable with it. I guess that it really depends on the work.

Design with Michael

Remember to set up the stage correctly unless you want to sit on Professor Fusi's lap. And if you want to create an intimate scene make people sit on a couch instead of two chairs. They should face each other. Ooo lala.

So now I know that if I want to be a power figure that I need to stand in the middle of the stage on a chair. I also have to move otherwise I might be mistaken for a prop. Ahh. In that case I should just walk onto the stage from the side. Maybe just barely slip into the action.

Each of the groups had a good interpretation of their beautiful pictures. Haha. Peter and the Wolf always creates interesting scenes. My favorite would have to have been the action scene. Relays are always fun. Too bad no one made any really funny mistakes, and too bad some people cheated.

How important is it, when blocking, to keep the actors facing the audience? Does it always matter if they are not facing the front? I guess that it just really depends on what's happening on stage.

I want to try interpretive dance.

For a play to be interpreted the way that the director wants, it's important for the director and the designer to work together. But overall I think that everyone who wants a play to work well need to work together for anything to happen (that is unless it's a monologue that does not involve curtains or lights).

Sweeney Todd

Describe a performance that you have seen in which you were moved by a vivid scenic image. What elements of the image make it memorable for you? How did they enhance the meaning of the play (or film) for you? Do you think the image fit the director's interpretation of the play (or film)? How did it help convey the mood?

Sweeney Todd
This performance was like none other. Creepy, unsettling, yet entertaining. Everyone involved in the play was both an actor and a musician. Instead of using the whole stage for the performance, they had assembled an L shaped wooden deck with a wooden background. Props lined the walls and helped to create the scene. Only the space of the L (as opposed to the rest of the stage) was being used. Otherwise the free space of the stage was empty. When characters had their turn to enter in to the scene, they would set down their instruments and stand up to join the action (for their chairs were already on stage).

The colors of the characters and the barber shop were darker, gloomier, and more unsettling than I had experienced before. At first I thought that I had walked into a freak show, rather a horror movie. The music was creepy, and the performance was about death. Each of these characteristics helped to enhance the show by creating an atmosphere and style that would unnerve the audience. The audience was held onto the performance by the uneasy tone set by the scene.

This feel of an old creepy barber shop was exactly what the director wanted the audience to feel. This performance was not meant to make the audience fill with love, instead was supposed to fill them with suspense. I think the director got exactly what he wanted.

two of me. An Argument.

"Come in" "no"
"Come in" "no"
"Come in" "no"
"Come in" "no"
"Why would I want to?"
"Come in" "No."
"Come in" "No."
"You are weak. boring. dull. and lifeless. What is the point of living?"
"Come in" "No!"
"I have goals and dreams and I do not want to be pulled down."
"Come in."
"NEver."
"Come in."
"I will try my best..."
"Come IN."
"to be happy."
"COME IN!"
"I WILL NOT. You always tempt. You always question. But I know me, and I know who I am not."

Scary side = fat, lazy, no dreams, no passion, no fun, lifeless.

6 elements

of Drama.

I enjoyed reading Roar.

Back home we have few people from the middle east, therefore I have not experienced much of their culture. Because of my lack of experience, I do have a lack of understanding. And perhaps I have not been opened minded about people from the Middle East. While reading Roar I took in bits of knowledge that gave me more of a down to earth feeling towards this culture, a brief outline of what life is like in the middle east, and for people who come from the middle east. My life did not nearly reflect any of the things that Roar described. My family always has time to spend together, I always went to school, and we never had to worry about being happy. It's odd for me to think that people do things in life not just for happiness, but out of necessity. Sleeping with a man for a visa is something that I would have never thought about. I suppose that I take for granted some things in life. I've always known that not everyone have the opportunities and security that I have always had.

As a side note, swearing is a good way to express anger and other strong emotions, but I have never enjoyed swearing. To hear the mother in Roar swear almost threw me off. My biased belief of middle eastern women is not of strength, and her step forward to assert her beliefs took me back. Stereotypes are misleading.

...I have gone through periods of my life where I swear, but overall it is hard for me to handle. It hurts. So between some of the things that I read in Purple, and some of the events that happened in Roar, I have had trouble taking in the information. I have strong emotions, and I am incredibly empathetic. When I see others hurting, I hurt. In some ways this promotes understanding, but other times I wish I could just overlook some less tolerable things.

At the end of Roar, I did not feel satisfied. I felt almost lost and confused as if someone should need to guide me. Perhaps I felt a little satisfaction from the fact that a daughter would do all she could to support her mother after her father and aunt ran off together. So young, and so motivated.

Let's Dance

Awesome.

