Staging and costuming a show for the stage requires a lot of time and hard work. When staging Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes one would have to consider how to dress each individual character and how to split the scenes to have them flow with the different characters. For example, the scene where Joe leaves Harper at the same time as Louis leaves Prior has to be staged carefully so that the audience understands what is happening. The playwright Tony Kushner allows for overlapping in conversations, but the director of the play has to figure out how to make the scene have an impact on the audience. The play examines significant themes of the time period such as religion and sexuality as well as AIDS. The play has to be presented cautiously to have a significant impact on the audience.
The first thing I would consider is the setting of the play. Tony Kushner sets the play in New York City in 1985. This makes sense because the AIDS Epidemic occurred from 1981 to 1987. Therefore theatergoers that saw the first productions of Kushner’s play were familiar with the topic of AIDS. Nowadays, AIDS is not as prevalent, but it still exists in society. I believe that it is important to shed a light on the AIDS Epidemic, and the audience will still be able to understand. Another Broadway musical that is based upon the AIDS Epidemic is Jonathan Larson’s musical RENT. Larson’s musical ran on Broadway for twelve years, finishing it’s run in 2008. RENT continues to be a popular and relevant Broadway show and was even adapted for high school theater departments to perform. RENT is set in the East Village of New York City in the early 1990s. The play depicts the lives of several New Yorkers and their struggles with money and A...
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...e talking to each other in this scene, but in some situations they can break the fourth wall and address the audience.
When staging and costuming Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes I would keep most of Kushner’s staging and costuming the same. I would have the show be set in the same time period and consider the character’s personalities and jobs when choosing their costumes. There are characters such as Roy and Joe that are hiding their sexuality and then there are characters such as Prior and Belize who are comfortable with who they are for the most part. I would consider what certain colors symbolize and use that to choose the color scheme of each character’s clothing. Seeing other Broadway shows, such as RENT, The Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots, inspired some of my ideas and helped me to understand the topics discussed in Angels in America.
...ition to costume, language and dialogue is what fixes the atmosphere and the action. In a manner very similar to Shakespeare, Calderón weaves description of the scene and of what is occurring into the main thrust of the play. In this sense, he is more than a poet, he is a dramatic craftsman who predominantly through his verse alone, creates a drama in its own right. All the clues to the plot and its themes lie in the text; the use of staging, costume, music and props can be used to enhance what lies in the script. What they give to the play is a fuller and more entertaining dramatic production. Thus, if used sensitively and intelligently by a director, these factors can increase the dramatic power of the work. The primary focus, however, remains the language, which relies on a high standard of acting in order to do justice to the subtleties of the play.
Tony Kushner, in his play Angels in America, explores a multitude of issues pertaining to modern American society including, but not limited to, race, religion, and sexual orientation. Through his diverse character selection, he is able to compare and contrast the many varied experiences that Americans might face today. Through it all, the characters’ lives are all linked together through a common thread: progress, both personal and public. Kushner offers insight on this topic by allowing his characters to discuss what it means to make progress and allowing them to change in their own ways. Careful observation of certain patterns reveals that, in the scope of the play, progress is cyclical in that it follows a sequential process of rootlessness, desire, and sacrifice, which repeats itself.
The difficulty of determining what gay and lesbian text is poses a challenge in finding material applicable to queer theory. However, being subtitled as a Gay Fantasia on National Themes by its openly homosexual author, Tony Kushner’s Angels in America is most appropriately viewed through this lens, as the play’s content directly illustrates the purpose of queer theory. Entangling the personal with the political, Kushner seeks to deconstruct the heteronormative agenda by illustrating the relationship between Reagan, AIDS, religion, and homosexuality through their impact on his characters. All struggling with some aspect of homosexuality, each perspective told in the play expresses the depth at which societal norms damage the freedom of American citizens. With sexual identity at the f...
The play that I went and saw was Midsummer Night’s Dream at the University Theatre. This play was set in a proscenium venue because the audience was in front of the stage facing the actors. The playwright of this play is William Shakespeare and it was directed by Kirsten Brandt. This play centered around a bunch of lovers who get trapped in an absurd love triangle that is caused by the use of a love potion.
Primarily, the overall environment of the play was welcoming. The Augusta Conradi Studio Theatre building was relatively small and no more than a hundred ninety seats. The stage arrangement was a classic stage setup. The stage was presented on a proscenium stage with stairs and ramps on both sides. The atmosphere of the building was fine and felt like a theatre should have. The theater was also clean and well-polished. The ceilings were high however the temperature inside the building was a little hot. Since the theater was rather small the stage felt more like a school play rather than a big play production but that soon changed as the actors stepped on the stage.