I enjoy moving. A class that incorporates movement at all is a class that keeps me awake and interested. I believe that the way you move, and the way you present yourself on stage (even off stage) helps to create your character. Simply from the way you sit to the way you walk, people will form impressions of you or your character.

The last activity, I think, helped prove the point that actions (facial expressions, style of movement, speed of movement) can create an entire scene, and are important.

p.s. I used to dance, from modern to ballet, so movement on stage is comfortable and easy for me to do. (do well?...I can only hope)

Trust

I was a hippo without a tail.

Feelings...

Eyes closed, moving into the circle, touching, feeling, searching.
I did not feel free to blindly hurry forward in front of me. I did not want to run into anyone, or awkwardly bump someone. The two girls on either side of me ventured forward faster than I did. Their hands touched and I could feel that they had chosen partners. I stepped back and felt around for someone else.

Ear touching. Eaks. I didn't like that part.

This situation is similar to my actions in real life. I sometimes allow things to happen while I sit back and watch. Then after assessing the scene I step in.

Eyes. Look. Search. Skirt away. Look. Search. Laugh. Skirt away. Uncomfortable. Will it be over soon?



Only do what you're supposed to do. What does this entail....I believe it means to do what is right is your heart. Because as long as your heart is alright, and you are content with your decisions then you are right.

SuperSizeMe

What impression did the play make on you that caused you to see the connection between the characters and your own lives? If that is a simple as abuse, or as complex as colonization, or anything in between?
Overall I have lived a rather sheltered life. I grew up in a stable home with my mother, father, and brother. My parents rarely fought, and my brother and I had a surprisingly tight connection. Instead of fighting each other we would gang up against other people. In this sense I cannot directly connect to Purple. On the other hand, one of my good friends did not have the same experience. He was often caught in the middle between the neglect of his father, and the abuse of his mother. The mother would torture her son, and also cheated on her husband. The stories that he told me of these instances were incredibly painful to remember, but like Purple, were important to tell.

Why do you think Prof. Francis had to write this piece? What did he mean that he had it inside of him, that he has been carrying this play around with him his whole life?
Professor Francis described this story as a semi-biography. While not all of the events that happened in the play happened in his life, his exaggeration or rather form of expression sent a message to the reader. His use of anagrams, and symbolism helped to emotionally recreate the events of his childhood within his audience. Even his style and use of title cards, which make the story disconnected, help his audience themselves connect with the story. By making the story fragmented the audience could themselves feel what it was like to be oppressed, and under someone else's control. Prof. Francis believes that "everything we do in this world, stays in this world." In this sense his play is his version of the world that he has put on paper to be reenacted for others to witness.

What is the Purple? How did it settle for the characters? For you? For Francis? Or was it not resolved?
Purple is a bruise. Not only a bruise of the flesh that can heal, but an internal bruise of the heart and soul that lasts with a person for eternity. The characters had to live their lives with what had happened to them in the past. However they made the decision to live by acknowledging the past and respecting it rather than running from fear. For Junior, his mother explains to him that the play he wrote was not for nothing. She explained that the play would help him to not be afraid of the past, and in the future help to share his experiences with his children. His life, his experiences, his play was for something. As for me, I will probably never live through any experiences that even parallel the experiences in this play. But by reading the play, I have more respect, more understanding, and more appreciation for the people who have gone through similar experiences.


Today.
The main lesson that I learned from today's lecture was to "Question Everything." I have innate trust in people, so this concept hit hard. Journalism for the people, crafted by the people, to influence the people the way others feel they should be influenced = media.

To Think

...After Professor Tanglao-Aguas' lecture on Roar, I mean When the Purple Settles

Today I learned about a kind of theatre that does more than entertain. I learned about a genre of theatre that evokes catharsis, and even further evokes understanding in one's own life. This genre of theatre is called Brechtian theatre.

According to professor Tanglao-Aquas, the goal of Purple is to impact a person so much as to lay a claim on their brain, and to make them question who he/she is. The power this implies is incredible.

I will admit that reading Purple was difficult for me. I began reading it, was emotionally overwhelmed, took a nap, and then finally was able to finish. This was not a play that I could easily breeze through and feel complete as I turned the last page. Instead this play created in me a sense of unease that lingered for the rest of the day. It made me wonder why someone would feel the need to express such intense emotions and actions in a single play. Purple reminded me that everywhere in the world people face challenges more extreme than I could in my wildest dreams imagine.

After Professor Tanglao-Aguas explained his intentions I felt much better about what I had read. His goal was to disturb. His goal was to make the reader think so much that she couldn't simply set the play down and move onto another activity without first thinking about Purple. I know that he achieved his goal. On another note, I believe that if this play had been acted out where I could fully visualize the quick changes in action, then I would better understand the complexity of the piece.

wow.