With every bit of detail, even those most would disregard, Ball State Universities’ production of Intimate Apparel brings the audience into the 1900’s and puts them right on stage with the actors. Even if the audience just plays the role of a friend listening to a story, the fact that design of the set, as well as where the play is held brings elements from the play that may have been missed. The color and fabric of the costumes the characters wear carefully contribute to the already delicate symbols written into the play. Truly, through the scenic design, set, theatre, and costumes, the Ball State Universities’ production of Intimate Apparel intricately intertwine the emotions of the play with that of the audience.
Discovering one’s identity is part of life. An identity is unique in that it is what sets us apart, yet can bring us together. Throughout Angels in America the characters were searching for their identity, which I will express to be the “spine”. Every character had faced some method of change during the play. These elements helped us define the theme of the play.
Not all plays are character-driven, in fact a great many are not. So if the characters are not what keep the audience intrigued, well then what does? There are many possible answers to this question. Paper Wheat uses the history of a group of people, a specific message commenting on a time period, spectacle elements such as song and dance, and the genre of comedy to keep its audience both engaged and entertained.
1. Tony Kushner- Anthony “Tony” Robert Kushner was born in New York City 1956 to two classical musicians. One year later the family moved to Lake Charles, Louisiana where Tony spent his childhood. Kushner has clear memories of being gay at age six, and says that growing up gay and Jewish in the Deep South “made him more conscious of his distinctive identity as he might not have in heavily Jewish New York City”. Kushner moved back to New York City to attend Columbia where he got a degree in medieval literature, and later went on to receive a M.F.A. from NYU. Kushner is most famous for his two part play “Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes” which seemed to be an overnight hit when part one opened in 1992. The following year
Both parts of Tony Kushner's play Angels in America paint a painfully truthful picture of what gay men go through. In most cases, they suffer either inner anguish or public torment. Sometimes they must endure both. Being homosexual in America is a double-edged sword. If you publicly announce that you are gay, you suffer ridicule and are mocked by the ignorant of society; but if you keep your homosexuality a secret, you are condemned to personal turmoil. Kushner's work attempts to make America take a close look at itself and hopefully change its ways. The fear of public scrutiny forces many gay men into a life of denial and secrecy.
EXPOSITION: Orsino expresses his love for Olivia: While Olivia is mourning for her dead brother; Orsino falls in love with her. He is trying to get her to marry him but she refuses. Since she mourns for the loss of her brother for seven years, Olivia will not see anybody who seeks a relationship with her.
Written in 1962-3, Play depicts three characters, a man (M), and two women (W1 and W2) trapped in urns with only their heads showing. These characters each present their own version of a love triangle, which once occurred between them. It becomes clear during the play that the characters, once tortured by each other, are now tortured by their situation. A spotlight acts as a "unique inquisitor," compelling each to speak when it shines on them, and to stop when it goes out. As this assault continues, the characters become increasingly maddened by the light, and increasingly desperate to make it stop. The play repeats itself, providing the audience with a sense that these characters have been saying the same words for an eternity, and will continue to do so until the light decides they can stop. Beckett demonstrates how "A style of living, theatrically communicable, is used to express a state of mind."
Each time a play is recreated by a direction, it becomes a totally new production than the last time it was performed. There is no exception of this fact for Ramapo College’s fall production of Caryl Churchill’s feminist play, Top Girls. The scenery, lighting, and costumes all play an important role in helping to bring the director’s vision to life. David Gordon’s vision was very specific in that he wanted an all women production and for each character to have many layers, both literally and figuratively. Through very pointed and specific scenery, lighting, and costumes, David Gordon was able to bring his vision to life.
Everyman is English morality play written by an anonymous author in late fifteenth century. The play’s represent the values that Everyman holds on to by its characterization. The spiritual life of Everyman was neglected by him, but he is quickly repents of his sins as the play develops. After realizing Everyman is summoned by Death, he doesn’t want to die and die alone for that matter. Everyman soon realizes that when he is seeking for a companion to go on a journey that he wants to go but there is no one available. He soon comes to terms that everyone will soon abandon him who accompanied him on earth. The play is in allegorical characters that represents variety of concepts such as (Knowledge, Good Deeds etc.)
Tony Kushner’s play, Angels in America, comments on a number of social issues of its time; ranging from political to societal. Additionally, it incorporates many concepts discussed in the Modern Condition courses. Thinkers such as Nietzsche, Borges, and DeBeauvoir are specifically represented in the play through the characters presented. Kushner uses his characters to convey the ideas of these thinkers in the context of the culture the play takes place in.