LIFE

Firstly, I was a bit confused about blogging. From now on, I think that I should just look at Jason's blog, and if he has put up questions I'll answer those. Whether he asks questions once or twice a week I am still waiting to figure out. So here goes...

What I didn't answer to Fences:

- I have in the past perhaps built Fences up around who I am as a person, but overall I am an open person who is not afraid to show who I am. If I do build a fence however, it is normally to keep people in. I use the fence to hold those people whom I care about close to my heart. I am an emotional person. I am sensitive, and incredibly empathetic. I need people to care about, and I need people to care about me. Previously I fought to climb over the wall I build to keep my heart safe, but now that I've overcome that fence I am willing to risk vulnerability.

- Troy's character is someone I regard as searching. His sternness and unfaithfulness are not surprising when I understand that he is, even as an old man, trying to find himself within his own life. He is loyal to his wife, and he loves his son and his brother even if he does not have a good way to express his feelings.

- Rose is a strong woman. She married and settled down more out of necessity than out of love. She is loyal, faithful, and enduring, but that does not mean that she does not question her situation. Rose understands that the mind is powerful. She understands how to recognize the emotions her heart feels, and she understands how to use her mind to help her avoid hurting her family. I believe that she does what she feels is best for her husband, son, and Troy's brother. She manages the house for her husband, encourages her son to seek his dreams, and never refuses a meal and polite invitation to Gabe.

- I believe that I answered the final question in my last blog.

I hope this is good!

Fences

Fences - A Response to Professor Fusi's Lecture

I read Fences for the first time last year in my AP English class. We had just finished with all of our AP testing, and my teacher felt the need to further broaden her students horizons with a few of her personal favorites. Fences by August Wilson was the first play we read. We read the play aloud, which took us three class periods. Each time we all portrayed a character, and attempted to put on an accent fitting the character. My favorite was my friend John's accent. He played Gabe, and spoke in an odd almost slow sing-song voice. Reading the story for a second time I still heard John's voice inside my head each time Gabe's character speaks.

Reading the story for the second time could not elicit the same reaction I had for the story the first day my English class read it aloud. Now I enjoy the story, knowing the ending, and I appreciate what it teaches me. However, when I first heard the play I am ashamed to admit that I believed it to be just another story about how life was hard for families years ago.

This time I recognized the fence metaphor, and in reading the play I searched for signs of Troy setting up his own fence around himself. He grew up poor, in a family of eleven children with a life-hardened father. Something this play teaches us is that life experiences shape who we are. This means the life experiences people experience on their own as well as the experiences taught inadvertently to us by our parents. As hard as Cory worked to escape his father's shadow, he could not. As hard as Troy worked to escape responsibility, he could not. Troy's past determined his future, his son's future, and both of their reason.

This example of people living in a social class, stuck in the belief that they can only reach as far as they can see is similar to the family of one of my best friends, Mitchell. His father is a truck driver. He never went to college, still he works hard, never for fun always out of necessity or responsibility. He holds himself back from achieving full happiness, and why I cannot understand. What I know is that his son was raised with the same beliefs. Work hard to earn money and support your family. Don't stray too hard from what you know you can reach. Sometimes I wonder what they would learn from reading Fences. As for me, Fences opened my mind to a lifestyle I have never experienced. I have always had opportunity, and been pushed to reach my dreams. I can only imagine a life where this is not true.

I sometimes wonder if the characters in the play learn anything throughout their lives. Did I simply miss the connection?

Behind my eyes

With my eyes closed I had to rely on my other senses for information. Between what I could hear and what I could feel, I created my own version of what I thought I was feeling.

While I waited for the first item to pass to me, I could hear the sound of crinkling paper. Ideas popped up in my head as to what I could expect to reach out and hold. Was the paper large like a newspaper, or as small as origami? I felt something on my knee and reached out to clutch an envelope and a folded papers. I could feel no writing on the paper. Perhaps no one had yet been inspired to write.

Next a small fuzzy creature was coaxed into my hands. It had a long nose, and cute little ears. It has a small tail and four little feet. I am not a specialist at identifying stuffed animals with my eyes closed, but my closest guess was that this stuffed animal resembled a mouse.

Again I could hear the slight tapping of the next object resting a foot away from me. I pictured in my mind a small party and the tapping of blue party cups ready to be filled with coke. Sure enough I was passed a plastic cup with two indentions on the side for better grip.

My favorite item came next. A thin plastic ball, small enough to fit into the palm of my hand, was lightly passed into my lap. I sat on the ground tossing the ball from hand to hand. I did not want to give the ball away to receive the next item...

a little baby shoe! The shoe was small enough to comfortably hold in one of my hands. I could feel the rubber bottom, and velcro instead of laces.

This is all I can remember from the game of invisible items.